The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-01-12
POCKET PICKING MIrs
RESPECTABLE .GUISES
By Arthur McEwan in New York Journal
TO this day." said Colonel Abe

no this day." said Colonel Abe
Edgarton, the Arizona mining
man, addressing Professor jerks.
the Pennsylvania educator, across the
cafe table. "to this day can't get over
the effect of early education. If you
we're to drop q half dollar on the floor
now. without knowing it, an acquired
prejudice would prevent me from put
ling nay foot ever it and picking it
mo when you weren't looking. And
when I dine at your house. or any
other gentleman's house. I am not IN
der TIE smallest temptation to pouch
the forks and spoons"
Surely you haven't got so far away
from civilized states of feeling as act
rauv TO pride yourself on not being
fbfef2' eXpOstulate.. professor jerks.
But am ! not a thief?" inquired
the colonel. 81 won't pick a mans
rrcket with my fingers. but III work
off on any man. friend or foe, as many
shares OF Hidden Treasure mining
stock IS I can induce him to take. And
YOU know what they're really worth
since we ran out of ore and into por-
rlyry.
"Oa brt that's business said the pro-
fessor.
Precisely" agreed the colonel
"To steal a pin it is sin,
But form trust and rope folks IN,
Charging twice for every pin
That is business, and no sin.
and. speaking Of Amalgamated Cop
Der" Colonel Edgarton continued, Its
amazing what influence time and price
have upon morals as well rs manners
y. ~
innocence before men in way that
would get YOU elected from a decent
bar room now. And how Ions dye
think a theatrical company would be
sent up for that should attempt to
give us n real taste Of tie comedy Of
the restora lion? What would happen to
any modern writer that should advise
women to be clean, as Swift did, and
what would a rOomfUl Of our fashion,
able people think of his Polite Conver-
sation?' In some countries il IS shame
ful for women to show their faces but
the embargo's off as to-er-ankles,
whereas among ourselves the things
mixed. Fancy q lady III evening dress
I'm the street. It's all right to dress like
q ballet dancer. minus the skirts, IL
there's sand around and salt water in
sight. while the same girl would squeal
if caught indoors rugged out in the
same style. Algerian women'-
TO what does all this commonplace
teud?" inquired Professor jerks. yawn-
ing.
1T tends to take us back to the bust
ness men OF the middle ages" answered
Colonel EdgartOu. Dye suppose the
enterpr!sing noblemGn whom we choose
to call a robber baron, simply because
Ia. fo1f Of
moral turpitude when he went through
his regular routine of stopping boats
on the river md merchants on the road
to eXtOrt tOHc No more than I do
when I unload Hidden Treasure or
when my friends eminent in the world
Of speculation run Amalgama ted Cop
per up or down and squeeze the enemy.
40. sir: the more robbing the robbing
baron did the prouder ne was. and the
more he was thought Of by his rivals
and the respectable public If there
had been any newspapers in hi~ time,
and @ny one Of them had objected to
what he aid on moral grounds, it would
nave been denounced as yellow, and
lot Mt TO ne admitted to the home. In
no age is it respectable to assaH vested
interests.
when 7 was down in the Bahamas
last winter" the colonel went on. sun
nily ignoring the professors wandering
attention, 81 dug into the history of the
Islands some. ard reconstructed for
myself the gallant old buccaneers who
made Nassau their headquarters. 7
could picture the gaH~s ashore after
a cruise going i'm for wassail and MARIA
tive-comparing pirate captain with
pirate captain. and discussing their re-
spective methods in taking galleons
and dealing with captured crews and
passengers. I could fancy the thrilling
tale of how the great LATTE in climb
ing the side Of a merchant