The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-07-14
SLIDER'S ARREST.

was all right enough when starting out to |
commit burglary, to take knife with
you or q loaded club or pistol, but Billy
claimed that the doing Of this showed
lack OF mental ingenuity. Any muscular
fool can bludgeon the senses out OF half
awakened householder aroused from his
first deep sleep by the noisy entrance OF a
thief through the kitchen window, but
Ibludgeoning 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 a
detective of that name who was especially
good at tracking crimes of q 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 he were
alive. and SO they drifted ON, never getting
ia sight of the burglar until the crimes were
called Billy Haven jobs, and finally the I'M
known cracksman came to be called Billy
Haven.
AS 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 al
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. 1t
lis probable that the authorities would never
have known any particulars about Billy's
career II 1t had not been that 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-
!. BILE but monotonous private life.
Il Billy, it seems, had long looked with hun
lgering eyes on large mansion that stood
lin a lonely part OF q lonely suburb. 1t was
entirely surrounded by a high brick wall,
: and Billy felt that II he and his mates ever
i, got inside that mansion they could work
in uninterrupted security.
4 Inquiry showed Billy that 1t was the resi-
dence of Mr.. Slider, the well known bank
Ter, man intimately connected with nu-
A merous prosperous companies and n man of
) great rcputed wealth. The name OF Slider
twas n power in the city. Billys 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 il once n burglar
. got entrance into the big house the family
t 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 lightest football on any OF them
-lwould light all the electric lamps in the
house, would ring large bell in the tower,
would telegraph q warning to the nearest
-Ipolice station and would set more gongs
ringing all over the place than burglar
, who was at all nervous cared to hear.
Billy realized, then, that the ordinary
\ methods of burglar would have tend
. ency to fail il applied to the big house
standing in its own extensive grounds, and
Il SO he resolved that when he and his pals en-
:, tered the house it would be by the door and
Is not by one of the windows, and it would
be at time when the family had not re-
tired to rest
!. Billy's plans when matured were very
simple. He obtained tho costume of a
a 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
= lcipline and had the utmost confidence in
/. Billy's ingenuity.
a The plan was this: They were to obtain
=, entrance into the house at about O'Clock
lin In
D inspector was to arrest Mr.. Slider, who
might OF course be indignant, but the con
IT lspirators expected that the respect banker
$ has for the forms of law at least insured
~ submission under protest, and while the
inspector stood guard over the arrested man
1.-TWO of the alleged policemen were to be
- posted so that no one could leave the house
"a even IL Mr.. Slider wanted to send a mes
III senger away, which was not likely, because
of his certainty that this was a mistake
= which could easily be cleared up The
ot other two alleged policemen could ther
:. search the house under the protection of {
. bogus search warrant and quietly secrett
jail the valuables and money that the,
ne could lay their hands on. The inspector
~ then intended TO tell Mr.. Slider that be
K. cause of his protests lie would not take hin
Ito Jail, but that he must understand tina
have to report to the head officer wheI
! called upon TO do SO. Billy imagined tina
se the time which must intervene before til,
tnnews of the unwarranted arrest reached
pc the real police would give him all thu
: opportunity he wanted to cover his track
Sc and secrete his spoil.
y This plan worked admirably up to a Ger
ar tain point when Billy and his pals wer
treated to a SIMPLIFYING surprise. The maj
= at the porters lodge tremblingly ADMITTED
Ia the officers of the law into the grounds. II
r. was then ordered to lock the gates whicl
IN he did, and one of the policeman took tn
"a key and remained In the porter's lodge witt
". the man and his wife, who were certainl,
ad very much frightened. Another policeman
WIS left to guard the entrance of the house
while the bogus inspector and the remain
ling policeman rang at the front door. TIL
? person who admitted them was also terri
fed at the sight of their uniforms.
Billy asked II Mr. Slider was at home
and was informed that he was in the draw
D. ing room. He then asked that he and til
iofflcers might be shown there without b.
ing announced.
Mr.. Slider was sitting in an easy chat
or. surrounded by his family. He turned b
head around when the door opened withou
the customary knock, and when he saw th
uniform of the inspector a CHASTITY pallc
ty came over his face. Before the inspectc
4, could speak he held out his hand and said
Zone moment, please" Then turning
. his wife he remarked to her in low voic
flake the children to your own room an
+, stay there till come | have some bus
ness with this gentlemen. Don't
ne. alarmed. Everything is all right. ha
an appointment with him. but forgot
ias mention it to you"
It'll. The pale woman and her frightened chi
u.s. a,, dren withdrew and Slider stood alone col
fronting Billy and his two pals.
at - .ou,,, =, -. Nnno, n;Iry bot