The morning times., 1896-12-06

precinct then. You remember Diggins. He
was afterward made sergeant, and tlen
resigned. He Is captain OF the watch up
~ the State, War and Navy Department
now. - -s''
..Wen, Diggins had an old colored man
and an overcoat, and ne didn't know just
what to do. He told me aboutthe case and
said he Rad found the old fellow trying
to sell the coat on Z street In a second
hand store. He thought the coat was too
costly garment for the old chap to have
come by honestly and questioned him about
It,
"The man gave hisname as Joseph Price
and said he worked for Col. Tenny, down
at the National HCtel. SO Diggins brought
him down and when he saw me he sent in
for me to come out and talk itoyer.
''Wen, sir, when saw that overcoat
! was puzzled. l knew right off had
either seen IL before or had seen a de-
scription of it, but for the life OF me ]
couldn't place it. ! told Diggins to bring
Price inside and we would see Cd. Tenny.
Then got a good look at the coat and
the whole business flashed across my
mind. There was Barney'S coat us big as
: life and just as handsome. 1t looked as
shop, although 1t had been gone six months
or more. We got hold OF the colonel and
asked him about Price.
What, Joe Price, old Joe Price? Why,
he's been with me for twenty years.
| There's o mistake about this somewhere
| I'm sure. Old Joe wouldn't steal He's
honest as gold dollar. Why, I've brought
| him up right here in the hotel said the
| colonel
| We'll, sir, that was a knocker, but !
| told Diggins he'd better hold on to his
man. We took him up to the station and
| got at him, but he stuck to his story like
a major. Then sent for Barney and the
l I..xv f.Ia
the coat first crack out of the box. ] felt
better then, and We went up to court and
| swore out a search warrant for Joe's house
"Diggins and / went down there in the
| afternoon. 1t was a little shack, way down
in South Washington on Canal street, and
looked innocent enough from the outside
| But great guns, my boy, when we opened
the door and stepped in, well, just grab
bed Diggins by the arm and We stood and
| looked and looked
The place was Just cram, Jam full of
| truck. There were cart loads OF It, When
we came to haul IT away later it took two
express wagons to do the work. There
was everything there from diamond ring
TO a four poster bedstead. How in the
name of the great Jones he ever got it
there was more than anyone could tell.
THAT man had been stealing right and
left for twenty years or more, and he got
away with small fortune There was q
sample OF everything they ever had in the
hotel. There were sheets and pillow cases
bed spreads, blankets, mattresses, looking
glasses, chairs, all sorts of furn itur e,
kitchen lumber, such as knives, forks,
spoons. etc, and almost everything YOU
can think of.
THIEF FOR TWENTY YEARS.
why, there was a whole library in that
room, nearly hundred books, which that
old rascal had stolen, and he couldn't read
line, either They belonged to Crosby
the assistant manager at the hotel, and
were worth heap OF money.
when we dug down and got at thing,
right we found a half dozen clocks anG
watches and four or five diamond rings
Then there was a lot of solid silver; som,
belonged to Col. Tenny and some TO guests
of the hotel who had been robbed
couldn't begin to tell you all there wa
there; it's easier to tell what we didn'
find.
II wish you coIld have seen the coIone
when we went back to the hotel and tolL
him aboutit He Just boiled over. And :,
think he said, that I've been keeping tina