The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1907-09-25
WHEN PINKERT0N BIT.
Hoax Played by College Youths on the
Famous Detective.

Hoax Played by College Youths on the
Famous Detective.
Possessing a keen sense OF humor,
the late Robert A. Pinkerton, the IA
nous detective, loved a joke and did
not hesitate to tell a story on himself,
says the New York Tribune. Short
ly before he sailed for Europe from
New York he related this tale of
hoax played on him by four young
men who were fellow passengers on
train from Chicago:
my attention was attracted TO the
| quartet In the smoking compartment
Of the Pullman" said Mr.. Pinkerton.
because three of them were carefully
pouring the drinks which they took
from a quart bottle into the cuspidor
when the fourth was not looking
This fourth fellow had a great deal
Of valuable jewelry about his person
and was obviously very drunk. l
watched their maneuvers quietly for
some time.
FINALLY to my surprise and indlgna-
ton l saw one Of them take a vial
from his pocket and pour ten drops in
to the drink which was intended for
the chap with the jewelry. 1t was the
most brazen and daring case of knock
out drops l had ever encountered.
Now, you might suppose that 1t was
up to me right then to cut In, but it
wasn't. A man can't get the full pun
ishment for knockout drops until they
have actually been administered. So
kept my hand out of the business
until l could see the end Of the play.
1.-THE youth who had handled the
vial handed the doped drink to the
intoxicated chap, who drank it greed
fly. Then he gradually sank into a
stupOr, yielding to the effects of the
drug His mouth hung open and he
was helpless. Then the three actually
began to strip their victim Of the jew
elry.
II reached the door Of the smoking
compartment I'm three jumps.
pretty coarse work, sons / said,
just showing them the gun l had in
my hands, but not leveling it at them.
4 am surprised that you are so foolish
as to think that you can get away
with the goods in such fashion. My
name is Pinkerton, and The three of
you can consider yourselves under
arrest
THE young fellow who was being
robbed slumbered on with his mouth
wide open. and the other three looked
terribly alarmed. Their faces got red.
and they began to reproach each other.
81 told you he was Pinkerton,' one
OF them said bitterly.
Even if Pinkerton wasn't on the
train we ought to have known better
moaned the second youth.
"What are you going to do with
usY demanded the third.
81 am going to take the lot of you
to jail at the next stop l said. and
l can give it to you pretty straight
that you are I'm a whole lot of trouble
"Then the unconscious victim could
hold in no longer. He jumped up and
let out roar, then he fell back in his
seat and fairly shook with laughter.
The other three likewise toppled into
their chairs and moaned with Joy.
well. ii didn't need a rear end col
lision to make me see how these four
young reprobates had fooled me.
They offered me a drink out Of the
quart bottle, which contained nothing !
worse than tea which the porter had |
secured for them in the dining car. |
The user Of the knockout drops drain |
ed the vial before my e"eS. remark |
ing. with a smile. that he had never |
tasted better spring water in his lie. |
They We're four college youths who
recognized me from pictures which |
they had seen in the papers and tie
fixed up the joke on me. l bit and
bit hard. | didn't say a word. but
silently conducted them TO the buffet
car and told them Il was all on me-"