Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1902-10-16
IT WORKED 80
BOTH WAYS
COriginal.1

MY brother BOD ana are tW1nS,
and, both having fallen in love, not
with the same girl, but with the detec-
tive service from reading the ro-
mances Of Gaboriau and Conan Doyle,
we entered it at the same time and
for awhile worked in the same city.
This could not very we'll continue for
ever, and we at last drifted apart. For
awhile we correspondent, then finally
lost track of each other.
Meanwhile for me the romance had
gone out of the detective SERVICE and
it had become the detective business,
unvarnished, at which 1 struggled to
keep the wolf from the door for my
self and family. l made very little
money and tired of my duties. How
ever, there was no help for me. l
knew no other calling and kept on
hunting criminals.
One day 1 was sauntering along
Washington street, Chicago, when a
man passed me and whispered in my
ear. &c. & CTS in ten minutes" then
passed on and was lost in the crowd.
Who he was, what he meant or
how he came to know me was mys-
terry. Ny training as detective at
once assured me that might be on
the track of crime. &C. & G.'s in ten
minutes" 1 have it! The letters were
the initials of large restaurant and
saloon near by. kept right on to
the place, entered 1t and looked about
for my man. He soon entered, passed
me without glance and went to a
private dining room, to which l fol-
lowed him. The door was scarcely
closed when he said to me:
Its some time since we met. The
last I saw Of you you were being led
off by cop with pair Of bracelets
on your wrists. So was I"
Memories are not always pleasant.
Better come to the point at once"
Fright you are. Simmons and
(you know Simmons; he was with US
on the other job was discharged last
week. Well, we're going to crack a
bank, and we are badly in need Of a
man we can trust to watch. If you'll
Join us, well share the plumber In
| thirds"
consented, and he unfolded plan
to rob the til National
How the man had mistaken me for
some one else could not imagine.
However, did not trouble myself very
much about it, being absorbed with the
wonderful piece Of luck that had be-
fallen me. l was too old bird to
give away my secret for nothing. l
went to the president Of the til Ma
tional and told him that / knew of a
| serious misfortune about to happen to
him and that 1 would tell the secret
for $4,000. He questioned me to get
a clew without paying for it, but l
sealed my mouth, and he finally con-
Gacted to pay me what asked.
OF course on the night we were to
rob the bank had policemen stationed
at convenient places, who at the
proper time swooped down upon us
and captured us red handed and just
as the burglars were about to get
away with $4,000 in bills, besides a
large number of government bonds.
I was led away to Jail with pair Of
handouts on my wrists, which We're
taken off as soon as I was out Of
sight Of my colaborers. Meanwhile
the man who had met me on the
street was standing beside me waiting
for a Black Maria.
"There's no way in the world this
could have leaked out" he muttered,
Except through you. Now, l believe
you gave US away at Buffalo. You'll
pay for this
The next day 1 received my pay and
in the evening sat by my fire smoking
contentedly and planning for a new
start with my capital when the fact
suddenly popped into my head that. 1
had been mistaken for my twin
brother. Had Bob gone to the bad?
My own brother, born at the same
time, grown up with me, a burglar, q
jailbird-it was sickening!
AS soon as could get away / start
ed for Buffalo. There 1 visited the
chief of police, who helped me to in
formation about the bank robberies
that had occurred in that city, but
there was no record of any one of m.
name-Wharton-being connected with
any. Of them. One day police cap
tain, on seeing me, stared at me a
moment, then asked:
"How did you get out7'
1 soon learned that he mistook me
for man who had been convicted OF
bank robbery year before and sen.
fenced to the penitentiary for five
years. went to the prison and there
found my brother Bob. AS soon as he
saw me he threw himself on my neck
exclaiming:
ooh, Tom, this comes of reading
Gaboriau and Conan Doylep'
"Explain, Bob"
81 fell in with some men who pro
posed to rob bank and convinced
them that I was one Of their kind. Be
fore could explain how intended tt
trap them they were arrested an6
peached on me. Papers were found IL
my room connecting me with them.
was arrested, tried and convicted. The
man who got the reward had hoped
for was newspaper reporter and M