Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-01-02

10 the police o
both England and the Continent as
"Will Willie" Butts put up at one
OF the principal hotels of Manchester.
This was fourteen months ago. Butts
pretended that he was an American
After three weeks at the
hotel, during which he had succeeded
in establishing n reputation for i'm.
mense wealth, Butts went to n jewel
er, whom the clerk of the hotel
recommended, and ordered him to
bring up large assortment of set
gems and diamonds from which his
wife was to make selection. The
jewcler brought tho dulnuuds to the
hotel and exhibited them TO the woman
and Butts in their apartments. The
woman at last decided to take a neck.
lace OF diamonds, with pins, bracelets
and rings to the value of $4,000. Hav.
ing made the selection she took them
with an arch air--Butts having jc king.
ly demonstrated at the amount-and
put them in u bureau which stood
against the wall. Butts then went TO
the office, saying that he would return
at once with the 10000. The woman
and the icweler remained in conver.
sation. Some time elapsed, IN I, us
Butts did not reappcar, the woman
left the room ostensibly to look for
him. At the end of fifteen minutes,
neither returning, the jeweler became
alarmed and forced the drawer of the
bureau, where the jewels had been
placed. They were 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 just arrived, is the first heard of
him since the Manchester robbery.
He called himself Peter L. Tyndall
while in Manchester. London Paper.
On reading the above l was re.
of story concerning the en-.
Butts, told me several years
ago. l will write it as it came to me.
"You want me to tell you how Joe
Butts, alias Joe the Phantom, breaks
jail?" The speaker was John Larney,
alias John Dolan, alias Mollie Matches.
"l'll do it; although for bard. 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, rs ever worried Scot
land Yard. They used to call Joe
'the Buzsloak. 1 don't know why,
except they tell queer stories about
him and how he used to do midnight
trick at grave robblng. However that
may he, l don't know. He wasn't
dealing in no shrouds nor coffin han
dies when knew him.
'It was in big Northern city Joe
gets Jagged. He starts to do an old
party who is 10 draw big money out
of a bank. Joe and pal shadow the
man all the afternoon. AT last he
makes his draw, about $1,000, 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 tho party
has thumbed half through his stack OF
bills. Joe taps him on the shoulder
Joe had stood at the desk making a
fnke 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 a $40 on the
aoor. Or course the man stoops to
get it. There amt man on earth
who won't. When he straightens up
the $1,000 he's been counting IS gone.
Buttss pal swipes it from the other
side the moment the party ducks for
the $50, see!"
"It's at this point the man docs a
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
S400O,' he says. l think he was rat.
tied and really thought Joe grabbed it
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, it
didn't take the Hawkshaws and Dia
mond Eyes very long to find out it's
Joe Butts. Do think much OF detec.
tives? No, I don't. They're lot OF
Stiffs and no good, except to stand
round matinees. Talk about their
being quick people. and catching
crooked folks Why, half of 'em
couldn't find house to rent il they
were given case. As far as disgus.
ing myself, all I'd have to do is change
my socks. They'd never know me.
No; detectives amt wise u little bit.
But about Joe Butts.
"They locked Joe up in the Jail. 1t
was a new Jail, and the cells were as