Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1893-09-26
SLIDER'S ARREST.

His theory was that If a man wished to
make a success OF his profession he needed
to use his brain rather than his muscle. IL
was all right enough when starting out to
commit a burglary, 20 take a knife with
you or a loaded club or a pistol, but Billy
claimed that the doing OF this showed a
lack Of mental ingenuity. Any muscular
fool can bludgeon the senses out Of a half
awakened householder aroused from his
first deep sleep by the noisy entrance Of q
thief through the kitchen window, but |
bludgeoning Billy looked upon as clumsy |
and unnecessary. The consequence was |
that Billy, by strict attention TO business !
and the endeavor TO please customers, soon |
began TO build up for himself an enviable |
reputation among the police.
They never caught sight OF Billy or his |
pals, but they always recognized his handi- |
work by the neatness and dexterity of it.
They did not even know his name, but
they called him among themselves Billy
Haven out of respect for the memory OF
detective of that name who was especially
good at tracking crimes OF a kind whose
origin was obscure and the clue TO which
was not visible. They said among them
selves when their attention was first direct
ed TO the kind Of burglary the new burglar
was doing that this was job Billy Haven
would like the unraveling Of if heNyere
alive, and 50 they drifted ON, never getting
a sight Of the burglar until the crimes were
called Billy Haven jobs and finally the un-
known craftsman came to be called Billy
Haven.
As a general thing, where Billy Haven
was at work theinmates Of the house never
knew a robbery had been committed until
next morning Billy and his gang left nj
most no trace Of their visit except the dis
appearance of the most valuable things in
the residence.
At last these neat burglaries ceased, and
there were no traces of Billy for years II
is probable that the authorities would never
have known any particulars about Billy's
career if it had not been that a convict dy-
ing in one of the prisons told about Billy's
last and successful coup, which enabled
Haven and his gang to retire into respecta-
bic but monotonous private life
Billy, it seems, had long looked with hun
gering eyes ON large mansion that stood
in a lonely part Of a lonely suburb. 1t was
entirely surrounded by high brick wall,
and Billy felt that if he and his mates ever
got inside that mansion they could work
in uninterrupted security.
Inquiry showed Billy that it was the resi-
dence of Mr.. Slider, the well known bank
er, a man intimately connected with nu-
merous prosperous companies and a man Of
great reputed wealth. The name of Slider
was power in the city. Billy's investiga-
tions led him to the knowledge that Mr..
Slider was most careful man, who had ar
ranged every electrical appliance then
known for the discovery Of a burglar. He
appeared to realize that if once "a burglar
got entrance into the big house the family
would be, comparatively speaking, at his
mercy, and so it was that every window
was protected by half dozen different de
vices. The door mats and windows were
so arranged that after everybody went to
bed the lghtest football on any Of them
would light all the electric lamps in the
house, would ring a large bell in the tower,
would telegraph a warning to the nearest
police station and would set more gongs
ringing all over the place than a burglar
who was at all nervous cared to hear.
Billy realized, then, that the ordinary
methods of a burglar would have a tend
ency to fail if applied to the big house
standing in its own extensive grounds, and
so he resolved that when he and his pals en-
tered the house it would be by the door and
not by one of the windows, and it would
be ut a time when the family had not re-
tired to rest.
Billy's plans when matured were very
) simple. He obtained the costume of a
police inspector for himself and the clothes
of an ordinary policeman for each Of his
four pals He got likewise a very good
imitation of a warrant of arrest made out
in the name of Mr. Slider. Billy was the
man Of brains in the gang, and the other
four realizing this did exactly as he told
them. They were in perfect state of dis.
! cipline and had the utmost confidence in
. Bily's ingenuity.
The plan was this: They were to obtain
entrance into the house at about Q O'Clock
J in the evening in perfect legal form, the
, inspector was to arrest Mr.. Slider, who
might Of course be indignant, but the con
I spirators expected that the respect a banker
has for the forms of law at least insured
submission under protest, and while tn,
inspector stood guard over the arrested mar
two OF the alleged policemen were 20 b'
4. posted so that no one could leave the house
even if Mr.. Slider wanted to send mes
; senger away, which was not likely, becaus
- of his certainty that this was a mistake
; which could easily be cleared up. Thu
e. other two alleged policemen could thel
e search the house under the protection of
S bogus search warrant and quietly secret
], all the valuables and money that the.
S could lay their hands on. The inspecto
then intended TO tell Mr.. Slider that be
s cause or MS protests ne would not take mn
= TO Jail, but that he must understand tina
}, he was under arrest, and that he Nigh
3. have to report TO the head officer whe
J, rallied upon TO do so. Billy imagined tina
, the time which must intervene before tn
II news Of the unwarranted arrest reaches
3 the real police would give him all tn
!. opportunity he wanted to cover his track
and secrete his spoil.
This plan worked admirably up to a Gel
tain point, when Billy and his pals wor
treated to supplying surprise. The ma
at the porter's lodge tremblingly admitte
70 the officers OF the law into the grounds II
was then ordered TO lock the gates, whic
ie he did, and one of the policeman took tn
re key and remained in the porters lodge wit
~ the man and his wife, who were certainl
D. very much frightened. Another policema
III was left to guard the entranceof the hous'
cd while the bogus inspector and the remain
fe.......,r,. ..trfs M fIn FRONT door WIZ