The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-07-07
SLIDER'S ARREST.
How a Wealthy Banker Was IN
geniously Swindled.

Billv Haven was no ordinary burglar.
His theory was that if a man wished
TO make success of his profession, he
needed to use his brain rather than his
| muscle 1t was all right enough, when
starting out to commit burglary. to
take a knife with you, or 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 bludgeoning Billy looked upon as
clumsy and unnecessary. The conse-
quence was that Billy, by strict atten-
ton to business, and the endeavor to
please customers, soon began to
build up for himself an enviable repu-
tatien among the police. They never
caught sight of Billy or his pals, but
they always recognized his handiworl1
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
| clew to which was not visible. They
said among themselves, when their at
tention was first directed 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 a
sight of the burglar, until the crimes
Were called Billy Haven jobs, and final
~ the unknown craftsman came to be
called Billy Haven.
AT last these neat burglaries ceased
and there were no traces of Billy for
| years. 1t is possible that the authori-
ties would never have known any par
tlculars about Billy's career if it had
| not been that a convict dying in one of
the prisons told about Billy's last and
successful coup, which enabled Haven
and his gang to retire into respectable
but monotonous private life.
Billy, it seems, had long looked with
hungering eyes on large mansion that
stood in lonely part of lonely SUBJ
urb. 1t was entirely surrounded by a
high brick wall, and Billy felt that if
he and his mates ever got inside that
mansion they could work in uninter-
rupted security.
Inquiry showed Billy that it was the
residence of Mr.. Slider, the well-known
banker, man intimately connected
with numerous prosperous companies,
and man of great reputed wealth.
The name of Slider was power in the
city. Billy's Investigations led him to
the knowledge that Mr. Slider was a
| most careful man, who had arranged
every electrical appliance then known
for the discovery of burglar.
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 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
We're in perfect state of dicipline and
genuity. The plan was this: They
Were to obtain entrance into the house
at about nine o'clock in the evening, in
perfect legal form; the inspector was
to arrest Mr.. Sliden, who might, of
course, be indignant, but the conspira-
tors 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 ar
rested man, two of the alleged police
men We're to be posted so that no one
could leave the house, even if Mr.. Slider
wanted to send messenger away,
which was not likely, because of his
certainty that this was mistake which
could easily be cleared up. The other
two alleged policemen could then
search the house under the protection
of bogus search warrant, and quietly
secrete all the valuables and money
they could lay their hands on. The in
spector then intended to tell Mr. Slider
that. because of his protests, he would
not take him to Jail, but that he must
understand that he was under arrest,
and that he might have to report to the
head officer when called upon to do SO.
This plan worked admirably up to
certain point, when Billy and his pals
were treated to Supplying surprise.
The man at the porter's lodge tren-
blingly admitted the officers of the law
into the grounds. He was then ordered
to lock the gates, which be did and one
of the officers took the key and re-
manned in the porter's lodge with the
man and his wife, who We're certainly
very much frightened Another police
man was left to guard the entrance 70
the house, while the bogus inspector
and the remaining policemen rang at
the front door. The person who al
mittcd them was also terrified at the
sight Of their uniforms.
Billy asked if Mr. Slider was at home.
and was informed that he was in the
drawing groom. He then asked that he
and the officers might be shown there
without being announced.
Mr. Slider was sitting in an easy chair
surrounded by HIS family He turned
his head round, and when the door
opened without the customary knock,
and when he say the uniform of the in
spector ghastly pallor came over his
face. Before the inspector could speak,
he held out his hand and said:
lone moment. please" Then turn
ing to his wife, he remarked to her in
a low voice: Take the children to
Your own room and stay there till |
come. have some business with this
gentleman Don't be alarmed. Every