Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-01-02
WORK FOR SMALL BOOTY.
smart Thieves Engaged In Poor
 Paying Job.
TCopyrlght, 1897.

The authorities of Henrico county, Va, have been struggling with crim- inal mystery worthy of Sherlock Holmes attention, though it involves nothing more serious than the theft of few chickens. It is the method, how ever, and not the crime itself. which interests the true detective.
 In the case in question one of the strangest peculiarities os criminals is we'll Illustrated, namely, the wasting of great skill and ingenuity upon the achieving of petty results. The real criminal will always do more work stealing five cents than would suffice 10 earn five dollars. These Virginia thieves, if they would turn moderately honest, might enter upon remunera- tive career in the show business.
 The thieves, so far as can be learned, made their first appearance at the resi- dence of Mr, Clayton, on the Meehan- iesvibe turnpike, highway not un- known to history. In the latter part of a December afternoon there was rumpus in Mr. Claytor's hen coop. No one had the place in view al that time, but several persons employed by Mr. Clayton were near by, and they at once ran to the spot. The sound, to their probably experienced ears, indicated chicken thieves, but no glimpse of the escaping vandals was obtained. This was surprising, for the rescue party was so quickly upon the scene that it was almost impossible 10 fancy any thiefs having time enough to run for shelter.
 Examination revealed no trace of any mans work, nor any human footprint in the soft earth. Whatever other tracks there may have been were un- noticed at that time. Mr. Claytor's serv- ants convinced themselves that three fat bullets were missing, but how they were abstraeted was q mystery.
 That same afternoon Farmer II. F. John, whose place was near Claytor's, suffered a similar loss, and there was no elew The unusual theft made some talk, which was increased next day when it was learned that poultry had mysterously vanished from the store of one O'Neil, also on the Mechanics vile turnpike.
 Neither Mr. 0'Neil nor anyone about
 the place had seen suspicious charae- ters loitering near; but there was no doubt about the disappearance of the poultry.
 The first clucidation of the mystery
 came from another storekeeper named
 Strong, who was robbed in most open
 manner. He was standing near the door of his place of business when he saw three strange dogs, setter, q pointer and shepherd. trot up. He paid no particular attention to them
 until. in flash. each had seized int
 chicken from number that were dis-
 played outside the store, and was mall-
 ing away with fl at incredible speed.
 Mr. Strong eonfesses that he was so
 surprised as to be incapable of action.
 The whole thing was so deft, SC hu-
 manly planned, and so speedily exc
 cuted that he felt IS if he were witness
 ing an incident that belonged 10 fairy
 land. When he rallied his faculties and
 began pursuit, the dogs could not be
 found.
 Since then these intelligent but dis honest brutes have appeared at various q places in the vicinity, and their meth ods have been learned. They are nm a doubtedly trained with great care C They know the ordinary rules of can | tion; they have been taught to seize { ,, chicken. whether aliye or dead, in th' Il best manner, and 10 run with theil C booty without being seriously embar T rassed by it.
 It has been ascertained that two ol $ more men lie in wait for the plunder e but the dogs know better than 10 rui l. straight towards the hiding place. The, make detours; they separate; if pnrsal d is too close they will not notice thci d masters but will run on until the dan 2; ger is at an end, returning i'll mos o cautious manner. Tn this way up f. Il last accounts, great many thefts ha' Il been perpetrated. and the human au n thors were still undiscovered. et Now then, here is the pyobem: Give
 two men with intelligence and patienc T. enough to train three dogs to such won 10 derful skill why don't they exhibit th n dogs and earn an honest living? If th 't show business is beneath their dignity
 surely their ability and foresight r. great enough to enable them 10 wi 't fortune. instead of skulking on the oui Is skirts of Virginia farms, sleeping i T. barns and subsisting on an unvaryin d dto+ If hrnfle1 g4olen chicken