Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1900-02-28
A TROPHY or BURGLARY.
DREAMER Carries a Gold Watch N a
Souvenir OF His Deed

Drummer Carries a Gold Watch a n
Souvenir OF HIS Deed
This watch was part OF the spoils
Of burglary In which I participated
In 1881" said a guest In the St Charles
lobby to a reporter. drawing out a
handsome gold tmepiece with a curl
Gus spiral pattern engraved In heavy
relief on the lid 1t was my first af-
fair OF the kind. and regret 10 say |
bungled IL and got caught almost i'm
mediately. What Is the joke. did you
askT There is no joke: IL Is perfectly
true. Ii happened like this:
I'm the fall OF 1881. when l was quite
young and green. got a job travel
ing for Chicago grocery house. and
one OF the first places I visited was q
small town in northern Ohio. l arriy-
ed about IL at night and went out to
take stroll and smoke q cigar before
going TO bed. Passing through a side
street, I noticed a light in the little
jewelry store and also that the door
was ajar. That reminded me / had
recently broken the handspring OF my
watch. and l sauntered In to leave IL
for repair
las l entered a young man arose from
the further end Of the counter He
seemed startled. which was not I'M
natural at such a late call. but he re-
gained his cOmpOsure while I explain
ed the purpose OF my visit and told me
be had closed some hours before. but
happened 10 remember some things
that had been left out Of the safe and
returned 10 put them back When
handed him my watch. l asked him TO
lend me another TO wear in the mean
time, and he gave me one at random
from a tray on the counter. This is It
on my chain now.
Next morning" continued the story
teller. Il was lOunging in the hotel Of
fee, when the town marshal tapped me
on the shoulder.
Let me see your watch he said.
Il pulled it out mechanically and was
at once placed under arrest on the
charge OF robbing the jewelry store II
seemed that II had been burglarized
during the night, and somebody in the
hotel had noticed my peculiar looking
watch and reported II 10 the police. It
was promptly identified as part OF the
stolen goods. and. needless to say. my
stor1 as 10 its acquisition was laughed
TO scOrn. was obliged 10 admit that 1t
seemed a little gauzy myself. and
can't say l blame the authorities for
declining TO give It credence.
AT any rate. l found myself IN the
deuce OF a Fix. My old watch had been
carried Of 10y the thief. and there was
absolutely nothing 10 confirm my state
ment except the bare fact that none OF
the other goods was found in my pos
session That. however. went for very
little, for II WAS argued that had had
abundant time 10 conceal my plumber.
IN my agitation and excitement must
have presented a perfect picture OF
guilt. and the townspeople came near
mObbing me on the way 10 Jail They
kept me there for exactly three hours,
the agony OF which will dwell with me
II live 10 be j hundred
Meanwhile the sure enough burglar
had been bagged In an adjoining town
with all the loot, including my time
piece. In his yalise. and when I was
finally released he was bundled into
my cell. IL he hadn't been caught.
don't know what might have happened.
/ don't like TO think about IL. The au-
thorities made groveling apologies. and
the 1eweler was especially AFFECT. To
placate me he offered 10 let me keep the
new watch in exchange for my old one.
and ! accepted the proposition. / car
~ II as a sort OF tragic-comic SOU
venir."-New Orleans Times-Democrat.