The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1894-05-05


to be interviewed or bankrupt more
reluctant to be inveigled into con-
fession than my friend the burglar,
says an English writer. He is old
and infirm-"past the business en-
tircly." he says.
This outburst of confidence &C.
CURED during recent gale. These
is line nights for cracking a crib, y
he remarked, as the wind howled
outside and threatened to rae his
rickety house to the ground. "You
see, the folks take no notice OF the
little noise q fellow makes if he
breaks into house when the win
dows rattle till yer cannot hear YER
self talk. I'm past the business
now, cause / cannot get about as |
used to. But last night, when the
wind was making an awful noise
outside, i thought what fine chance
there was for an cnterprising young
fellow to crack a jolly good crib. "
at wasn't any use trying to get
in through the door; the windows
the hapdicst for chaps like me, espe.
cially on q stormy night / could
break a'pane o glass, and if the peo-
pie heard 1t they thought it was only
the wind that had upset something. ]
used to cut square o glass with
my diamond cutter and stick on the
square lump of cobbler's wax with
| piece o string attached. One sharp
blow sent the window right out; but
it didn't fall, mind We, cause the
ocbbler's wax and string helped me
to hold it. I'd drop the glass quiet
! Iy, put my hand through the hole,
lnfasten the catch hand there We
arc-in the house as right as tri-
VET
| "Cleverly done"
| Clever We call it, do youa None
| SO clever. | was caught by that very
trick with the cobbler's wax. Ye
see, them smart detective chaps
guessed 1t was one o. my tricks, and
| they had the haudacity to say that
The lines on one mans thumbs is
different to the lines on every other
man's-such stuff and nonsanse.-an
the magistrates actually believed it.
The detective swore that the marks
o. my thumbs were on the wax
fancy that being sufficient evidence
to convict man, and send him to
quod for three years" And the
burglar looked most injured man
at that moment.
.'Was that all the evidence they
cou+d bring against you2"
well, they did find a piece of
plate or two in my diggings which
might have belonged to the party
whose house was broken into. Yes,
the detectives are as clever as We
are. sometimes. | and some other
chaps were caught in cunning trap
laid for US by them don't mind
telling ye this, cause we've all done
time for it. There was a big rob-
berry of a lady's jewelry, which |
reckoned Ia managed cleverly. But
there was such row about the dia-
monds and pearls I'd got that I'd to
hide the jewels bit. One day got
a letter from chap in London sayin'
pal o. mine-a downright loyal
bloke-had told him l had some
siller to dispose Of quietly. Well, |
was bit puzzled at first, but when
seed the gent he looked square
enough, and out brought the jewels
Would you believe it! That chap
was London detective and he had
tective had been ordered to write u
all the suspected chaps, Offering to
buy whatever they had got And
they all fell into the trap like idiots.
1t was good haul for the police. for
they found out all sorts o. robberies
by this dirty trick"
"No! | haven't allus been burg
ling, but, ye see, took toit natural
like, having nothing to" turn my
hand to, and If / was about during
the day the DIS allus collared me. /
was forced to crack cribs for living.
But mind, never do anything wrong
now"-and with q sigh--'I'm past
that entirely. did lot O. pick
pocketing and snatching when / was
kid. l was trained to it. and if
you come upstairs I'll show We the
doll as | used TO practice on.
Following the old man up dingy,
rickety staircase l entered more
dingy bed room. From the ceiling
hung an old suit OF clothes stuffed
with straw.
when | wind that up" said my
companion, pointing to u cylinder
shaped piece of brass from which the
"dolr' was suspended, "the doll
goes round and round till it makes
We dizzy to look at it. 1t goes
round by clockwork. Quite an in
genious arrangement, amt itp
There we are" said the man. as
he wound up the SPINNER" see how
1t twists round When / was kid
I'd to snatch pocket-handkerchiefs
out the o. pockets as it was spinning
like that, and if l missed the swag
once, didn't / catch it from the old
man? Then, when it slowed down, had
to pick something out o. the trousers
pocket There be fish-hooks--rusty
'uns-in every ono o. them pockets.
and / got one o. them in me hand IL
] wasn't mighty smart Many's the
time I've had my flesh torn wi them
there cursed hooks. But it was
smart training, cause it makes We
mighty particular when We are diving
into othar folkai pocGata To go