The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-08-12
A LUCKY HAUL.

| 1oney, the burglar. VIII you tell us how
| you caught himP Jack would like to hear
| the story
faye, he was clever rogue, was Dan,"
he murmured admiringly as he beat tat
| too on the fender with two wooden stumps
| that did duty for his legs. "He was the
| slipperiest customer ever knew, and for
| years he baked all our efforts TO capture
| him.
SIT happened one Sunday night about
| five years after I first joined the force
My beat consisted then of the shady part
| of Bermondsey, which was interseeted by
| the railway, and I was generally kept
| fairly busy about 12 O'Clock with abusive
| 'drunks' and blasphemous rowdies of both
sexes.
There were not many of the inhabit-
ants who did not know me under my sig
nif1cant sobriquet of Spider my pres
ence acted as an effectuaI soberer, a quiet
word of caution from me being generally
acted upon more or less graciously.
con the Sunday night of which tell
| you a cold, drilling rain had been falling
ever since came on duty. I had been
walking round for perhaps an hour when
| determined to shelter for a moment or
two in friendly entry.
sit was while pulling out my knife with
| the intention of cutting piece from my
| plug that I suddenly remem bered that the
| shop adjoining belonged to an old pawn
| broker.
at cannot think now what whim pos
sessed me to walk up the passage and try
| the door. 1t is one of the inexplicable
| freaks of fancy that happen to every man
and which sometimes change the whole
current of his existence.
"iIhe fact remains, however, that as the
burst of light from my bullseye shone on
the heavy padlocks I saw that they had
been tempered WITH and the door was I'M
secured. I cautiously made my way down
the entry again and flashed my light sig
nihcantly three times in each direction.
1t was the signal of alarm agreed on at
night, for to sound the whistle would have
been to put the wary marauder upon the
alert for possible danger.
81 threw off the heavy regulation coat
and freed my truncheon from its case
Pulling myself together, retraoed my
steps and silently pushed open the door
that led into the passage.
GAS istened-not, confess, without
some feeling of trepidation-Id detected the
musical chink caused by the handling of
metal substa noes. Noiselessly stole to
the door and peered through the keyhole.
1.-THE interior was dimly lighted up by
a guttering candle fixed by some ingenious
means to an enormous safe that stood
against the farthest wall, and as gazed
perceived man on his knees busily en-
gagged in trying the effect of various ske]e-
ton keys and other contrivanoes upon the
lock.
apparently it def1ed his efforts, for at
length, with a smothered curse, he slowed
them away and took out small roll from
his oapacious inner breast pocket. Quick
~ christening it, he displayed to my view
a variety of delicate instru ments for safe
look picking.
~ +ko&
ly slid through the door and stood just
within, with one hand. grasping my
truncheon and the other on my lantern,
ready to direct the flood of light upor
him. A nnurderous looking revolver lay
on the floor close to his right hand. I had
made one silent step forward, when il
manipulating the glass he must have
caught a reflection of my face as I crept
warily toward him. Without appearing
to notice anything, however he dropped
his hand unconcernedly as if to take up
one of the picks, but with a sudden grab
he secured the revolver, and almost ere
knew it had confronted me with the
weapon pointed at my heart
Stand back, Spider, curse your he
whispered harshly, and with a start I rec
ognized him as Feloney. Stand back, or,
by Jove, I'll let light through your
It's no go, DanP replied. 'Drep
that plaything. The games upl My
mates outside only waiting for the sig
NAL And advanced toward him.
L don't believe you! he snarled des-
perately. Stand back, tell you'll I don't
want to murder you, man, but if
'fWith q sudden movement he dashed
out the light, but even as he did SO with
leap was npon him. Clutching his right
arm in deadly grip, we grappled for the
mastery of the weapon.
''Silently we engaged in the terrible
struggle there in the darkness, when un-
expectedly, as we swung round, locked in
a close EN- brace, my head crashed against
the corner of the safe, half stunning mo
and causing me to momentarily lose my
hold.
"But it was enough, for with a fearful
wrench he twisted his arm downward and
fred the revolver at my body. There was
an excruciating pain in my left shoulder,
and my arm fell helplessly at my side as
staggered backward to the wall.
The burglar turned to fly, but even as
he did SO the room door was dashed wide
open, flood of light streaming upon him,
and through the gloom I dimly discerned
the form of the pawnbroker, with pistol
extended full at the breast of the advanc-
ing housebreaker.
'Startled by the dazzling light in his
eyes, the burglar started back, and in
that moment, disabled as I was sprang
upon him from behind and bore him to
the floor. For some time he fought like
mailman, and it required the combined eff
forts of the pawnbroker and myself, to-
gether with the significant threat implied
by the cleaning barrel pressed against his
forehead, before we could overpower him
and had the darbies safely planted on his
wrists.
ellis little bit of lead kept me off duty
for six weeks, but I had the satisfaction
of knowing that when he was sentenced to
ten years penal servitude London was rid
OF her most desperate burglar and through
nothing else but the lueky--or shall say
providential?-whim that prompted me to
try old Mikestein's side door in the dark
some, early hours of that Monday morn
ing. ''-Tit-Bits.