River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-10-11

50 rs to create the belief that the bur
gar had taken off his boots befor. GO
ing cpsttirs. The farther the detec-
tives followed their track the farther
would they 20 from mine. l then
went TO the rear of the house and
opened q window, leaving it open. In
this way the belief would be induced
that / had entered and departed by
the sarIe way.
Il then went cautiously up those
dark stairs. Here and there the steps
gave forth a little creak beneath my
footsteps, as if protesting against the
tread o; the intruder. 1t was very ag-
gravating. bnt ! proceeded steadily,
and shortly found myself at the foot
Of the room recently occupied by the
deceased lady. Here slight difficulty
presented itself, but a little profess
sional manipulation succeeded in eff
feeting an entrance.
Il closed the door of the bedroom
softly, and then proceeded TO light my
candle. The next thing was to ar
range my accessories so as to induce
the opinion of the false identity of
the burglar, and to esta blish a theory
that he had been disturbed in his
quest. / had rolled a few bread
crumbs in the old newspaper. This
now opened, and laid il on the bed,
with the 'waxed end close beside il.
Then laid the old cap on a chair, and
the awl and hammer on the drawers.
They We're intended to tell tale.
Having thus arranged my supposed
surprise, ! proceeded to work-solid
work. All the jewelry | found in a
box, locked and placed in a locked
drawer.
The locks, however, made little
difference to me. ] appropriated all
was rather touched. / confess, when
l discovered the dead ladys wedding
and engagement rings tied with a
piece of black silk, and carefully
placed in the corner of the little box.
How those rings had kept the poor
woman thinking, from the time she
put them on until her dying day. J
actually began to soliloquize in spite of
myself. Then l adhered to my plan
and placed them in the corner of the
envelope had brought with me to the
house for that purpose. 1 had pre-
viousIy torn the envelope diagonally
across, leaving the postage stamp and
obliterat ting stamp visible.
Il had also left the final letters of
name. aud the words IN, Beasley
Road Oh the envelope to be studied
by the detectives. The rings | left be-
hind me.
Il never did believe in making a lit
ter about bedroom, SO having placed
the valuables in my pockets 1 closed
the drawers and looked closely about
the room for something more. You
may judge - my surprise when |
heard key turned in the door below
stairs, and the movements of Mr..
Chumleigh in the hall.
"He had returned earlier than had
expected. Calmly | blew out my can
die and left the room silently, creep
ing down the stairs to meet him if he
had any intention of coming up. Then
my heart began to beat in earnest. |
really Thought that each pulsation
would attract him. / saw him enter o
bedroom, light the gas, and deliberate
~ examine the chambers of a revolver
which ne had lifted. Then ! knew my
light had been observed and that he
was prepared to make an example of
the intruder. Quick as thought |
stepped past the door of the lighted
room. | trusted TO his not seeing me
and he did not. | rapidly concealed
myself in the corner of the stairs
Meantime my heart was humping.
IL had scarcely steadied myself when
Mr.. Chumleigh turned on the gas, and
mute .0g something to himself, crept
up the stairs ds cautiously as | had
previously descended. When he was
well on his way / crept downwards
once again, and when | heard him
strike the light in his late wife's room,
/ noiselessly let myself out by the
front door, and as noiselessly closed II
behind me.
You look surprised, sir" he contin-
ued, but it was not a bad nights
work. ! melted over three hundred
pounds sterling FOR my plumber, and |
had the satisfaction of not having
robbed his dead wife's treasured rings.
This in itself was satisfaction. OF
course / had committed felony. and a
shameful crime, admit; but the bust
ness of a burglar and the business of
a moralist cannot be expected to agree
in every particular.
The morning papers told US of the
burglary of the preceding night. AS
a neiRhbor, | went up to sympathize.
sturdy policeman was standing at
the door, and two others were making
search inside.
&" Here's where the cove has put off
his boots, said one of the policemen,
and nice blooming pair of beetle
crushers they are
They certainly did not look re-
spectacle in daylight.
lie has come through this window
here said another, in a strong Irish
accent, to Mr.. Chumleigh, left his
boots here and gone mp the shtalrs in
his bare feet
And the GOODNESS of the fellowr
down and ate his tucker on the bed
with the Morning News fo- clane
tablecloth.'
Then the detectives went upstairs,
and came downstairs, aud measured,
and studied, and looked wise. And
one saw it was new hand and said SO
from the first; and the other said it
was an old hand, and shook his head.
Everybody was satisfied on one point,
and that was that the perpetrator of
the act was a shoemaker who lived on
the Beasley road.
Il had some interesting experiences
over that burglary. 1t was amusing to
hear the theories of the detectives and
the public. The police went dashing
about everywhere and arresting every
body. There was not shoemaker in
the country but the 'heye' of some in
spector was upon HIM. The mystery
never was solved, and after a time
had the jewelry melted, and it turned
me in, as told you before, $500"
And do you mean TO tell me, Mr..
Ollacram, that this narrative is actu-
ally true?' ! asked him, angrily. as
moved farther from one whose very
touch seemed now contamination.
True, STRIP Mr.. Ollacram replied.
Every word of it-as true as those
other detective yarns we are reading
IN the magazines to-day. And if this
is the period for an artistic detective,
why should we not invent an equally
artistic and equally intelligent bur-
glar?'