The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1905-12-30

His family. neighbors and friends
, supposed that all these years he was 8
} United States detective, and after
! hearing the wonderful experiences he
related of numerous hair-breadth es
!, capes in capturing moonshiners. coun'
, terfeiters and other law breakers they
regarded him as man Of extraordin-
t.-y ability.
Frequently he would leave home
} after providing his family with every
comfort of life, and remain away two
and three months without writing q
word
!, He had been arrested over 20 times
during the Is years. had Teen dis
charged IA times without a fine; had
been fined two or three dollars AMI
costs about 30 times; was fined $40 and
SIS and costs on two charges, and had
been sentenced to ten days In jail on
one occasion and 80 days on another.
This was his graft. In selecting old
gold frames he picked out those OF the
llghtest weight. for as he always pur-
chased them by weight the lighter
the frames the less they cost him. He
never took the precauticn to clean
them up, preferriny that they have the
| appearance of having been worn for
some time. He then went to lens
manufacturer and purchased all the
culls or seconds and thirds of about
the same retroactive power as he him.
self wore for reading and close work.
In each of the solid gold frames no
put a pair OF these cheap lenses.
The frames cost about 10 cents each:
the cost of lenses did not exceed 60
cents per dozen pair. which made the
entire cost of each pair of spectac.es
about so cents.
A town of any size could be worked
on his graft. but he found that cities
ranging in population from 10000 to
$4,000 were the most profitable On
arriving at a town he dCnled an old,
well-worn painters blouse. In select
ing victim he chose man about his
own age, possibly grocer, or the pro-
prietor of a meat market.
Calling upon his man he explained
that he was painter by trade. and
had Just arrived in the town with
view to looking up job. On going to
the post Office he said he had received
news frcm his wife that his mother
was at the point of death and wanted
him to hurry home. Then he took
pair Of s2eciacles from his pocket.
II am here almost stranded" he
continued, land | am nearly frantic
to reach my mothers bedside. II will
cost me five dollars to get home, and
If you will let me have that amount
on my spectacles, will send you six
dollars as soon as get home, and you
can return them to-. me. They are
solid gold. and cost me SIC when new.
OF course am stranger to you. and
perhaps you are no judge of the quail
ity of such frames. but to show that
am honest ! will leave them with you.
and return this afternoon. as my train
does not leave until evening. This
will give you plenty Of time to take
them to some jeweler who can tel!
whether or not they are solid gold
II you will help me out. I will have
the six dollars back here inside OF two
days"
After planting" this pair. as he
| termed 1t. he Immediately started for
the other side of the town and plant
ed" another pair with some business
man on the same proposition. Before
rounding up" he planted on an aver
age four pairs in each town.
Toward evening he made his "round
up and either got back the spectacles
or borrowed anywhere from three to
five dollars.
When asked how II happened that
he had been arrested so many times
he laughed and explained that the
greatest trouble he had was, that most
invariably every man with whom he
planted" a pair would take them to
the best jeweler in town. This fact
often led to unpleasantness and II was
always hard to explain matters.
IL was not an uncommon thing for
him to call upon some man on his
"round up" and find him ready to call
an officer.
When caught he found that the hest
way was to look bis man squarely In
the eye and say:
This is my way of doing business:
you have yours. At any rate, no
reputable Jew eler in this town can say
that in any way mIsrepresented these
glasses when told you that they were
solid gold. There is no law to CON-
pei you to loan me Ave dollars and
no law to prevent me from asking you
for loan, so what's going to he done
about it,
He said that he found this plan much
better than to cringe and attempt an
apology or explanation.
The last time saw this old graft
err" whisky had gotten the better OF
him and he was nearing the end Of his
career.
More Than Chair.
When Prof. Eliot, of Harvard, was
| ,o,r,og IN tho pacffic coaet he ytsited