The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1901-01-25

- ~~~~-N0 -
GETHER.
and 1t had been pretty well established
that he bought goods without asking
any questions. In watching him l as
sumed another identity and became q
customer We came to be on quite
friendly terms, and l flattered myself
that he had not the slightest suspicion
Of the part I was playing. At one
time and another l was the means Of
enabling a number of householders to
recover stolen goods Saunders had
bought, but the man always evaded the
law. l got to know that he lived in
Jane street, only q few blocks away,
where he had a wife and one child.
One of our men occupied n room in the
same house, and in a casual way he
had learned that Saunders was home
only two nights per week. He came
and went as did my neighbor Eadan.
A year after l began watching the
bric-a-brac shop there were complaints
made about a certain merchant tailor
named Dawson. He was making suits
to order so cheap that other taiiors de-
clared the goods must be stolen AS
matter of fact several bolts of cloth
stolen from a tailor in town 30 miles
away were found in his shop. but he
proved himself clear Of the law by
narrow margin. l became a customer
and an acquaintance. l brought GUS
toners to him, as had to Saunders
There were many nes when we had
q glass of ale and pipe together. and
from the very outset / used my best
efforts to get on to his little game.
He continued to make suits to order
far cheaper than his rivals. but though
his shop was searched again and again
no more suspicious goods were found.
Dawson was full of talk and seemed
to be without suspicion. but | got no
information from him to help my case.
/ early ascertained that he lived in
Montgomery place and had wife and
two children. By the merest accident
I further learned that Mr.. Dawson was
home only three nights per week. and
/ am honest enough to confess that |
did not connect the circumstance with
the domestic life of Hadan or Saun-
ders. The reason didn't was because I
had not yet suspected Uadan Of any
thing and because | had no case
against the other two.
AS to E.adan. living In the same
house with me. he cultivated my ac-
quaintance. He told me of his bust
ness, invited me to lunch with him and
was as frank and open as any man |
ever met. On half a dozen occasions
he invited me to drop into his work.
rooms in case I found myself near
them, and I admit l took quite a liking
to him. His wife was more reserved
and less to be seen, but yet the four of
US went to the theater occasionally in
company, and she was agreeable if not
laxative. Hadan was a fair sized
man, who always shaved smooth. His
reddish hair was scant, one of his front
teeth broken, and he limped little,
from an old accident. Any policeman
could have picked him out of q crowd
on a description. Saunders was q
larger man, with hair turning gray,
perfect teeth and side whiskers. Davi-
son was smaller man than the other
two, with black hair, a black mus
tache and a prominent wart on his
cheek. Hadan had the voice of
woman; Saunders spoke slowly and
with a growl; Dawson had what might
be termed fair voice.
Now, then. for six years knew these
three men, and two of them were I'M
der espionage. 1 talked with them, ate
with them, drank with them and never
imbibed the faintest idea that l was
the biggest fool In the world. One day
q man who was in a machine shop not
far from detective headquarters was
killed by accident. / happened to be
almost the first one on hand. l recog-
nized him at once as the tailor, and the
body was taken home. While doing
his work the undertaken found that the
black hair and mustache and wart
were all false. This was a revelation
even to the wife. The affair was pub
lished in the papers and in less than
two days 1t was found that uadan,
Saunders and Dawson were one and
the same man. He had padded his body
to Increase his size and apparent
weight, and false tooth, whiskers,
mustache and a wart had done the rest.
xou VIII say ]. ought to have detected