The San Francisco call., 1897-01-22
A MYSTERY OF
POTRERO STATION
The Lockers of the Officers
Regularly Robbed Dur
ing Two Years.
Every Man Led to Suspect His
Fellows, but the Detectives
Utterly Foiled.
Rats Discovered 10 Have Filched a
BuShel of Good Cigars From
the Lockers.

For two long years Officer Bob Macon
nell, not naturally a suspicious man, has
suffered with doubt on his mind. Macon
nell is the office man at the Potrero police
station. Big Tom Stanton, Clancy, Dough
ertv and Lewis-all officers of the station
have not been free from doubt either
any more than they have been free from
suspicion.
Mcconnell is an inveterate smoker and
makes it point never to be without g.
cigar-that is he has tried to make 1t a
point, but the cigars that he laid away in
his locker have disappeared with regu-
larity that has been the mystery of the
station Tor these two years and that has
caused suspicion in the mind of Macon
nell to lower over the heads Of all the
other officers.
To be sure all the other officers COM
planned occasionally themselves of the
loss of choice cigars which they may have
slowed away in their lockers for some
after dinner occasion. But to Maconnell
this only served to feed suspicion-guilty
men would have done that same thing.
But Clancy, and Stanton, and Dougherty,
and Lewis, and Lieutenant Bennett HIM
SELF had all of them really missed cigars
complaints were as we'll based as
those of Macconnell, they had carefully
placed choice brand now and again in
snug place in their respective lockers,
turned the key, shook tie door so there
could be no mistake about it being locked
and turned homeward to their dinner with
a feeling that things were well with them
and lite was altogether worth living.
They had returned to the station with
mind even more tuned to contentment,
drifted straight to the locker, adjusted the
KEY in the Yale lock, opened the door, felt
in the little secret corner for the cigar that
was to have given an emphasis to all the
blessings of their lot and discovered that
it was not there.
That had occurred so often that it came
to be recognized at last as the mystery
of the station, for which no man could be
held responsible. Every man set himself
to solve it, so that the blame might be
placed where it belonged. Tom Stanton
said he would discover the thief or never
more lay claim to consideration as de-
tective. Tom has long made claims in
that direction, and there Is picture OF
him pasted even now on the walls OF the
station represe ting him in the guise Of
sleuth.
Tom thought and thought and laid
plans and plans, but the cigars disap-
peared as rapidly as they were laid away
in the lockers, and the mystery only deem
ened. Tom labeled some cigars with prl-
vate marks and loaded them with ex-
plosives and substituted twisted cigars for
straight ones, and still they disappeared
marks and twists and explosives and all
disappeared utterly. No one was seen
smoking the markeo or the twisted cigars,
and certainly no cigars were heard TO
blow up about the station.
Mcconnell stroked his whiskers more
solemnly as the months went on and the
gloom OF the uncanny thing settled more
heavily about the place. One morning,
being left alone for some time, he made
use of the occasion to take off the lock and
put on a new one.
"Now we'll see how long l can leave a
cigar in here for my own exclusive use,"
he said grimly, running his fingers
through his whiskers again. An hour
afterward the cigar that be had placed
there as the test was gone. Did he swear I?
Oh, yes, he swore, but he was rather more
amazed and worried now than angry, for
he had not been out of the station and he
knew that no tangible and visible form
| could have worked the box"
All this time Lieutenant Bennett had
| been suffering from malaria or some other
| influence of depressing nature. A few
days ago he determined to make some
changes in the arrangement of things in
the station looking to better sanitary con-
ditions, as well as more light and room.
The row of much pilfered lockers was torn
away and the floor pulled up. Behind
some boards that had been nailed against
| the wall, leaving space In the corner as
| large as a bushel basket, was found rats
nest composed entirely of cigars.
There were several hundred OF them,
and among the number were several of
Tom Stanton's twisters. The cigars were
mostly broken and chewed to pieces, but
they seemed to form very cozy nest.
No rats were there, and it is only Lieuten-
ant Benefits guess that they were rats
rats that had formed the bad habit of the
use of tobacco through loafiDg about the
| police station, or that had wisely chosen
the material as protection against tieas.
At any rate the mystery that had hung
over the Potrero station for two years,
vexing and defeating the best efforts of its
detective talent, was solved.