Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-08-16
Set a Thief to
Catch a Thief
[Original.l


the robbers of the Arlington bank, re-
covering all the funds taken, resolved
to have rest. An ocean liner took me
to England, and / found myself in
London and was seeing the sights when
| was astonished to receive a request
to call at once at the American en-
bassy. On my arrival there | was
ushered into the minister's private Of
fee, where he was closeted with one
other person, young man who seemed
very much worried.
"Mr. Ruff" he said, 81 happened to
see in your name among American ar
rivals the man who managed the Ar
IingtOn bank case at home, in which i'll
stitution | am a director. 1t is abso-
lutely necessary that you give me your
services. This is Mr. Ogden Kemble,
messenger of the state department at
Washington, who has recently arrived
with dispatches for our minister a;
Berlin. On the voyage he was tricke1
out Of the dispatches, and they are ii
possession of a man who holds them
he will deliver them to the German of
fetal in whose hands they will do the
most harm. He is awaiting our repl5
to his demand at Dover. Go there a.
once, and while am pretending to con
slider the matter of submitting tC
blackmail make an effort to recover
the papers"
| took an afternoon train for Dover
and on arriving went straight to the
hotel where the thief stopped and reg
istered an assumed name.
The thief was registered as Nelson
Kearney from Chicago. | found him
during the evening in the billiard room
of the hotel smoking. ! took seat be
side him and looked as he was looking
at the players. l knew that he wa
killing time While he waited for wore
from London, and kept up yawnine
as though | was time killer myself.
This brought me into conversation with
him, though this was not with view
to further intimacy, for while sitting
by him | accomplished all wished. /
was about to get up from my chair and
go away when he asked me If l would
like to play game of billiards. In
twinkling | made up my mind that he
would try to work me for money with
which to pay his expenses while wait
ing to make his big haul for the papers
So l consented to play billiards; but,
proving inexpert at the game, he soon
Of Mo with nd
cards. | assented, and we went into
small room and sat down to a card ia
ble l waited for him to propose q
small stake and knew that this would
be the proper time for me to spring my
game. He did as | expected. Putting
my hand into my pocket to take out my
pocketbook, l paused with the air Of
one frightened, rummaged all my 9th
er pockets; then, arising from the ia
BILE, barred the egress and called out,
"Policew The landlord came running
in, and, pointing to Kearney, said:
Landlord, when 1 came from home
was told that your house was respect
able. I haven't been in it two hours
before I've been robbed This man pro
posed to play billiards with me, then
cards. At last he proposed to play for
money, and when looked for my peck
etbook it was gone Call policeman"
1 feigned to be terribly aggrieved and
talked "Cockney" SO fast as scarcely to
be understood. Kearney looked at me
contemptuously and said:
"You fool farmer, I haven't got your
money"
II think" 1 replied holly, you must
be an American trickster. They say
Americans are awful sharpers."
The landlord was about to send for
the police when Kearney, not relishing
such attention concentrated upon him
self at a time when he was working q
big game, begged the landlord to salts
fy himself Of his innocence by search
ing him. The landlord consented, not
wishing for scandal in his house, and
in the skirt pocket of Kearney's coat
found my pocketbOok. I identified 1t
by telling him before 1t was opened the
exact amount Of money there was in
it, besides other articles. had Slipped
IL Ill Mccartney pOChcC Willie SlIlluS Ue-
side him in the billiard room. Kearney
looked at me astonished and for the
first time suspected me to be some
thing more than a British farmer.
I stormed at the landlord, who
wished me to hush the matter up and
be satisfied with the return of my
peck etbook, till he was forced to call
in the police, and had the satisfaction
of seeing Kearney marched to the sta
ton. AS soon as he was gone l went
to his room, the number of which I
had carefully noted on the register.
and was about to use my lock picker
when the chambermaid came along
and l asked her to let me in, dropping
| a half crown into her hand. She COM
piled, and, closing the door behind me,
| in few moments l had my nippers
on Kearney's valise, where found the
| documents l took only time to com
pare them with my list, then ran down
stairs by a back stairway and left the
~ hot