The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1895-05-18

|
| most upon him, when he started, as il
| to run, then stopped and faced his pur-
| suer. He was dressed in black, his face
| was clean shaver and dcath1y pa le, and
he tremblcd visibly. With revolver
! leveled full at the mans face Phil
shouted:
Hands up or you are a dead man.
THE man looked into Pills face,
| glanced down the cleaning barrel OF
| the revolver which was within a few
| inches of his nose and threw up his
| hands.
"Still holding his weapon aimed at
| the mans head, Phil thrust his Olsen
gagged hand into the mans pocket, took
out the watch, tore the chain free from
it's fastening. slipped watch and chain
into his pocket, and then stcrnly said:
GO down this street and don't turn
| around
There was a deadly menace in his
tone, and the man headed westward
down the street and vanished in the
distance.
"And now a feeling akin to terror
| came over Phil. The exhilaration of
excitement passing away left him nerv-
Gus and fearful.
''Robberies and murders are not I'M
common in the city and in the ter
shadow was to him an assassin, every
noise stealthy footsteP! The thief
might have confedcrates. He could see
afar off the light of a coming car, but
what might happen before the car
could reach him? All desire to go to
the theater had left him.
lat first he walked rapidly, then
broke into a run. keeping in the mid
die of the street, and heading for his
own rooms. Breathless, he dashed into
his wife's presence and nervously
boltcd the door behind him.
What in the world is the matter?'
she cried.
''Then he regained his balance. With
something of pride he told her Of the
crowded car, the stranger, and dra-
natically gesticulating with the re-
volver in his hand, he described the re-
covery of his stolen watch.
"With amazement upon her face and
alarm in her voice. she exclaimed:
80, Phil! What have you done?
There is your watch upon the drcsser!'
"And there it was lying where he re-
mem red now to have laid it.
'Startled, frightened, he plunged his
hand into his trousers pocket and
drew forth-another mans watch aud
chain!
"Poor Phil collapsed.
THE morning papers contained an
account of peculiarly daring highway
robbery committed the night before.
Rev. Somebody forget his name
from somewhere in Illinois, being in a
crowded car, had taken off his valu-
able watch and cllain-tohens of the
affection of his beloved congregation
and held them in his hand for greater
security. highwayman, having
probably seen them, had boldly con-
fronted him. The reverend gentleman
being taken by surprise and being,
moreover. n man of peace, had yielded
them up under the muzzlc of a re-
l>- 1l<> r., 1>
would lead to the detection of the per-
Petrator of the outrage. The robber
was a strilkingly handsome man, of
fine presence and wore a full, blonde
beard. He had been identified by the
street car conductor. as one who. &C
companied by well-dressed little
lady, had ridden with him several
times before. Also, a man answering
to the same description had been seen
with the same lady upon the fair
grounds.
'.This finished Phil and he wired me
at my hotel to come to them. 1 found
them shut up in their rooms. lie
rant for her breakfast. / had to ar
range to have their meals brought to
them If ever a mans appearance could
convict him, his would have sent him
to the penitentiary.
II urged him to make clean breast
of the whole matter, but he would not
consent. He said it would ruin him.
Even if he could escape criminal liabil-
ity, he could not survive the ridicule
which would follow. No, he must
avoid detection.
1.-The first thing was to return the
property. packed it in a box and
mailed it to the police department..
The receipt OF this only called out a
fresh deluge of newspaper comments.
1t was sagely announced that the thief,
foreseeing the impossibility of eseap-
ing arrest, had made reparation in a
vain effort to delude the detectives, but
that he was known and would be ap-
pretended within tventy-four hours.
There was great danger that the
people in the house would observe the
similarity in Pills appearance to the
published description of the robber."
''Why didn't he go home?"
II urged him to do so and so did his
wife, but he imagined that every paper
in the country would be full of the
story, and that his presence there
would suggest a likeness which would
lead to discovery. He was like
hunted hare. He dared not stir from
hiss room. Every voice in the house
was some one inquiring for him, every
step an officer coming to arrest him.
1t was pitia BILE. At length, in spite of
our remonstrances, be decided to go
abroad till the thing blew over. He
trumped up an excuse for his wife to
give at home for his sudden trip. She,
closely yelled and with as much change
as possible in her apparel, left the
house and went to a hotel in the city.