The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-08-31
The ROANOKE TINES SATURDAY. AUGUST 81 1895

holding the bag.
This remark caused Billy 70 reflect
that II he was going to do anything in
the matter it was timo to set about it.
so me enlulated the conduct of tie cele-
DRAFTED Duke of York, who marched mon
up the hill and straightway marched
them down again. Billy crept down the
stair with tho unused poker Ill i'll his
fist. He realized that if he went to tho
police station, which was some distance
away, the burglars would be gone be-
fore help came.
Then the brilliant idea occurred to
him that he might follow the thieves 81
lently Oh his bicycle, mark their lair,
come with an ample police force at his
back and capture the whole outfit, thus
earning tho etornal gratitude of the en-
tire neighborhood. Then the item would
be headed, "Clcver Capture of q Band
OF Burglars-The Silent Cycle Follows
Them to Their Rendezvous. -
Billy got his machine ont from its
shed, noiselessly unlocked the back gate,
closed 1T again as silently us he had
opened it and waited III the shadow of
tree across the way. In n very few
moments the burglars came out, each
carrying a bag. They peered up and
down tho deserted street, and then
slipped ont, walking rapidly away to-
gether. Billy had no difficulty in fol-
lowing them. His only trouble was the
street lamps, which no ;,yo:,.c;; =; we'll
rs he could by keeping IN ia. ,jposito
side of the road from them He hoped
he would meet q policeman, so that he
might give tho alarm, and his wish was
grntified. The officer stopped unexpect-
eddy out from beside tree, and he
Sraspcd Billy by the arm
why IRE You cycling out at this
time of night without your lamp ht?"
MY lamp lit, you fool" gasped
Billy, taken by surprise, and therefore
not having time TO choose his language
with the caro- Il man should use when
addressing so important parsonage as
a policeman. "How the - could I
chase burglars with lit lamp:''
"That's all very fire." said the Off
cer. Eve heard that kind of a story
before. A man doesn't get mp and dress
himself in full bicycling suit to chase
burglars ut i'll the morning
"But [ slept i'll my bicycling suit,
you ASST protested Billy, feeling, as no
said it, that it sounded rather thin and
unbelievable in the keen morning air.
IN report tho language you arc
using to the magistrate" said tho po-
hcenan calmly, knowing the whole ma
chinery of the law was with him.
"NIy house has been burglarized,"
cried Billy. "Thc three thieves passed
Won with tbnir c1,-,y o,I ,lo,,,.
pose you ever saw them. Precious lot
of good you idiots are, not only letting
the rascals slip, but arrcsting Il man
who is robbed and who is trying to do
the work you are paid for doing
Como and tell all this to the officer
on duty ut tho station. You re bicycling
without Il lamp at night, and that's all
[ have to deal with, and I'm going to
deal with it,
Billy broke into language that was
both deplorable and indefcnsible, but
the policeman merely noted it down and
took the unfortunate man to the station
Billy speedily convinced the night man
ut the police station that mistake he'd
been made, and two of the force were
sent TO investigate. They reported that
tllc nOuSc iislu Dccn Dufblal1Zou Win
neatness and dispatch, but the burgling
birds had flown
The magistrate told Billy next morn
ing that if he had been more moderate
i'll his talk his miscarriage of justice
might not have happened. He should
not use such language, the magistrate
said, and when Billy asked what else
he could have used, seeing that he had
no club with him, the magistrate re-
marked that he would fine him for con-
tempt of court if he tried his tiippancy
OF the bench.
So the item appeared as burglary at
Lonclyvillo," and another paragraph
stated that Billy Sims, we'll known
journalist, had been fined for riding
about tho streets at 2 i'll the morning on
bicycle with an unlit lamp, and that
Billy was supposed to have been intoxi-
Gated at the time, whereas Che truth
was that the magistrate letars lily off
with tho rcprimand aforementioned.
As the police have not yet succeeded
i'll capturing the thieves, although they
arc always coming CT a now and graft
flying clcw, Billy thinks this is hard
world.-Lukc Sharp il Detroit Free
Press.