The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-03-26

attic ana steady 1 felt safer that year than
ever before. and I had good cause to feel
I safe, for l had the strongest sort Of police
protection / worked right ia with them.
! 10 was told 60 some Of us at a boozing can
/ tsaloon) one ght that the police were ready
20 come TO terms. IL was explained that ~
per cent of our total take in would beabout
right. and the different mobs Of piokpock-
cts we've to whnck mp 10 certain policemen.
The plan worked well. and we got through
the summer without much trouble.
suppose you'll think it big story. but
believe stole full $1,000 that year. When
the show WAS over. got about 500. don't
know of any " the FOUNDERS that banked
any ~ his stealiugs OF in any way saved
any money. l felt pretty bluewhen | looked
back over the six months Of the most ele-
CANT graft I'd ever had and saw that I'd had
the Doodle in my hands and let It get away
again-boodle enough TO have set me up as
first class fence. OF in the gambling bust
ness, or keeping "A booze can.
One day man that l had seen before
came into Reub's booze can. He was
dealer in gents furnishings. and he was
mad and "a little drunk lie told Reub
that he had a scheme for somebody. Reub
called me. The man explained his scheme
buy bankrupt sale Of rolled gold pins and
cuff buttons and studs. lie had been out
hidden By Yates q Shoemaker, the Chest
nut street furnishers. and he didn't like it
and proposed to get even.
Now you can get a good graft on this
thing he said TO me. These goods will
be here tomorrow afternoon some time. and
you can steal them all If you look sharp
and get them the same night they come,
before they're unpacked."
That night / saw a mob Of burglars, and
we looked the place over. was selected to
20 into the store the next day and find out
how TO get in and how the burglar alarm
wires ran found that the wires crossed
in abe back door, which was the only one
we could get in through. We couldn't
break the door in on account OF these wires,
but we could saw through part of the lower
panels. In the afternoon the goods arrived
from New York. At night we went 10
work. There were three Of us, one watcher
and me and a fellow named Tom Craig in
side. We sawed through all right enough,
and then got in, stopped down behind the
counter, so the night watchman couldn't
see me through the front windows, and be
gan TO hand out the boxes. ! handed em
all out and then got out myself
Heres the last one, Tom, ~ / said. Then
something else happened.
We hadn't thought tosee il anybody was
sleeping in the building We thought, Of
course, there wasn't That's where we
made the same mistake thieves always
make; we didn't use head enough. Il
turned out that a French milliner slept on
the top floor She heard the noise we
made. She had a good head She didn't
scream nor faint. She just opened the
front window Of her room and unrolled a
piece Of ribbon, fastened one end to a spool
and threw it out Of the window
The coppers saw it and looked up. She
just pointed down, but made no noise /
They surrounded us so quietly that the
fellow who was piping for Tom and me
had no chance To warn Us. The nippers
were already on Tom when | stepped out
There were three coppers, each with gun,