The Portland daily press., 1899-12-09
MADE A FALSE CONFESSION.
How the Detective Le.rned That .the
Porter Lfcdtv rim.
New Orleans es-pemocrAt)

New orleans Times Democrat
.when I was considerably younger and
gresnsr in this business" said an Old
railroad detective who had been asked to
tell o story Of his experience. "Ihvsd at
certain hotel, which ~ 10 not In the
least necessary 70 name. One rainy, sisety
night In early winter l came in very late
and going directly to my room was sur
p-issd to find the do,r ajsr. had on
pair Of old rubbefs. 50 my approach had
made no noiss and. pssping In, fas
man bending over my opsn trunk. l
didn't stop1to mediate, but Was ON his
back in couple Of jumps and who
should 10 turn out to b. but the rortr,
young white nah, much liked by WV
body In the house. be was so startled
that be oouldn't say . word and there
was the evidence plain GO day. The
trunk had teen forced with a chissl
which lay on the floor; the contents we're
tum bIsd about and sticking In the look
Of the door WAS . skeleton key made out
Of piece Of copper wire. When the pr
ter found his tongue hs begged me not TO
turn him over to tue polics. he said tnst
his mother, who was dependent on him
for support, was sick and In deStituts
circumstances; that he was unable 10
earn enough to provide her with necessa.
rles and his desperate need Of money had
tempted him to the act. IL was bis first
offer 50. he pieadsd, and II l would let
him of IL woud be his last-in short. he
gave ms the usual story, but he told 10 SO
we'll and te.ged SO piteously that ct last
I weakened and told him to sc, out.
Next day he quietly left town and later
on discovered the mother story was
fake. Then ! cuissd mysolf for bsina q
fool.
"Nearly q year afterward," continued
the detective, II arrested q professional
crook for car breathing and found him
wearing = pair Of my own cuff buttons.
which bad missed for long time and
didn't know what had become OF them.
Under pressure he confessed that he had
stolen them from room In such-ano.
suoh Q house, naming the hotel where
lived. He said he had opened the door
with false key, broken into trunk and
was just rifiing 1t when he heard some
body coming and darted out, barely dodg
the copper skeleton key, which still had
ON my ring, and he identified Il immedi-
ately as the one he had used. You may
believe was considerably agitated, and
I went to work iolmedfately to io3ats the
er porter. After good deal Of difficulty
finally found him In Memphis cierking
In q grocery store. / got the tip, by the
way, from q letter he had written to q
friend. Well, oornered him and In
sisted on an explanation, and be told me
q story will never forget as hong as
live. He said he was coming down the
hail that night, when he saw man run
out of my room. The fellow got away
before he could grab him, and, NATURAL
enough, he went In to see what was mp.
He noticed the trunk open and Just
stopped down to see whether It bad been
forced when I rushed In. The surprise
of Il bewildered him for o moment, and
then he realized that he had been caught
mad vertsntly In q position that would
certainly convict him Of burglary. I
knew that you wouldn't believe me II
told the truth, he said, and would be
dead sure to have me arrestei, but did
think there was some chance OF working
ON your feelings by pretending to con,
| fegs. remember hearing you remark,
| said he, that you always felt sorry for .
man mat owned up. SO he tried that
plan, and. Is you already know. u
worked. was satisfied that what he had
| told me was absolutely true, and, - 3 en-
al toe ether, ! believe that was the queer
est case ever had any thing to do with.
The last heard OF the young man he
was living in Atlanta and doing well
The car thief got seven years. ...asss