Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-08-21
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. SOME SHORT STORIES. :

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: SOME SHORT STORIES. .
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A delegation of tin-horn gamblers
were discussing pocket picking and
other means Of theft pursued BY tho
army OF ICON" men who usually fol.
low q circus.
People have . wrong idea of how
the piekpocket works" spoke up the
old rounder; ..one man cannot do
the business alone. There are usu-
ally four in the crowd. A couple of
them do the pushing, another gets
the money, while the man ahead
leads chase, ostensIbly after the
thief, who in reality never comes to
the front, but ducks behind and de-
livers over to one of his pals, who
plants the stuff until such time IS
they meet and divide up.
II was down at Monmouth attend
ing the firemen's tournament recently
held there. 1 saw four old time
pickpockets there. They cleared up
about S 500 in a couple of days. No
lie about 1t. OF course they are not
duhs. They are about the smoothest
in the business, and hardly ever get
caught They always appear in the
latest togs. At Monmouth they
wore knickerbock and bicycle
caps during the day and at night
came out in full dress. They put up
at the best hotels.
"Ihese fellows worked quick and
smoothly. When they planned .
job they never fell down. II q
woman would scream on discovering
one Of them in the act Of taking her
purse. another OF the fellows would
hasten to assist and jolly her
along until his pal had good chance
to make himself hard to find. They
separated men from their watches,
money and diamonds as quick as q
flash, and would have some of them
fleeced an hour before they would
tumble to the fact they had been
tempered with"
Ex-senator W. F. Crawford, of
Edgington. was called as q witness
in the preliminary hearing of Joseph
Kell at Andalusia the other day.
"Now look a-here," said the H.
lpstrious iarmer-statesman, address
ing the states attorney, ..don't get
too darncd swift. Go easy and don't
be trying to middle me uo. Take
her easy and we'll get along all
right, reckon"
"Oh. don't know, replied States
Attorney Searle, 'you need not think
because you were in the state senate
once that you are any better than the
rest of us"
And the Hon. William smiled,
stroked his whiskers and said moth
ing.
The Rock Islanders on their re.
cent expedition to Fulton were
joined at the Whiteside county vii.
lage by Representative William
Payne. who went up from Barstow
on the evening train on hearing OF
the trouble.
When the crowd was about ready
to leave for home MIR. Payne walked
out on the platform of one of the
coaches to size up the situation. A
little rowdy with a gun in one hand
sailed up to the platform.
"Get in there!" he commanded.
SLOWS that sonny" replied the
good sister.
"Duck into that car; that's the
how" answered the Fulton thug,
showing the convincer almost IN
against the Zuma statesman's lilacs.
Sister Payne said nothing more,
but bowed his head and quickly got
inside.
Moline. Aug. 12.-Dear Friend
Do not think me bold in writing you,
for my heart tells me that we should
know one another. saw you a few
weeks ago, and l have yearned for
your company since. I want to meet
you. will be down in Rock Island
tomorrow afternoon at O'Clock. l
will be in carriage. am a ma, :
ried woman. and of course it wou! d
never do for me to parade about the
streets with strange man. You
be on the north side of Spencer
square a: the hour which mention.
Now please do not fail me. You
won't. will you? Good bye until t.
morrow"
A prominent Rock Islander, a man
Of family. received letter not long
ago something after the style OF TIE
above.
The note was written in a dainty
feminine hand. 1t was saturated in
perfume.
The recipient meditated several
moments after perusing the epis-
tie. He at first concluded that he
was being made the victim Of huge
joke.
Then he read it over again, finally
determining to fill the engagement.
He was on the spot AZ the ap-
pointed hour. He waited. hut M