The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-08-12

1
wall, carrying along the savings of hun
dreds of Woodworking people He pulled
up in Callao Peru, with a good part OF
the bundle that he had lifted from the
bank.
81 had to work confidence game or
this measly thief, but that didn't bother
me any when L remembered the dirt that
he had done to so many poor people.
1 got in, and l more than laid myself out
to make a hit with the man and to gain
his confidence.
81 was meeting him at various places,
including his own house, two or three
times a day for perhaps a month, trying
to rig up some dead-fan for him-but
all the time in pretty hopeless frame
of mind over the situation, at that
when one day a United States man-o'-
war. a small gunboat of the old navy,
swung into the harbor of Callao. Her
| arrival gave me a sort Of straw 10
clutch-I didn't have much of an idea
! that the straw would bear my weight,
but I determined TO try It.
Let's go out and take a look at that
old government scow,' I said to the en-
bezzler scow,' I said TO the EN-
| bezzler in an offhand sort of a way a
few days after tn eman-o'-war got into
the Callao water.
p" Why, yes he replied. readily
| enough. to my surprise. I've never been
on board a wsrshIp-come ahead
We climbed into a gunboat that was
just about to start for the gunboat and
were soon being received by the officer
of the deck. who detailed petty officer
to show us about After ives sized up
the kinks of the ship. some of the watch
officers invited US into their mess room
for luncheon.
while the luncheon was going on
put up some kind of excuse to break
away for a minute and l went square TO
the cabin of the skipper-a bluff naval
officer of the old school, who died r. al
admiral-and in a few words L told him
all about the ornery thief who was feed
| ing in the mess room with his watch Of
| ficers. / knew the n-owar had only
dropped into CaIlao on her way to San
| Francisco.
4" That mean thief I said to the skip
per, is now on the deck of a United
| States warship, which is United States
territory. Take him up to San Francis
co on this ship-its the only way he'll
ever be corraned-and let me go along
so that l can pinch him in San Francisco
for fair
The commander of the gunboat shook
| his head some over this proposition, but
1 could see that he personally felt willing
to grab the embezzler at that. So 1
| pressed my edge and described the suf-
fering and misery and heartaches the
| thief had caused so many hard working
people.
- I'd like to take the scoundrel along
! said the skipper, but you know the reg
ulations-we're only permitted to give
asylum on board a man-o'-war to Amer
lean citizens in danger of distress in for
! eign ports; but he began to scratch his
chin and l kept AT him.
g III communicate by wire with the
department. he finally told me- and he
Immediately sat down and wrote some
dispatches. which he sent ashore by his
orderly, while 1 rejoined the watch Off
GERS in the mess room.
Luckily, one of those heavy South
American coast winds came up while We
were still in the mess room, kicking up
such sea that the skipper told US that
| it would be impossible for US to go ashore
until the blow was over. The embezzler
! looked nervous over this, but nothing
could be done, and the officers bunked US
in the ward room that night.
There was still a heavy wind blowing
out of clear skies on the following morn
| ing. and the only boat that the skipper
| would permit to be launched was the
| longboat. in which he sent his mail order
| ly after the ships mail and dispatches.
| The longboat returned with the orderly
after a few hours, and the skipper retired
to his cabin to read his dispatches
He emerged presently, said a word or
so to the officer of the deck, who looked
surprised, and then passed the word TO
| the bo'suns mate.
- All hands up anchor" bawled the
bo'sun5s mate after he had given long
\ blast on his pipe. and the skipper smiled
and nodded at me. He had made it stick
with the navy Department. never found
out just how.
The thief was the color of a towel and
trembling when he heard the bo-sun's
mates bawl
What's this?' he inquired hoarsely OF
me.
" oh. about fifteen or twenty years for
| you.' 1 told him.
He made shrek to the skipper. who
| told him TO pipe down II he didn't want
! to find himself in irons. After We reached
! San Francisco I lugged the thief across
the continent to New York. and later had
| the fun of conveying him up to Sing Sing
] for his tenner. regret 10 say that he had
a large portion OF his loot so planted that
he knew where to go after it when he got
| out and l heard not long ago that he
was living in comfort somewhere in Swift
/ zerland
The easiest man that I ever hobbled
! took in a little place in Egypt called
4 Ramleh-I think I've got the name of the
/ place right. He was wanted for a series
| OF bucket-shop swindles on a big scale.
I'VE heard that be was in Cairo-there
/ was no treaty with Egypt .either-and I
was sent 10 Cairo to see if there was any
/ kind Of bait he was liable to bite on But
he had left Cairo. and had gone 10 house
keeping-it was more Of bungalow than
a housewife couple of native servants
1 in the little Ramleh place.
I walked up the steps OF his bungalow
one afternoon with a story all arranged
with which to stuff him. He was sitting
| on the little verandah. tanning himself
smoking
- Hello. he knocked the wind out of
me by saying. you're New York detec-
tive and you re after rme All right III