Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-03-01

clssn Capture 81 . San Francisco
Plokpookst.
A remarkable story came to light
yesterday regarding an experience on
Monday night OF Charles Osborne, the
mining man Of Shasta county, with
a pickpocket, in which he came of
UNNECESSARILY best. Osborne has
just sailed for South Africa. The
story is so unusual as to seem hardly
credible, but is vouched for in way
to carry belief.
Osborne arrived here several weeks
ago. He is one of the best known
mining men in California, having
mined for years in the north. He
was the discoverer of the Gladstone
gold mine, French Gulch, which he
sold for $4,000. AS he was on his
way to johannesburg to take charge
of some mines and did not know when
he would get back, he spent some
time here seeing the sights and TAX
ing his ease preparatory to starting.
While here he sent to Redding for
81 200, which he received by express.
Much Of this money he carried on his
person, for Osborne is big, stalwart
man, who has been about the world,
and is not afraid.
One night over week ago, when
he and his friend. Petty, were out
seeing the sights, a light-fngered
man touched him for two twenty-dol-
lar gold pieces, which he had in one
Of his trousers pockets. This was q
surprise to Osborne, and set him to
thinking. He had never had any
thing like that happen before, and he
was very much annoyed. He said
nothing about it at the time, how
ever, but set to work devising plan
for thwarting any similar accident in
future.
In dim way he recollected that
he thought some one had put hand
in his pocket on the night he lost the
coin. Osborne, as is customary
among many mining men, wear sub
stantial corduroy clothes, and these
are equipped with unusually strong
pockets. In the right pocket of his
trousers, therefore, he skillfully ar
ranged half dozen big fishhooks,
each carefully fastened to it's place,
and in such q way that they would
offer resistance to a hand while
being inserted, but the hand would
be grasped by the barbs while being
withdrawn. Any one of the hooks
would hold ten-pound salmon.
Thus equipped Osborne again
started FORTH. At the corner of Cal
ifornia and Kearny streets fakir
was blithesomely expatiating about
his wares, and the mining man
stopped to hear what he had to say.
DESTROYS of testing his invention, he
jingled two or three 500 pieces care
lessly in sight, and then dropped a
couple of them in sight of the yawn-
ing NAV below the fish hooks. Then
he leaned back and became absorbed
in the street-corner oratory. In a
few moments, sure enough, he felt a
hand going down his pocket. 1t
moved slowly and carefully, but every
time the fakir said anything to make
the crowd laugh it went down with
more confidence. Pretty soon Mr..
Osborne felt that he had a man at his
elbow who was doing some deep
thinking. He knew this by the COM
motion that had taken place in his
pocket. He said nothing, but he
knew something was going to hap
pen. 1t did, when voice said:
Say, misterl I've got my hand
in your pocketp'
"What have you got your hand in
my pocket for?" said Osborne, cheer
fully. "Why don't you take it out?"
81 can't: it's caught" said the
man, looking up and turning pale.
Well, come right down here to a
policeman. He will help you take it
out" replied the mining man, and
he moved off as he spoke, the thief
being forced to trot along by the side
of his captor.
'Oh, didn't get any money. For
heavens sake let me go!" cried the
thief
Osborne did not care anything
about imprisoning the fellow and
furnishing him further. He declared
he would not have minded it bit il
he had lost the additional gold pieces.
All he wanted was to see if his trap
would work. So he released the fell
low and let him 60. He Immediately
ran away, and Osborne returned to
his hotel, followed by several people.
III. r. Bemis and others examined the
fishhook-guarded pocket. 1t had con-
siderable blood in it from the hand of
the would-be thief.-[San Francisco
Chronicle.