Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-03-08
CAUGHT IN A HOLE.

On a night in February, as I sat late an
my desk, there called upon me a warder
from the Stangeways Jail at Manchester,
telling me that the man who was convict
ed for stealing my money would be liber-
ated the following day, and If I cared to
make it worth his while he would have a
watch set upon the prisoner with a view
to recovering the treasure should he, as
was suspected, have it still concealed.
/ accepted his proposal, and soon after
midnight was on my way back to Man.
chester with the prison warder.
He told me that he did not propose him
self to do the watching, but chat it would
be done by a man who had at one time
been a warder Of the Jail, but had left the
place some years ago.
From this man / learned that the ticket
Of leave man had taken up his place of
abode in a northern suburb of the city,
and arrangements had been made by which
he 1.-THE ex-warder) would be informed of
all his movements.
The thief had been convicted under the
name of James Gale, and it was not until
a year later that I discovered Jim Gale"
to be one Of the aliases of the notorious
housebreaker and burglar Charles Peace.
On the second day after my arrival in
Manchester we learned that the ticket Of
leave man had made arrangements with o
carter to accompany him out to some open
fields lying on the confines of a northern
suburb of the city.
About 8 o'clock in the evening the thief
Joined the carter whom he had engaged,
bringing with him a pickax and shovel.
He had changed his dress and appeared
an ordinary laborer.
When we reached the fields in the SUBJ
urbs, 1t was close upon 9 O'Clock and pitch
dark. The thief had, however, provided
himself with a lantern, and by its light
we saw him busily engaged digging at a
spot 80 yards from the roadside.
The carter whom he had brought with
him had remained with his horse and cart
in the roadway, 10 that WI could not ap-
proach very neal for fear of being observed.
Consequently we turned back along the
road, and then striking across the field ut
right angles were able to approach the
scene of operations from the farther side.
By this means we were able to get within
a few feet of the thief without being OBJ
served.
He was busily engaged and already had
sunk q pit Of some feet in depth. He had
placed his lantern in the hole and was
himself standing in it and throwing out
the soil in large shovelfuls. The hole we
then saw was at the foot of a large heap of
stones, which had evidently been used as
Q landmark to identify the spot.
Making q circuit to the right, we got to
the back OF the heap of stones, and ap-
preaching were able to get close up to the
thief without being observed and to look
down upon him at his work.
He was SO busy that he would not have
noticed us had we been even less cautious
than we were. The hole was now sunk to
q depth of six feet, and the thief had to
exert himself considerably to throw out
the earth.
At last, with Il grunt of satisfaction, he
stopped in his work and stopped down.
His shovel had struck tho lid Of a large
square box. Another minute and he had
the lid opened, and we saw before us a col
lection Of old silver tankards and salvers
and spoons, and among the silver a small
box or casket. This he also opened, and
in 1t we saw, still bright and glittering, a
mass Of jewelry.
There were rings and chains and brace
let's, but what struck lis more than all else
was a magnificent diamond tiara, contain
ing stones of marvellous size and bril-
lance.
And beneath the diamonds was a packet
Of papers, which, with q great gasp of sat
isfaction, I recognized as the bank notes
which this man had stolen now nearly
seven years ago.
Having satisfied himself that the stolen
booty was still there, the thief closed the
box and lifted it up to the surface Of the
ground. He placed it OH the edge at the
foot Of the heap Of stones behind which we
were concealed and over the top of which
we were observing him.
I had drawn tho revolver with which l
had provided myself and was quite pre-
pared for the moment when he should see
us.
This he did not do until he had placed
the box on the ground and was preparing
to climb out of the hole after it.
The man was no coward-few of the
scoundrels who resort to burglary are
and though he started when he found
himself face to face with a loaded revolver
he did not quail. Anger rather than fear
was the emotion which expressed itself
upon his features.
Course you'll" he said. "What has it got
to do with your"
Nothing, only that you've got my bank
notes in that box and that the rest of it
has got to be handed over to the police"
The thief still retained the same posi-
ton, with one knee raised to the bank Of
earth and his other foot still resting at the
bottom Of the hole.
One Of his hands, however, had stolen
into his coat pocket, and though ] had not
noticed 1T my companion had done SO y
exclaimed:
"Now, No. 1870, drop that, or you're a
dead man," at the same time covering
him with his revolver.
"And II I do, what then? How much
do you 'wantS I'll give you half Of 1t, and
I'll keep the rest"
1--WE shall hand you over to the police
with the swag."
No sooner had the words left my lips
than the thief, grown desperate at tho
prospect Of again returning to prison
to work out the remainder of his sentence,
drew from his pocket the revolver upon
which his fingers had been resting during
the last few moments and fred point
blank OF me.
The bullet grazed my shoulder and
passed harmlessly away; not 80, however,
the shot with which my companion had
replied to 1t.
He had been prepared for . demonstra-
ton Of this kind, and scarcely had the
thief fired than he received In reply q slug
which struck the hand In which his re-
volver was held, shattering the stock OF
the weapon and two Of the fingers which
held Il.
With q cry Of pain the thief disappeared
xui4hin tho holo and ~na1linn - ma a. HoI.