Omaha daily bee., 1900-01-11

AANh ~ hAA ANAAANN ~ N'N
timepieces thinking that he was a high
wayman He told them that he didn't want
their watches. but that he learned from
the Zine that the train was approaching
a town, and he thereupon ordered the engi-
ncer to stop. The train was slowed down
and the man alighted. He was subsequently
captured, however. taken back TO wyoming
to serve out his time. and was then brought
to Omaha to answer to the charge of in
terfering with the operation OF q mail tram.
He did this, you understand, by compelling
the engineer to stop the train so that me
might get off. He was fne6 500 and costs.
This Missouri Pacific hold-up is somewhat
identical. The train stopped, II l remember
correctly, at the signal from the porter VINO
rang the bell. and consequently the opera
ton Of the train, il it was a mail tram
was interfered with. In this respect the
robbers are amerable to the federal au-
thorities."
Monday afternoon four or five pIrolmen
were holding a social session in the ounce
at the city Jail, with apparently nothing to
do. They were waiting for scme one TO come
in and be identified, or something of that
sort. and time was heavy on their hanas'
Time was 90 heavy that wheh officer Mueller
began a story nobody attempted to stop aim.
"Wcll. YOU all knew Mike rafferty,, began
Mueller. None of the others knew him, but
they said yes to save time and Mueller
continued. well, Mike was on the force
when they used to run the county fair out
on sherman avenue, where the expedition
grounds now are.
"He was sitting in the Office one after
noon, just as we are now, with nothing on
his mind, when a man was brought IN Tor
running a shell game on the falr GROUNDS
The man turned out to be a regular sraller
in that line. and the operation OF trisRlns
developed that his pockets were full OF shells
and peas. After the man was taken behind
the bars rafferty, told us that he tHafterty'
had seen a great deal of that shell trlcF
done where he had come from. He said IL
was a very easy trick to do. 1t was the
ouickneso of the hand that deceived the eye
"He said he would show us the trick once
or twice and then explain how 1t was dohe
so that we as police officers might nave an
insight into such devices. 1t was our duty
to know the inside workings Of those Things
so that we might cope more effectively
against them. And with that he took two CT
the shells and shufied a pea around under
them on the ONCE table and asked some one
to guess where it was. Sergeant Dolan said
it was under the shell next the window.
"'You think it's under there?' asked Haf-
ferty.
81 know it's under there responded the
sergeant. I'll put half a dollar on it.
That's Just what ! was sayin',' said
rafferty,. about the quickness of the hand
deceivlng the eye. But I'll take your hall
Just to impress the lesson and I'll devote 1t
to the relief association SOS it won't be
gambling
That's all right retorted the sergeant,
lust so you don't take 1t out OF the associa-
ton
Rafferty, turned up the shell which the
sergeant indicated and, sure enough, the pea
was there. Rafferty, explained that 1t some
times happened that way and that was what
plunged the victims deeper into the game,
So he did the trick again. That time Detec-
tive Benson guessed and he won. After that
we all had a guess and we all won. 1t was
a very unlucky afternoon. for Rafferty,.
cat the next meeting of the commission
ers ten of us were on the carpet, each
charged with conduct unbecoming an Off
GER
THE ten testified they had not been gam
bling. In fact they did not know what gam
bling was. They said it was true that HAT
ferty asked them under which shell a pea
was aad that they had each been paid 5C
cents for telling him.. But they ridiculed
the idea that it was a game of chance and
were very much shocked that they should
be accused OF gambling.
THE commissioners, however, were q
thick-headed lot. They never did see any
thing in the right light and after they had
discussed the matter themselves in a private
office they gave us each fifteen days of with
no pay"
A literal instance OF letting the cat out
of the bag happened one evening last week
II happened on a Hanscom Park car. A
young woman boarded the car at Twenty
= fifth and Leavenworth streets. Suspended
!, from her arm was a shopping bag, the oper
! end being tied with a ribbon drawn string
The car was crowded and the young woman
had to stand in the aisle. With one hanc
, she chung to the strap, while with the othe1
q she held the shopping bag-and a pretty
a bag it was, all rufled and tucked anC
e puckered.
/, The jostling Of the car swayed the bag t.
and fro and once it Jumped with more forc'
than elegance against the stove. Pas
sengers noticed the bag vibrate. 1t seemed
, to be a thing of life. AS the car rounded
:, the corner at Sixteenth and L~eavenwortl
j, streets the young woman staggered, and oil
of the bag jumped a cat. 1t was a Mates
tabby with a dainty bit of baby ribbon abou
a it's neck. 1t was friendly anu hoped arount
playfully over the shoulders Of the pas
(. sengers, finally escaping by the rear door
Z Somebody remarked that the young womal
/, had 'let the cat out OF the bag" and sh'
5 left the car with crimson bushes on he
pretty face. Whether she was trying t
, take the cat away and lose it or whethe
= she was carrying it with her as a com
%panion, like some women carry poodle dogs
9 none OF the passengers knew.
a Every morning the night arrests ar
brought up into the ante room adjoining tn
t police court and one by one they ar
0 arraigned before Judge Gordon, One OF tn
e hard court benches makes an ideal spot for
[ sociologist to pursue his studies. TIL
regulation old-time vagrant usually takes u
0 about ten minutes of the courts time. Yo
can always tell an old-timer, He know
e exactly where to stand and he recites
a story he has learned in the cell the nigh
d before with a sad, it-I-only-had-a job eX
preston that is really touching.
: The story Of the k~leptomaniac or tn
= tramp who would eat Christmas dinner a