The daily Alaskan., 1905-10-20
Set a Thief to
 Catch a Thief
IOrigtnaLl

months of inCessant labor. Having made a great reputation on 1t and a good deal of money in hunting down the robbers of the Arlington bank, re covering all the funds taken, resolved to have a rest. An ocean liner took me to England, and l found myself in London and was seeing the sights when I was astonished to receive a request to call at once at the American en- | bassy. On my arrival there l was ushered Into the minister's private or fee. where he was closctcd with one other person, q young man who seemed very much worried.
 MT. Ruff" he suId, q happened to see In your name among American ar rivals the man who managed the Ar llugton bank case at home, in which h. stitution I am q director. It Is absO- | lutely necessary thut y0u give me your services. This Is Mir. Ogden kemble, a messenger of the state department at Washington, who has recently arrived with dispatches for our minister at Berlin. On the voyage he was ricked out of the dispatches, and they are In possession of a man who holds them for an enormous ransom. If not paid he will deliver them to the German Of | fclal In whose hands they will do the most harm. He is awaiting our reply to his demand at Dover. Go there at once, and while am pretending to con
 s,der the matter of submitting to | blackmail make an effort to recover tie papers"
 I took m afternoon train for Dover, and on arriving went straight to the hotel where the thief stopped und reg,
 lstered an assumed name.
 The thief was registered as Nelson | Eearuey from Chicago, l found hIm drrlng the evening In the billiard room
 of the hotel smoking. l took a seat be, s,le him and looked as he was looking
 at the players. I knew that he was l killing time while he waited for word | from London, and kept up a yNwulng as though I was a time killer myself l This brought me Into conversation with him, though this was not with a view
 to further intimacy, for while sitting l by htm I accomplished all 1 wished.
 was about to get up from my chair and | gl away when he asked me if ] would | Ike to play a game of billiards. In | twinkling I made up my mind that he
 would try to work me for money with which to pay his expenses while walt
 ing to make his big haul for the papers | So I consented to play billiards; but ! proving inexpert at the game, he soon l tired of playing with me and proposed | cards. I assented, and we went into d
 small room and sat down 10 a card ta b!e. l waited for him to propose a
 small stake and knew that this would
 be the proper time for me to spring my game. He did as I expected. Putting
 my hand Into my pocket to take out my pocketbook, I paused with the air of
 one frightened. rummagel all my Oth
 CT pockets; then, arising from the ta,
 ble, I barred the egress and called out ] T Olltt. ut lNAklbLA Nt-lAE AAIAttls <
 in, and, pointing to Eearney. l said: Landlord, when I came from home
 was told that your house wus respect,
 able. I haven't been In 1t 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 l looked for my pock- | stbook 1t was gone Call a policeman l I feigned to be terribly aggrieved and | talked "CoCkney" so fast as scarcely to be understood. Kcarney looked at me coutemptuously and said:
 You fool farmer, I haven't got your
 money"
 T think" I replied hotly, you must be an American trickster. They say Americans are awful sharpers."
 The landlord was about to send for
 the police when Kearney, not rellshlng such attention concentrated upon him
 self at time when he was working n | big game, begged the landlord to satls- | fy himself of hls innocence by search | ing him. The landlord consented, not
 wishing for a scandal in his house, and
 In the skirt pocket of KCarney's coat found my poCketbOok. I identified It by telling him before 1t was opened the exact amount of money there was In 1t, besides other articles. had slipped 1t In Kearney's pocket while sitting be- side him in the billiard room. Eearney looked at me astOulshed and for the first time suspected me to be some thing more than a British farmer.
 stormed at the landlord, who wished me to hush the matter up and be satisfied with the return Of my pocketboOk, 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 I 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 chambcrmaId came along and I asked her to let me in, dropping a half crown into her hand. She com piled, and, closing the door behind me, In a few momtnts I had my nippers on Kearney's valise, where I found the documents. l took only time to com pare them with my list, then ran down stairs by q back stairway and left the hotel, leaving Mir Kearney, or what ever his name might be. to get out of