The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-11-02
ACQUITTED.

It was getting toward 8 O'Clock when
my attention was attracted to a pretty lit
tie girl who was tripping. across Regent
street Just as she reached the curb she
slipped upon a patch of ice and fell heav-
lily. 1t took me about half second to
reach the little woman and PICK her up.
She was shaken by the fall though not in
jured, and had to support her for a mo
mont.
had tramped up and down my beat
three or four times when q bareheaded
cashboy ran out of one of the big shops and
yelled at me: Comb quicki The manager
has caught a shoplifterr'
tAh, officer, - said the manager, who
was q mere business machine, Il am glad
you have come. One of our clerks at the
lace counter discovered that a valuable
piece of lace had been stolen and gave the
alarm. This woman hurried away from
the counter. The lace was found IN an
outside pocket of her cloak. This is the
piece on the desk here. -
There was a sudden movement on the
part Of the woman. She snatched her
handkerchief from her face extended her
right arm and finger, which shook with
rage, and, turning her blazing eyes upon
the business machine she fairly screamed:
's IT'S false [ am no thiefF' She was the
black eyed little girl that had picked up
scarcely half an hour before.
Then she told me her little story. She
was an orphan and had been brought up
by an old aunt in Yorkshire About six
months before this her aunt had died, and
she came on to the city and turned her
hand to lacenaking and had been able to
support herself decently since then.
She said that she had stepped into the
shop to make some small purchases and
was arrested when walking away. She
protested that she did not know how the
lace came to be found in her pocket.
I explained the case to the sergeant at
the station and got his permission for her
to sit in a chair IN the Office instead of Oo-
cupying cell all night
Somehow I couldn't get the sorrowfu1
look of those black eyes out of my mind,
and I couldn't sleep, and when daylight
came time hung on a peg until court time
came. walked around thinking over the
case, trying to arrive at some solution ia
vOrable to the girl.
OF course when we got to court Minnie
that was her name-Was convicted in
one, two, three order. She made no state
ment-just stood dazedli ke-and the Judge
held her for trial in the court above
AS they led the girl away she was the
picture of death. / gave her nod of en-
couragement, but she returned it with
look that said just as plainly as words
could have said, My heart is broken. "
had questioned her closely as to the APP
pearance Of the people who had stood near
her at the lace counter. She could remem-
Der none save one fashily dressed woman
who had attracted her attention because of
d remarkable mubilaUiOn of one of her ears,
as if a piece had been cut out in a triangu-
lar form.
I persuaded the superintendent to grant
me leave of absence for a couple of days
and went to work. 1 overhauled the pic
lures at the Office and gazed hard and car
nestly at the features of every female
+I4r 7
could not find the ono I was after
At last I fell to reading the remarks un-
der the picture of a bold, handsome face
and was knocked all into cooked hat by
the words Has a triangular piece cut out
of the left ear. =
I had a long talk with a detective friend
of mine, and after awhile he was able to
place the woman and told me where she
most frequented-
All that day and nearly all the next I
was on the lookout for that lady and was
despairing when big, handsome woman
swept past me, actually brushing against
me with her sealskin cloak.
/ glanced up and fairly started, for ono
of her ears was mutilated just as tho girl
and the note in the office had describe
The woman swept on, and I followed.
She entered the very shop where I had ar
rested Minnie and went up to the very
counter where the lace was stolen and be-
gan examining the stock. And then, Sc
Letting a tri1e, she paid for it and turned
to go.
I was in a quandary. But was deter
mined to make an effort and run the risk
of making a serious mistake Stepping
up to her I touched her shoulder and wills
pered: Come with me. want you
moment" at the same time looking
straight into her eyes.
Every drop of blood left the voman's
face. She fairly trembled for an instant,
and then she looked back defiant1y and
went with me.
We had moved but step or two in the
direction of the bookkeeper's den, where
the girl had been searched three days be-
FORE when something struck my feet.
stopped and picked up a bundle of lace
The woman had dropped it. I was right
I had found my thief
Seeing that she was caught, the shop
litter owned up that she had stolen the
piece of lace When accused of the other
theft for which wanted her, she confessed
to that too.
My, but wasn't that a grateful little
womanl She just ran and placed her
arms around my neck and kissed me I
was kind of taken back, for, although I
rather enjoy kissing, I don't like too many
witnesses.
married her two weeks afterWard, and
the business machine gave her a $3.50 out
fit and was glad to get out Of the awkward
tx at that price. London News.
An Incompetent Witness.
At this point tho big and fierce looking