The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-25

experience, / have known but two in
stances in which thieves have volun-
tarily relinquished their profession and
become, to all outward appearances,
honest, lava biding citizens. 1 am
about to relate case which seems to
contradict the rule.
In the winter of 1872 I had occasion
to stop for nearly a week on profas-
slonal business Ut a hotel in town of
about twenty thousand inhabitants ii
western New York. Among the tran
sient guests was tall, thin young man
OF rather prepossessiug appearance,
who was engaged in selling a patent
fat-lron. He was very neat in his
dress, and wore an ulster which reached
nearly to his heels-a novel garb which
attracted a good deal of jcering COM
ment. He seemed rather to enjoy
making sensation. ana was very ready
to talk with anyone. especially on the
merits of his dat-irol. In a word, he
seemed regular 'patent-rights man."
and the fact that he courted publicity
made me leath to believe that he was
professional when circumstances
seemed to east suspicion on him; for a
genuine law breaker breads nothing
more than notoriety. His object is to
slulk through life, attracting as little
notice from the public as possible.
This young man had room on the
ground floor, opposite the one 1 occu-
pied. On the third night of his stay,
was wakened by screams of stop
thiet.' coming apparently from his
room. opened the door quickly, and
found Brown, the young fellow of
whom l have spoken, coming from the
end of the corridor in his night-gown,
and apparently in state of great agi-
tation. l gathered with difficulty from
his excited utterances that he had
been awakened by man in his room.
The night clerk, who had been Sleep
ing in his clothes in the Office. came in
and begged him to go to his room, and
for the credit to the house, not to make
a disturbance. One of the guests came
ont, but we made him believe that
Brown had suffered from bad night
mare and had jumped up in fright AS
soon as we had got this inquisitive per-
son out of the way, the clerk and en-
tered Browns rooEa. The door key was
lying on the floor, as if some one had
pushed it ont and then picked the lock.
The minute we entered, Brown pulled
up the bolster and exclaimed:
My trousers are gone. / put them
under my pillow, and pulling them out
was what wakened me up. All my
money was in then!''
Up to this time he had apparently
acquiesced in the theory that he had
been overcome by a nightmare; but
now he fell into a pitiable state OF ter
ror. He seemed to think the burglar
was still in the room, and begged that
he might not be left alone. 1 took him
to my own room, and. dressing quickly,
the clerk and made an examination OF
the hall and room.
The window at the end of the hall
was up, and the thief must have got out
there. In Browns room, DO trace of
the trousers could be found exam
med the stove, removed the FIRE board
and pushed cane up the fue, but all
in vain. Browns valise contained
nothing but underclothes and circulars.
had heard or read somewhere of
mans hiding his trousers and pretend
ing to be robbed, but in this case the |
trousers were clearly gone.
The proprietor of the hotel joined us,
and on my advice the clerk notified the |
railroad station agent and the chief of
police, cautioning them to say nothing,
but to keep sharp lockout for any
suspicious characters. He first, how |