The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-08
TIE EVENING STORY
Sci q 1g1ief to catch q Tihief.

Set a Thief to Catch Thief.
I was worn out with the PIimpton
murder case, at which I had spent
months of incessant labor. Having
good deal of money in hunting down
the robbers of the Arlington bank, re-
covering all the funds taken, re-
solved to have q rest. An ocean liner
self in London and was seeing the
sights when I was astonished to re-
celve request to cali at once at the
American embassy On my arrival
there was ushered into the minister's
private office, 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 VINO managed the Ar
lingtoa bank case at home, in which
institution l am a director. 1t is abso-
iutely necessary that you give me your
services. This is Mr.. 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 tricked
| out of the dispatches, and they are in
| possession of man who holds them
for an enormous ransom. If not paid
he will deliver them to the German Of
! fetal 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 I am pretending to
consider the matter of submitting to
| blackmail make an effort to recover
| the papers"
| I 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. I found him
during the evening in the billiard room
of the hotel smoking. I took a seat
! beside him and looked as he was look
| ing at the players. I knew that he
was killing time while he waited for
word from London, and / kept up a
yawning as though I was a time killer
myself. This brought me into CONVEX
sation with him, though this was not
with a view to further intimacy for
while sitting by him I accomplished
all I wished 1 was about to get up
from my chair and go away when he
asked me if I 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 waiting to
make his big haul for the papers. So
! I consented to play billiards; but,
proving inexpert at the game, he soon
| tired of playing with me and proposed
cards I assented, and we went into a
small room and sat down to a card
table. I waited for him to propose q
small stake and knew that this would
be the proper time for me to sprin g
my game. He did as I expected. Put
ting my hand into my pocket to take
out my pocketbook. I paused with the
air CT one frightened, rufnmaged all
my other pockets; then, arising from
the table, [ barred the egress and
called out. .'Policei'' The landlord
came running in, and, pointing to
Kearney, I said:
| Landlord. when I 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 pock-
etbook it was gone. Call policeman.
| I feigned to be terribly aggTieved and
| talked "Cockney'' SO fast as scarcely to
be understood. Kearney looked at me
contemptuously and said:
| "You fool farmer, 1 haven't got your
money!
Il think" I replied hot1y, 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 time when he working big
game begged the landlord to satisfy
/ himself of his innocence by searching
him. The landlord consented. not wish
ing for a scandal in his house, and in
the skirt pocket of kearney's- coat
found my pocketbook I identified it
nv telling him before it was opened the
4
besides other articles. ] had slipped it
| in Kearney's pocket while sitting be-
side him in the billiard room. Kearney
looked at me astonished and for the
first time suspected me to be some
thing more than British farmer.
| I storned at the landlord, VINO
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 I had the satisfac-
ton of seeing Kearney marehed to the
| station. AS soon as he was gone 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 I 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 had my nippers on
| Kearney's valise, where I found the
documents. I took only time to COM
pare them with my list, then ran
downstairs by a back stairway and left
the hotel. leaving Mr.. kearney, or
whatever his name might be, to get
out of the scrape as best he could
| AT midnight I boarded a train for
London. but did not think it safe to &c
as an English farmer. 1 was an IN
firm. bearded Frenchnnan just across
fine channel from Calais. The next
morning delivered the papers to the
minister. who received them with sur
nrise and delight. When he told me
that he considered my feat something
remarkable, I replied that it had been
dead easy The thief of the papers
vas was q clerk in the state department
without any of a thief's experience.
0. NORMAN EDDY.
POINTED PARAGRAPHS
fIFroun the Chicago News.1
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