The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1897-02-05

2. !. !. !. !. ;. !. !. J. !.
CHI ANtkMAA Ahltuthhs butts lH
WMlNANS wanted for The rob.
CIVRKNN, terry OF E60OO worth
bH4fkSHN oidiamou6s at Man
WA hNV chester. ln comp
HAN any with his wife,
who il we'll known
" 10 the police OF
both England and the Continent as
"Wild Willie" Butts put up at one
Of the principal hotels Of Manchester.
This was fourteen months ago. Butts
pretended that he was an American
millionaire. After three week. At the
hotel, during which he had succeeded
in establishing a reputation for i'm.
menso wealth, Butts went 10 a Jewell
or, whom the clerk OF the hotel
recommended, and ordered him 10
bring up a large assortment OF set
gems and diamonds from which his
wife was 10 make selection. The
ieWeler brought the diamonds to the
hotel and exhibited them TO the woman
and Butts in their apartments. The
woman at last decided 10 take a neck.
lace Of diamonds, with pins, bracelets
and rings to the value Of 10000. Hav-
ing made the selection sho took them
with an arch air-Butts having cking-
" demonstrated at the amount-and
put them in a bureau which stood
against the wall. Butts then went to
the Office, saying that he would return
ct once with the 10000. The woman
and the ieweler remained in CONVEX
sation. Some time elapsed, and, as
Butts did not reappear, the woman
left the room ostensibly 10 look for
him. At the end of fifteen minutes,
neither returning, the ieweler became
alarmed and forced the drawer Of the
bureau, where the jewels had been
placed. They we're gone. The trick
was soon disclosed. Butts had long
before cut through the partition, and
could go into the adjoining apartment
and take the jewels from the drawer at
the back. This he had done. Search
was made, but no trace of Butts or
the woman could be arrived at. The
arrest IN Calcutta, the news whereof
has iust arrived, is the first heard of
him since the Manchester robbery.
He called himself Peter T. Tyndall
while in Manchester. London Paper.
On reading the above I was re
minded of a story concerning the en-
terprising Butts, told me several years
ago. / will write it as it came to me.
"You want me to tell you how Joe
Butts, alias Joe the Phantom, breaks
iail2" The speaker was John Larney,
alias John Dolan, alias Mollie Matches.
"l'll do it although for a hard. close,
crooked in.and.outer, Mollie Matches
is getting rather gabby lately. Joe
Butts is an English thief, and about as
fine a worker, too, as ever worried Scot
land Yard. They used to call Joe
the Buzgloak. 1 don't know why,
except they tell queer stories about
him and how he used to do a midnight
trick at grave robblng. However that
may be, l don't know. lie wasn't
dealing in no shrouds nor coffin han
dies when / knew him.
'It was in a big Northern city Joe
gets Jagged He starts to do an old
party who is to draw big money out
of bank. Joe and pal shadow the
man all the afternoon. At last he
makes his draw, about $4,000, and
starts over to one of those high desks
by the wall to count it. Joe tries the
drop trick with him. It's easy and
it's sure. About the time the party
has thumbed half through his stack of
bills, Joe taps him on the shoulder.
Joe had stood at the desk making, a
fake of writing draft, when the man
comes up to count his stuff. Joe taps
him all at once on the shoulder, as /
say, and points down with his pen
holder at the floor.
'''Beg pardon, there's q $40 on the
floor. OF course the man stoops to
get it. There amt man on earth
who won't. When he Strengthens up
the $4,000 he's been counting IS gone.
Butts's pal swipes it from the other
side the moment the party ducks for
the 500, see?"
'It's at this point the man does q
surprising thing. He grabs Butts.
Naturally, you'd think he'd turn after
whoever took the stuff. This would
give Butts show to fit. But, no
this man grabs Joe and yells like a
tiger.
'"He's got my money; he's got my
$4,000, he says. think he was rat.
tied and really thought Joe grabbed il
himself.
"But, anyway, he made big roar,
and swung to Joe, and before Joe
could shake the man off they had him.
"When they had Joe cooped, il
didn't take the Hawkshaws and Dia
mond Eyes very long to find out it'i
Joe Butts. Do think much OF detec
tives? No, 1 don't. They're lot O
stifTs and no good, except to stanC
round matInees. Talk about theil