The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-03-21
STOLEN GOLD.

cd Ior stealing my money would be liber-
ated the following day, and if cared to
make it worth his while he would have a
watch set upon the prisoner with view
TO recovering the treasure should he, as
was suspected, have it still concealed
accepted his proposal, and soon after
midnight was on my way back to Man
chester with the prison warder.
He told me that he did not propose him.
self to do the watching, but that it would
be done by man who had at one time
been warder of the jail, but had left the
place some years ago.
From this man 1 learned that the ticket
of leave man had taken up his place of
abode in a northern suburb of the city,
and arrang ements had been made by which
he 1.-THE. ex- Uarder) would be informed OF
all his movements.
The thief had been convicted under the
name of James Gale, and it was not until
a year later that discovered Jim GALE
to be one of the aliases of the notorious
housebreaker and burglar. Charles Peace.
On the second day after my arrival in
Manchester we learned that the ticket of
leave man. had made arrangements with
carter to accompany him out to some open
fields lying on the confines of a northern
suburb of the city.
About s O'Clock in the evening the thief
joined the carter whom he had engaged,
bringing with him a pickax and shovel.
He had changed his dress and appeared an
ordinary laborer.
When we reached the fields in the SUBJ
urbs, it was close upon o'clock and pitch
dark The thief had, however, provided
himself with lantern, and by its light
We saw him busily engaged digging at a
spot 80 yards from the roadside.
The carter whom he had brought with
him had remained with his horse and cart
in the roadway, so that we could not APP
pToach very near for fear of being OBJ
served.
Consequently we turned back along the
road, and then striking across the field at
right angles were able to approach the
scene of operations from the farther side.
By this means we were able to get within
a few feet of the thief without being OBJ
served
He was busily engaged and already had
sunk pit of some feet in depth. He had
placed his lantern in the hole and was
himself standing in it and throwing out
the soil in large shOvelfuls. The hole we
then saw was at the foot of large heap
of stones, which had evidently been used
as a landmark to identify the spot.
Making a circuit to the right we got to
the back of the heap of stones, and ap-
preaching were able to get close up to the
thief without being observed and to look
down upon him at his work
He was so busy that he would not have
noticed us had we been even less cautious
than we were. The hole was now sunk to
depth of six feet, and the thief had to
exert himself considerably to throw out
the earth.
At last with grunt of satisfaction he
stopped in his work and stopped down.
His shovel had struck the lid of a large
square box. Another minute and he had
the lid opened, and we saw before Us a
collection of old silver tankaIds and sal
vers and spoons, and among the silver a
small box or casket. This he also opened,
and in il we saw, still bright and glitter
ing, mass of Jewelry.
There were rings and chains and brace
lets, but what struck US more than all
else was a magnificent diamond tiara,
containing stones of marvellous size and
brilliance.
And beneath the diamonds was a packet
of papers, which, with a great gasp of
satisfaction, recognized as the bank notes
which this man had stolen, now nearly
seven years ago.
Having satisfied himself that the stolen
booty was still there, the thief closed the
box and lifted it up to the surface of the
ground. He placed it on the edge at the
foot of the heap of stones behind which
we were concealed and over the top CT
which we were observing him.
I had drawn the revolver with which
had provided myself and was quite pre-
pared for the moment when he should see
us.
This be did not do until he had placed
/ the box on the ground and was preparing
to climb out of the hole after it.
The man was no coward-few of the
! scoundrels who resort to burglary are
| and though he started when he found
/ himself face to face with loaded revolver
| he did not quail. Anger rather than fear
was the emotion which expressed itself
! upon his features.
Curse you he said, "what has it got
to do with you?
notes in that box, and that the rest of it
| has got to be handed over to the police. -
The thief still retained the same posi-
ton, with one knee raised to the bank of
earth and his other foot still resting at
the bottom of the hole.
One of his hands, however, had stolen
into his coat pocket, and though had not
noticed it my companion had done SO and
exclaimed:
Nov, No 189, drop that or you're a
dead man, at the sa me time covering him
with his revolver.
And if do, what then? How much
do you want? I'll give you half of it, and
keep the rest.
I'VE shall hand you over to the police
with the swag'
No sooner had the words left my lips
than the thief, grown desperate at the
prospect of again returning to prison to
work out the remainder of his sentence,
| drew from his pocket the revolver upon
which his fingers had been resting during
the last few moments and fired point
blank at me.
The bullet graZed my shoulder and pass
ed harnlessly away. Not so, however, the
shot with which my companion had re-
piled to it.
He had been prepared for demonstra-
ton of this kind, and scarcely had the
thief fired than he received in reply slug
which struck the hand in which his re-
volver was held, SCATTERING the stock OF
the weapon and two of the fingers which
held it.
With a CRY of pain the thief disappeared