St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-01-09
A PRECIOUS CLOAK.
The Weird Adventure It
Brought to a Lot Of De-
tectiVes.
Burglars Lured Officers Of
the Law to a Lonely
Spot.
Chief Runge's Acts Violations
Of the Provisions Of the
Charter.
Rev. H. H. French Denies Ver-
bal Inspiration Of the
Bible.

tectiVeS last week that would grace the
pages of the 1--WE Never Sleep" series,
ana pale any of the adventures of that
daring dime novel adventurer, Old
Sleuth. Several weeks ago-it is neces
sary to digress a little here in order to
come to the adventure in proper style
sneak thieves, or possibly they were
burglars, entered the residence of Will
lam H. Nudd. OF the firm Of Nudd IL
Holmes, at 500 Second avenue south
east. They carried off a magnificent
sealSkin cloak belonging to Mrs. Nudd,
valued at $3.50.
The case was placed in the hands of
the detectives, but they failed to locate
the thieves or the cloak. Finally it was
decided to advertise for the cloak. and
accordingly advertisements appeared in
the papers Offering a reward of 500
and no questions asked. In few days
a letter was received by Mr.. Nudd
stating that the writer had the coat. and
would return it for the reward offered,
provided certain StipulatiOns were car
RED out. The letter stipulated that Mr..
and Mrs. Mud were to drive out to
spot IN the rear of Maple Hill cemetery
at night. They were to come unat-
tended, and Mr.. Nudd was to re main in
his equipage, while his wife came for
ward to clump of trees with the money
in her hands. The cloak would then be
turned over.
The First Adventure
The detectives were immediately APP
Drised OF the affair, and they. of course,
fixed upon plan TO capture not only
the cloak, but the thief or thieves. Mr.
Nudd'S young son was dressed up to
represent a female and took a seat in
the carriage with ms father. Two de-
tectives. armed with field pieces. &C
companied the carriage. though. of
course, they were concealed from view
under robes and blankets. The outfit
drove to the spot behind the cemetery,
as indicated by the letter, and young
Nudd went forward with a bunch of
brown paper in his hands. But the
thieves did not snow up. A weird,
moaning sound swept up the hill. COM
ing, apparently, from the graveyard,
but that was all. The thieves were evil
IDENTIFY fly to the game" to speak vuI-
carly. So the party drove back home,
sadly disappointed and discounted.
Several days later another letter was
received by Mr.. Nudd, apparently from
the same person who Indicted the first.
1t was written Ill a decidedly sarcastic
vein, and contained full description of
the trip taken to the graveyard, adding:
I've was unto you. see? We don't
propose to get caught by a lot of fly
hobs. The next time you do business
with us, do 1t on the square"
Another designation was then ar
ranged for. This time the letter writer
said Mr.. and Mrs Nudd must come alone
or they would never see their sealskin
aInol- 0noin ftcfnoa oE bo
it was arranged to meet at a little one
story house, standing all alone. be-
tween the 500 shops and Sandy lake
The writer said the cloak would be
there, ready for turning oven but in
stead of 500 it would be necessary to
bring along $50, the added $50 to paw
for the scurVy trick played at the pre-
viOuS designation. The detectives were
again notified, and again plot was laid
to catch the daring fellow with the
cloak.
A Deep-Laid Plot.
Saturday night was the time set, and
every detective who could be found
around the city hall was pressed into
service. Mr.. Nudd did not go along
this time, but jim Hankinson took his
place. lie was to represent the manu-
facturer and young y udd was to pass
| himself off again as a female. The
young fellow donned dress, cloak and
hat belonging to servant girl of the
house and seated himself in the front of
a tWO-seated cutter alongside of Han
kinsOn. The back seat was empty,
but in the bottom. nearly smOthered
by buffalo robes, lay Inspectors Hoy
and James Doyle. Inspectors Law
renee and Howard aud Patroman Fred
Ot1E fn
spot in advance. Each was armed with
a rife and butcher knife. a fiercer lot
of plotters can scarcely be imagined out
of play than these three officers ap-
peared as they waded through snow and
dirt. over hills and through wales, until
| they reached the 500 railroad shops.
When they reached this point they
stopped to reconnOiter. Upon little hill
overlooking Sandy lake stood the one
story house. A lonelier spot was never
| seen. The wind blew from across the
! lake and niDped their ears and frosted
their boards as they crept Indian fash
! ion on their stomach through the snow
I'D to the little deserted hoveI.
A faint glimmer Of light was seen
| through the window as the officers APP
preached nearer. and Howard, in stage
| whisper. advised all to ''lav lOW" 1t
! were doing, but they managed to dig a
/ little deeper in the snow. The light
/ fiickered for an instant and then went
| out. a gust of icy wind came down the
! slope that nearly froZe the marrow of
! the officers, and then hollow mOcking
| laugh was heard coming. as it seemed,
! from the very bowels Of the earth. The
situation was decidedly unpleasant, but
! like brave officers they dug deeper into
/ the snow and waited for the world to
| come to an end. Presently they heard
| the tinkle of sleigh bells ana soon the
| cutter, containing the bogus female, the
bogus Mr.. Nudd and the two detectives.
| appeared upon the brow of the hill and
| halted.
The PIOtters at Work.
"D-n it." growled Hankinson, giving
HOY. who lay all huddled up in the bot
tom of the sleigh kick, this thing
makes me sick. l make fine looking
MIR. Nudd, don'tI."
well, don't kick my face off, Just
because you are on top" muttered HOY
from the deep recesses of pile of buff
falo robes II am not responsible fol
this. am I?'
Young Mr.. Nudd was ordered to be-
gin operations, so he pulled his skirts
around his ankles and wabbled off to-
ward the lonely little house. Now, nc
young man, no matter how slender OIL
symemtrical, can emulate the graceful
walk of the fair sex. no matter if the
snow be fifty feet deep. Young Nude
was graceful enough for man, but he
fioundered about in manner that spoke
volumes Hanklnson remained seated
in the cutter as prim as a New England
school ''marm." He was determined Il
Look rs much like an affiuent manufac
turer as possible, and, to tell the truth
he succeeded pretty we'll. He took
fendish delight. however, in stepping
on the fingers of the poor detectives
who lay in the bottom Of the sleigh, land