Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1895-10-10
CHAPTER III.

"
and talked over matters and easily saw
that everything would go right. All that
was necessary was to produce the bonds
and they would hand over the cash.
Giving them a list, they gave me a
memorandum offer for the lot. | accept
ed their offer and the next hour was a
very bad so minutes for me There was
considerable delay, and my suspicious
were fully aroused, and at one time l
thought they had made some discovery ;
but, as fact, my suspicious were Who'll
ly unfounded
The banker and clerks were simply
hurrying around, anxious to oblige me
and have the money out of the bank be-
fore it closed At last the amounts We're
figured up and verified by myself. One
/ of the partners hastened off to the bank
and in five minutes returned with very
pretty parcel Of 175, 900 gulden.
Going to Rothschilds', in Rue La
fitte, l bought exchange on New York
for $50, 900, and left the same night for
London. Very many times journeyed
over that route in after years, but never
with quite so light heart. was young
and enthusiastic; all the glamour and
poetry of life hung around me, while l
was too inexperienced to notice whittier
/ was drifting or to understand the pow
erful current upon which l had en-
barked In fact, had sold myself to do
the DEVILS work, and day by day the
chain would tighten, while all the time
l thought could when l pleased stop
short on the downward grade and take
the back track. More experience would
have taught me that every one who for
sock the path of honor not only thought
the same, but had a purpose to even ev-
erything up some day and make restitu
ton And today there is not a criminal
but who at the start looks forward to
the time when he will no longer war
against society, but will go out and
come in at peace with all men. But.
when one comes to think of it, what a
FOOLS game is that of man who fights
I against society
The criminal has but two arms; very
short and weak they are, and of flesh
too He has but two eyes that cannot
possibly see around the nearest corner,
while society has million arms of steel
that can reach around the world, and a
million eyes which are never closed,
that can pierce the thickest gloom with
sleepless vigilance. The poor, unhappy
criminal by fortunate dexterity may es-
cape for little, but at last society lays
her iron grasp ON him, and with giant
force hurls him into dungeon. AS for
the short lived, tempestuous success that
some few criminals have, is there any
sweetness in it? l say no; success won
in honest fight is sweet, but l know
from my own experience that the sue
cess of crime brings no sweetness, no
blessing with it, but leaves the mind a
prey to thousand haunting fears that
make shipwreck of peace.
/ went down to Liverpool and EN-
barked ON the good ship Java. Ten days
later we sailed through the Narrows.
During my last day in London went
to Westminster abbey and spent three
hours in that Valhalla of the Anglo
Saxon race. 1t made tremendous i'm
preston upon my mind. In no other
work of human hands do the spirits of
SO many departed heroes linger, certain
ly in no other does the dust of so many
Of the great dead rest, and as | read
memorial upon memorial to departed
greatness 1 realized that the path of
honor and Of truth was the only one for
men TO tread
All through the voyage the influences
of the abbey were upon me; / felt was
treading on dangerous ground and re
solved I would have no more of 1t.
Would / had then resolved, when l met
Irving 81 Co., to throw all the plundeI
In their faces and say, "I'l have none
Of it, and here we part. / felt that
ought to do that, but weakly said,
need the $4,000, and I'll give the
rogues their share and then see them no
more I had fully made up my mind to
that, knowing Irving would be ON the
wharf eager to meet me.
In sailing through the Narrows and
past Staten Island was making up my
mind as to the little speech would
make We rapidly neared the wharf in
Jersey City, and l quickly recognized
Irving standing ON the edge of the close
ly packed crowd, watching the steamer
with a nervous look on his face.
He sprang on board, rushed to me
with a beaming face, grasped my hand,
and putting the other ON my shoulder
led me toward the gangway. He had
not spoken yet, but as we were going
down the gangplank he said, my boy,
you have done splendidly," and then,
putting his mouth close to my ear, whis-
pered, eve have got another job for
you, and it's beauty!'
Going up the wharf with Irving, |
was on the point of telling him l want
ed no more jobs, but weakly put it off,
and by so doing, Of course, made it more
difficult He told me Stanley and White
were waiting at Taylor hotel on Mont
gomery street, few doors up from the
wharf.
We soon were there, and they gave
me warm and even enthusiastic recep-
tion, and, opening box, | produced
| the l6 bills Of exchange for 80, 600 each,
| informing them they should have their
cash in 90 minutes. 1t was curious to
see these men handle the bills of ex-
| change, passing them from one to an
| other, examining them with anxious
care But where were my good resolu-
| tions and what had become Of them?
Why, they, under the effect of the wine
and the magnetic influence of these
| three minds, had gone flying down the
bay, and under a favoring gale were fast
speeding seaward beyond the ken of
mortal eye, not to be found by me again
until years after, when, with the tolls
about me, found myself i'll Newgate.
Then the fugitives all came back, this
| time to stay.
Ny three graces who adorned the po-
| lice department Of New York were full
| of matter Of new enterprise which by
| my cooperation was to make the for
| tunes Of us all But they were too owl
IDENTIFY anxious, too eagerly desirous to
handle the greenbacks my bills of ex-
| change represented to fix their minds
upon anything else, so by n unanimous
vote we adjourned to the other side OF
the river, appointing wineroom on
| Broadway, few doors below Exchange
| place, for our place Of meeting at
O'Clock. Stanley and White went away
| together, but first each once more told
me privately that he depended upon me
| TO put in his own hands his share, show
| ing how these rogues suspected each
| other and indeed were full of suspi-
cions of every one and everything. lrv-
ing crossed the ferry with me, but on
1 Al. =, I..lti