Evening star., 1896-06-26
THE LOST BICYCLE.
Disappearance of Wheel and An
other Wheel and u Man.


The plot continues to thicken in the case
of the lost bicycle. AS will be remembered
by those who first read of this remarkable
bicycle in The Star. w. w. Delano lost a
National bicycle from 26JO 14th street on
Wednesday night of last week On Mon
day night Of this week Mr.. George Aukam
found National bicycle in frcnt of his law
Office at 600 F street. occupying a position
against tree box previously occupied by
a brand new Sterling which belonged to
him, and which he had left there when he
went in. The National wheel was looking
good deal the worse for wear. and Mr.
Aukam turned 1t over to the police and re-
ported the loss of his wheel. Tuesday
morning Mr.. Delano went to headquarters
to report that he had heard of National
at Biadensburg. The wheel returned by
MI. Aukam was shown to him, and after
scratching the paint off. which had been
put on to deceive he found, by the num-
Der, that the wheel belonged to him.
Here Mr.. Delano disappears from the
story.
Mr.. Aukam. having learned that there
was wheel in Bladensburg and suspect
Ing that his had gone there he went out to
see about It, He found a wheel, but it
turned out to be a National. This was duly
reported. and Agent Billingsley Of the Ma
tional company, having lost three of his
wheels and found two. concluded this was
the thlrd. and he went out to see about It,
took with him Mr.. Aukam and Detective
Boardman. They went out on a train We'd
nesday afternoon. carrying three wheels in
the baggage car to ride to the home of the
man who had the wheel, which was some
distance in the country.
On the way out. the detective, the agent
and the lawyer expressed themselves very
forc1oly as to the fate of the man who had
taken that bicycle. In case they caught
him. They were even dire in their threats.
and things were looking sQually for the
culpr1t, when Mr.. Aukam happened to look
around. and behold. Immediately behind
them sat the man they were looking for
and he was smiling at the pleasant things
they were saying about him. This unex-
pected discovery disconnected them very
much. but they could do nothing, seeing
that they must have the man and the BIZ
cycle together before they could do any
thing desperate.
Mr.. Aukam had seen them together when
he had called. but that didn't count now,
so they determined that one of them should
watch the man to prevent his escape while
the other two got the bicycles out of the
baggage car so they could at once follow
him up. Everything seemed to be all right
as the other two received the three bicycles
from the car, but as the train sped away,
the three gents from Washington Were
paralyzed by observing on the rear plat
form of the train the very man they want
ed, and to make 1t more tantalizing and
paralyzing. he was giving them the ha-ha
in great shape.
At this point this man drops out of the
story.
Made desperate by this unmannerly
treatment, the three made up their minds
to go to the mans house, anyhow. and see
what was there. They found the young
mans father, who assured them that his
son attired in bicycle suit, had ridden
the wheel away, and he didn't know when
he would come back. Notwithstanding the
young man had told Mr.. Aukam that he
had bought the wheel in Washington the
father aid ha had honpht In
but the old gent might have been mistaken
just as he had been about saying the young
man had on bicycle suit. Anyway, the
pursuing trio had no recourse, and nothing
to do except to go back to town, which
they did.
Detective Boardman last evening recov-
cred Aukams Sterling bicycle and arrest
ed Joshua Tankard. negro living about q
mile from Benning. Tankard was before
Judge Miller in the Police Court today
charged with stealing two bicycles and was
held for the grand jury under $500 bonds
in each case.