Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1896-09-10
Has a DUCKS -lNSrMcr.
AystsriOus Escapes OF = NotL1 Criminal
.s-r from Prison Walls. .... ..

u |
The retired detective said: ''One of
the hardest chaps to- run down I ever
came across was one had something
todo with when Twas on the London
police force; many years ago. He was
IN ailsrpund thief, ready and willing
: TO crib aaything he could get his hands
on, from. house and lot to hot stove.
: Andshe never. let~Anybody get their
: n ands on him. it he, could help it, and
I he sGlwnys did while was on tho
p, force. For the five years was work.
Ing along the dock district the fellow
kept at. his work. and we couldn't
catch him. One night he cracked q
safe and got away with one thousand
dollars or more, and reward was Of
fered for him. This put us all on our
mettle, and was keen to make . repu-
tation, and had eyery thing and every
body spotted.
mot a hair Of him, though, showed
for as much as three months, and then
one night I flushed him and gave
chase. He went for the dock, and
was sure ] had him, for there was only
one way to get out of that, and that
was by the water, and in this particu-
lar place he couldn't sneak under the
flooring, but had to take to the open
water. wasn't ten yards behind him
as he went out the dock on n run, and
saw him go over and heard the
splash. 1t couldn't have been a SEQ
ond till was in sight of oil the water
where he went in, but when got there
there wasn't any sign of my man, and
the whole place was we'll lighted with
lamps. I made q thorough search, 90
ing all around under the docks bcyond.
the only place where he could get un-
der, but there wasn't any man there.
was sure then that he had. been
drowned, and we dragged tho place,
but could find nothing in the shape of
man, though we did fish out dead
woman, who had evidently been in the
water for a month. His body had
1ontcd off, that was all there was to
it, and we congratulated ourselves ON
getting rid of him. even if we had lost
the reward However, six weeks later,
detectivs detected him one night
! on boat on the. Thames, and lust as
he was going to lake him in he went
overheard aud disappeared in the dark
waters of the river. Every effort was
made to 1ud him again, but without
oASSCooS uhN ChIo btIuo we were sure ne
had been drowned.
j. For year afterward nothing was
seen Of hiui, and then VIC heard Of him
in Liverpool and one of the Scotland
Yarders went there to take him, if pos
sible. He spotted him, as usual. down
about the docks, where he seemed to
be careless, and again he took 70 the
water and escaped. BY this time we
felt that he wasn't born to be drowned
and that he would turn up again. He
did, several times, and each time. he
got away. At last, about five years
after had been IN America, received
o letter from friend of mine at Scot
i land Yard TO the effect that the water
dog, as we called him, had been cap
tured by an accident. He had been
seen near the docks by a roundsman
and chased, and as he went toward
the water across the dock he tripped
and fell, striking his head on a stan
chion and falling into the water in an
unconscious condition. He was fished
out and resuscitated, but before they
brought him around they discovered
his autphiJionsness, so tospeais. Fast
: ened around his neck was. rubber
tube, ten feet or so long, with q mouth
piece ready handy at one end, and the
other end fastened into q small cork
float, 80 that when he went into, the
water he stnyed there, either swim.
ming away or holding to q doch pile,
but never coming to the sur uce Tor
air, ns ho ,-ot all hn wanted through
tho tube, with its open end In SOC don't,
which " al Int be roticeh one time il
u tjlou;a, IN the dark In s:lci: rasty
/ water rs IS about the docl;. Of course
they would have got cato h,m after
awhile, but the accidental fallin saved
time and explained mystery, which
he no doubt guarded sacrediy, even
from men of his class, for l.now none
| OF the thieves we ever caught could
I give him away."--Washington Star. :
IT pleases her TO be treated courte-