The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1904-10-21
BROKEN SEAT REVEALS THIEF.

Detectives Long Quest Ends Success
fully Through Trivial Accident in a
Theater.
The breaking down Of a seat in
theater," remarked an old st. Louis de-
teetive the other day. sonce enabled me
! to get hold Of chap for whom had
been searching for several months. He
was thief on a somewhat heavy scale,
and he's still doing his bit in Joliet. He
was the confidential man of a big Chi
cago board Of trade operator, and he
made his jump with about sixty thou
sand dollars of his employers money.
The employer, for some reason or 9th
er, didn't report the defalcation for
nearly ten days, and this delay gave
the ernbezzler pretty good start.
1.-THE departing steamers on the east
and west coasts were, of course. COW
cred by wire as soon as the defalcation
was reported, but by that time the thief
had plenty Of chance to be almost as
far as Egypt. After a few days Of nos
ing around, got hold of enough to lead
me to believe that the chap had taken
to the west, and when got to Omaha I
was still more convinced of this 1t was
a pretty chilly train, however. although
I found marks Of it, after quitting Oma-
ha, at Cheyenne, Ogden, Salt Lake and
q lot Of other points along the line OF
the Union and Central Pacific.
| from Salt Lake went to San Fran
cisco, where the thief had relatives, and
it took a lot of time for me to watch
those relatives mail and the like. I
\ foS. M ftaNaa
months before became convinced that
1.-THE absconder had covered up his
tracks, and that there was no further
need of my hanging around San Fran
cisco l was about to double back to
Chicago, when got Al wire from the
lehief directing me to run up to Portland,
Ore, toslook upsanother Chicago thief
who was supposed to be in that town.
1 got this No. 2 fellow within twenty
four hours after my arrival In Portland,
land, as he consented to come back with
out requisition papers, I bought tickets
and arranged to start for Chicago with
him on the following day.
THAT night went to one Of the Port
land theaters The house was damned,
and so stood up and leaned on the rail
at the back. had seen the show in the
least. so it didn't amuse me particularly
and near the close of the second act 7
decided to go back to my hotel and put
in a big nights sleep in preparation for
1.-THE overland journey to begin on the
following day. Il was just turning to go
out, when there was a crash down In
front, followed by giggle.
II turned back and rubbered over the
Trail, and saw that the seat under a
Young fellow with a Van Dyke beard
had let him down. He didn't take 1t
Igood naturally, but came up the aisle
scowling, Out Of habit, looked at him
closely, when saw a small red mark
on his white forehead, a birthmark not
unlike an acorn in shape / felt a little
lexcited underneath my vest. That
acorn mark was the distinguishing
identification mark OF the. fellow for
whom had set out from Chicago seve-
raj months before. But he had a beard,
this chap coming down the aisle with
the angry seoWl ON his face, whereas my
man had always been smooth faced
His height and build, however, corvres-
ponded with my description of him, and
so l determined to take a chance. fol-
lowed him out Into the lobby Of the the
ater, and as he was buttoning up his
ovvercoat placed my hand on his
shoulder and said: Hello, Burdock-
Didn't hurt you much, hope?"
.Burdock-that's close enough to his
name wheeled upon me like a man who
thinks trolley car is only four feet be
hind him and coming at full speed, and
the pallor Of his countenance convinced
me that I had the boy all right, even
before he spoke. But what he said gave
him away.
4 Who told you my name was Bur-
dock?" he faltered, getting paler all the
time.