Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-02-06
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A Plckpocket Undertakes to Explore IL
aad FINDS HirnseIf Caught.

A Plckpocket Undertakes 20 A1pAoro ~
aad FINDS Himself Caught.
A remarkable story came to light the
other day regarding the experience
OF Charles Osborne, the mining man OF
Shasta county, with a pickpOcket, In OF
which he came off UNNECESSARILY best.
Osborne has Just sailed for South Afri-
ca in company with j. c. Petty. The
story, as given In tho San francisco
ChroRtcaI, is so unusual as to seem
hardly credible. but is vouched for In a
way TO carry belief.
Osborne is one OF the best-known
mining men of California, having mined
! for years in the North. He was the dis
coyerer of the Gladstone gold mine,
French Gulch, which be sold for $780,
OOO As he was on his way to johann
| nssburg to take charge of some mines
and did not know when he would get
! back, be spent some time here
seeing the sights and taking his ease
preparatory TO starting.
While here he sent TO Reddlng for
! 81 900, 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 Of anybody. One night
over year ago, when be and his friend
Petty were out seeing the sights, a
| light-fngered man touched him for two
| 500 gold pieces, which he had In one OF
his trousers pockets. This was q sur
prise to Osborne, and set him to think
| ing. He had never had anything like
| that happen before, aud he was much
annoyed. He said nothing about 1t at
the time, however, but set TO work de-
vising a plan for thwartlng any similar
accident in future.
In a dim way he recollected that he
| thought that some one put a hand In
| his pocket on the night he lost the
coins. Osborne, as is customary among
many mining men, wears substantial
corduroy clothing, and these are
equipped with unusually strong pock-
cts. Ia the right pocket of his trous-
ers, therefore, he Skillfully arranged
half dozen big fsbhooks, each care
fully fastened to its place, and In such
a way that they would offer no resist
ance TO a hand being inserted, but the
hand would be grasped by the barbs
while being Withdrawn. Any one OF
the hooks would hold ten-Dound sal
mon.
Thus equipped Osborne again started
forth. At the corner of California and
Kearny streets fakir was blithsomely
expatiating about his wares, and the
mining man stopped to hear Yhat he
had TO say. DESTROYS OF testing his in
vention, he jingled two or three $50
pieces carelessly in sight, and dropped
a couple Of them into the yawning 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 hand going down
his pocket. 1t moved slowly and care
fully, but every time the fakir said
anything to make the crowd laugh it
went down with more confidence.
Pretty soon Mr.. Osborne felt that be
had a man at his elbow who was doing
some deep thinking. lie knew this by
the commotion that had taken place In
his pocket. lie said nothing, but he
knew something was going TO happen.
1t did, when voice said:
"Say, mister, Eve got my hand in
your pocket"
What have you got your hand in my
pocket for?" said Osborne, cheerfuliY.
"Why don't you take it out?'
81 cant. It's caught" said the man,
looking up and turning pale.
"Well, come right down here to a po-
liceman. He will help you take 1T 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, 1 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 a bit if be had lost the !
gold pieces All he wanted was to see
il his trap would work. So he released
the fellow and let him 90. He imme-
diately ran away, and Osborne returned
TO his hotel, followed by several people,
II. r. Bemis aud others examined the
fish hook guarded pocket. IL had con-
siderable blood in it from the lacerated
hand Of the would-be thief.