The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-29

the gang. There were a dozen places in
the precinct where thieves hung out and
scores of men who had done time we're
known to be in the neighborhood, but
they had all been Swallowed without re-
suits. One difficulty was that none of
the swag could be located The bur
glaries were clearly the work of old
timers and they rarely took anything
except cash. When they did take a
watch IL was got put up in any of the
pawnshops. Every JOB was so much
alike that we knew they were all done by
the same gang.
1.-The first night was in the precinct a
butcher shop and cigar store were en-
tered. The safe in each place was blown
and the gang was nearly $500 richer
These made ten burglaries in six weeks
in one precinct. Then nearly a score of
officers were detailed TO patrol the pre-
cinct at night in plain clothes in order TO
prevent any more robberics, while | de
voted my entire time TO running down the
men who had done the work.
The first man / suspected was Tom
Stegall, an eX-convict, known as Smiling
Tom,' from the fact that there was al
ways sort Of half smile half grin on his
face. Tom had done a short term at
Sing Sing for burglary, but when he got
out he pretended that he had reformed
and meant to live an honest life. AS he
had been down the river some two years
and had not been caught in any mischief,
in fact, had gone at honest work for a
time, he was no longer watched by the
Central Office. ! made few cautious in
quiries and soon found out that he had
done no work for six months, but was
well supplied with money and was wear
ing good clothes.
LAS Smiling Tom did not know me l
had no trouble in Swallowing hims ! fol
lowed him all night without results. He
spent the night visiting Bowery concert
halls and dives AT every place he spent
a little money, but he was not lavish with
it. While he met friends at each place,
he made the round alone. Well. toward
morning Tom headed for Water street
and just as day was breaking | saw him
| enter tum ble-down old house that was
one of the fashionable residences of that
section 100 years ago. So far as / could
tell from the outside the house was unoc-
cupied by regular tenants and / thought
| had discovered the lair of the gang
IN TIE HAUNTED HOUSE
81 put a sub to watch the house until
the afternoon, while | got some sleep
About O'Clock p. m. Smiling Tom came
out alone and started toward the Bowery
Sending my partner on mis- trail, | hung
around Water street until dark, and then
slipped into the old house without being
observed. ] crept up the broken stairs to
the second floor in the dark and then
| hearing no sound of life, | struck a match
and lit my dark lantern. In back room
on that floor found new cot and few
| bedclothes. That was clearly the place
where Tom had slept during the day.
| Then | carefully searched the OLD house
| from cellar to garrett without finding any
thing There was no furniture in any of
the rooms except the one cot In fact,
there was no indication that the house
had been occupied in months except by
Tom Stegall, and he had evidently been
lodging there only short time
1T was after midnight when | finished
the search, and then, starting on a tour
OF the BOwery dives, | soon found Tom
and his sha dow. Relieving the latter, |
followed my man, and he returned 10 the
Water street house just before daylight
again Leaving him TO sleep that day, l
made some cautious inquiries III the
neighborhoOd about the history and char
acter of the old house. Everyone in the
street knew all about 1t. 1t was called
the haunted house of Water street Ev-
cry person who had lived in the house for
five years back had seen the ghost. Fam
lily after family had moved out on ac-
count of it, and finally the existence of the
| ghost became so well known that no one
! would move into the house Ii had. been
unOccupied for months, and, having at
! last been condemned by the building in
| spector, II was soon TO be torn down
THE fact that Smiling Tom Segall
was sleeping in the haunted house, where
the neigh bors would never seek him, con-
| WINGED me that was on the right track
| | got from the grocer on the corner the
history and description of the ghost The
! spook was in the form of tall, gaunt
woman, clothed in long white robe, and
/ nl No 1
before midnight. The ghostly form would
! glide across the rooms, carrying a candle,
| then disappear, to be seen no more until
! the same hour on the following night.
II decided to follow Smiling Tom an
other night before looking for the ghost
He came out early that afternoon, and,
| going to saloon in James street, was
! Joined by two other men, To h of whom
| ! recognized as professional crooks The
three had several rounds of drinks, and
then, after long talk, carried on in low
tones they separated, each going in a
different direction. | stuck to my man
who went back to the Bowery and soon
began drinking hard BY 10 o'clock he
was heavily loaded, and then he stag
gered away to the haunted house in
Water street. This time | followed him
into the house. My plan was TO go
through his clothes while he was IN
drunken sleep and if | could discover
any evidence that he was concered in the
burglaries.
THE GuosT.
"Drunk as he was, Tom was along time
getting to sleep. II was Il 80 O'Clock
when his regular and heavy breathin as
sured me that | could enter the room |
had forgotten the ghost for a moment.
Creeping forward as quietly as pos
sible had Just reached the open door of
the room where Tom was snoring on his
cot when, as suddenly as flash of light
ming from black cloud, the form Of n tall
gaunt woman, clothed in white and carry
ing ghostly candle, appeared at the
other side of the room. The figure seemed
TO come right out of the wall
"Well, il was so sudden and so startling
l was frightened. That is the truth /
felt my hair lifting the hat off my head
At sight of the weird looking figure / in
voluntarily uttered a cry Of some kind
How loud IL was / don't know. but it
awoke Tom, and he sprang 10 his feet in
a bound. He did not see me, but he saw
the ghost. The white-robed figure was
advancing straight toward him across the
room. With the most horrible yell of
terror l ever heard, Smiling Tom sank to
his knees on the floor and began to cross
himself. AS his cry rang out the spook
stopped still and held the candle high
above her head. But it's ghostly light
was confined to a small circle imme-