The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-21

victims of Their Cupidity-Wntch-
es Appear to he the Chief Articles
They COvet-Depew, Reed and the
Prince of wales Have Had Expert
ences.
From the New York Press.
Until the circumstance was recalled by
3 brief dispatch from Indiana polls the
other day nearly everyone had forgotten
me theft Of Benjamin Harrison's diamond
studded watch, worth more than $1,000 and
given to him by the Senate on the expl-
ration of his term as member of that
body The timepiece was stolen about
five years ago. but just how and by whom
does not appear to have been made public
as vet, though a crook named Wilson, UNI
der arrest at Knoxville, Tenn, on the
charge of burglary, has been trying to ar
range for its return to the owner. Like
many other stolen articles it could not
be realized on without danger that the
thief might be detected, while the value
OF its cases and works, if separated aud
tho case melted down, would be so much
below It's value as a complete watch that
such disposition was not to be thought Of.
Soft was buried, pending favorable time
TO rs-otiate for it's restoration, and
" Hemer Wilson stole it or not, he now
has diagram showing just where it was
diiden and has offered TO exchange it for
MS freedom. Color is given to the story
that the diagram was furnished to Will
son by the original thief when on his
deathbed by the circumstance that Wilson
was on his way to the alleged place of
concealment when arrested.
Frisked Chauncey's Watch.
Should he recover the watch, the loss of
which was a real grief to him, the former
President will be lucker than have some
other eminent personages from whom val
uables have been stolen. Chauncey M. De-
pew's pocket was rifled OF his watch one
day away back in the sixties and he never
got it back Depew was done up by a reg
ularly organized pocket-picking mob"
He had been invited to join a yacNing
party a Philadelphia and was standing on
the platform of a horse car on his way TO
the Cortlandt street ferry.
As he once told the story, he was think
ing a good deal more about the pretty
girls who were 10 be members of the
catching party than of his immediate sur
r0undings, when there was a comnption
among the passengers just as the car was
passing Union Square. The rumpus was
made by two or three men, who suddenly
seemed moved TO get out of the car in
great haste AS they passed Depew they
tostled him and hustled him so much that
he thought them real rude, Desiring to
know the time soon after they jumped off
he felt for his watch. Then he under
stood the haste and rudeness of the men,
for his pocket was empty. The timepiece
was costly, and, moreover, like Harrison's.
was a presentation watch, having been
given to Mr.. Depew by his associates dur
ing his term as Secretary of State in this
state, from which he had just retired.
He gave up his yachting party to report
the theft TO the police, but he might as
Well have continued his journey to Phila
delphia, for the watch never came back.
Thomas Acton was chief of police at the
time and he advised Depew not to adver-
Else his loss, declaring that the
watch could be recovered in due
time If publicity were avoided, but
not otherwise. Depew waited a year. Then
he lost patience and advertised. One day
man went to him and said the watch
might have been recovered had the adj
vertisement been put In earlier. The man
knew the proprietor of a crook hotel in
Harlem, to whom the thief had taken the
watch, directing him to return 1t to the
owner, providing it was advertised for. As
no 'ad" appeared, the thief finally melted
the case and sold the works.
Speaker Reed "A Victim.
Thomas Bracket Reed was despoiled of
a fine watch, said to be worth $3.50 or
more, few years ago by a pickpocket
al political meeting addressed by the
great man from Maine. The story goes
that this meeting was held in Cooper
Union, in this city. but that's only a de-
tail Anyway, the audience was large and
enthusiastic, and Mr.. Reed, who was the
chief speaker of the evening, covered him
self with glory, as he always does when
he has a chance. After the speech-making
was finished and most Of the audience had
gone home few remained, ostensibly to
shake hands with the star of the evening,
and Mr.. Reed shook hands with several.
Naturally his feelings toward all mankind
were of the frlendliest when he went
away from the hall, but they underwent
a severe revulson an hour later, when he
discovered the loss of his watch. 1t is said
that he then declared he'd never enter the
nan again and that he has kept his word.
The most wholesale lifting of watches
from men of some prominence in New
York was managed few years ago at
meeting of the New York conference of
the Methodist Episcopal Church The
meetings of this body, the supreme local
organization of its denomination, are at
'ended chiefly by ordained ministers of
tne church, and no one in the audience
.''''i'b IL was necessary " udlu against
pocket picking in SO sedate a crowd. That
simple fact seems to have been the undo
ing of lot of men, for the audience was
slnnkled with thieves They were skill
I' too, for, though half a score of
cocks were taken from the eminent
Nersymen present and as many Feathers"
o' which the pickpocket means pocket
"oNe-nothing amiss was discovered until
after the dispersal of the audience, when
u was too late to do anything. COMPLAINT
was made to the police; also the news was
gwen to the reporters, and they publish
eu II the next day. Next night every fifth
OF slAth man in the audience was detec-
NV 10 plain clothes, but, of course, there
were no arrests, for, warned by the pub
A''lon Of the story, the pckpockets took
Pan TO remain away.
hObbed the Prince of wales.
'om the other side of the water comes
me story Of how the Prince of Wales was
Ioo"ed by the most successful most ia