Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-03-08
Foxy Mr.. Bla Ike.

AsOOn WIEN Athn came I'D az the gate
with a lawn sprinkler A few mo-
ments later he was trying 10 sen me
one, declaring that it had a patent
ball valve
"Get out Of these premises "a ouiek.
" as possible" said, "or IN help
you"
The man, abashed, turned 10 60. He
had not got far before / called him
back and apologized for my harshness.
handed him cigar, asked him to be
seated. and told him the following
story:
Il am a retired railroad detecfive
Railroads are good pay. and / was
successful in hunting train robbers
and other pilferers, thus regaining for
them number Of considerable sums
of money. My bonuses made me com
Portable, and a part Of them are in
this house and grounds.
II am going to tell You about the
last case / ever handled. 1 was at
work at the time for the v. l.. and \.
railroad. They wanted a man of the
name of Charles Blake for getting
away with 100000. My reward was
to be $4,000 If caught him and Sc
cured the return OF the money.
tracked Blake into the Rocky noun
tains and arrested him. He was sensI-
BILE and knew his own interests. He
told me that he would willingly 90
with me and would return every cent
he had stolen, relying on the company
not to prosecute him.
II assured him that what the com
pany wanted was the money and
promised him immunity. He was nm
educated and refined man and insisted
that he be not subjected to the igno.
miny Of riding handcunfed. Since no
was a puny little fellow that couId
swing around my head by one leg and
saw no reason why he should be
oVeranxious to contend with me, as
scented. he sat by me apparently as
my friend, and no one knew that he
was my prisoner.
It's a long journey from the Rock
les to Chicago, where was taking
him, and was glad to have some one
to talk to. Blake was very INTELLIGENT
and entertaining. He was an engineer
and had worked at his profession on
many roads for which had done de-
tective work. After the present dis
agreeable matter was settled IN he
had scheme on hand by which he
could make ten times the amount
which he had stolen. He had invented |
a railroad self acting switch which
could never send train awry. He ex- |
planned 1t to me. making drawings of !
1t ON the back Of an old letter. and | |
confess was delighted with the mans |
ingenuity.
What puzzled me was why a man |
with so much ability should have Dut
himself In the way to spend most of |
his life in state prison. If he had only
applied one-tenth Of the ingenuity he /
mad exerted in his scheme OF robbery
70 any honest purpose he might have
been eminently successful. said as
much to him. and he said he knew it."
Before we reached the Mississippi
river was in complete sympathy with
my prisoner and congratulating myself
upon the approaching acquisition of
$4,000 The afternoon before we were
20 reach Chicago he told me about an
air pump he had invented, offering the
whole thing to me If would take out
fhe patent and sell the rights. After I
bad established 1t could give him an
interest or not. as liked. Az for him
pc proposed to give all his attention to
his railroad switch. Naturally / was
nterested and was quite absorbed In
ne principle Of his pump, which he
Explained to me-
There is a ball valve to it, he
aid, the ball lying in a socket, and
ne greater the air pressure behind It
be tighter It holds. It's like this
Twisting the letter on which he had
Pawn his switch into a cornucopia.
dropped paper wad into the large
"a, and it sank at once into the small
nd- When blow he said. syouu
that the wad stays right where it
de put the small end into his
outh and pointed the cornucopia at
eyes and within foot of nv face.
ben he blew.
was looking to see the working of
e bali valve when | suddenly felt
flames of Tophet in my eyes. in
nose, In my mouth, in airy crevice
zen to them. As for seeing anything. /
rs blind as bat. and the pain In INV
res was excruciating. Ny nostrils
ID the roof Of my mouth were on
e- The fellow had blown red pepper I
my face.
WINE was gasping, suffering.
mg 10 wipe away the pepper. the
scaI ran to the car door. shouting.
y friend has got ut; Pm going for
lp.' The train was moving some 4
Fenty miles an hour, but he found a
assy slope. on to which BIZ jumped {
ID made good his escape.
The episode marked my retirement (
ON the detective service. hadn't
lace TO report the matter to my
nployers. but instead sent a my res
nation You may imagine. my dear
what 1t cost me to have a man I
me TO me to sell me any eontrivance I