Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-08-12
DAILY SHORT STORIES
A SLIPPERY
SCOUNDREL
BY c. l. PIONEER
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.
BY c. l. PIONEER

ing To do. Unemployed people arc irf
clincd TO lie garrulous, and the Scr
geant talked stream.
The slickest pair. he said, | even
came across were Darby and williams
They used to play confidence games TO.
gether, and they did them so NATURAL,
that they could take In police In
'spector as easily as countryman.
Darby used to do the work, while Will
liams would play confederate. We OF
the police were on to them, but when
we got them the difficulty wns to prove
anything against them.
Their villainies became so frequent
that we determined to lay trap for
them. We started farmer down
among their moorings, and, as we ex-
pected, he fell afoul OF them They
took marked ten dollar bill from him
lat least, Darby debut managed to
get rid OF II before we could catch him.
Nevertheless we had strong case
IL we could prove his record
On the day OF the trial, just as we
We're filling up the last two or three
men on the jury, a gentleman OF evi.
dent responsibility appeared and said
he had been summoned to serve. He
would like, II he must serve, TO do SO
MT once since he was expected TO at
tend the funeral Of near relative
within few hours. The Judge, glad
to get such man on jury duty, closed
matters up, Mr.. Worthington-that was
the gentleman's name-being the last
man chosen.
We knew that Darby had served q
term at the penitentiary and that one
or the physical characteristics noted
on Its records was that his girls name,
Agnes" had been tattooed OH his
right forearm. We brought our farm
or to tell his story as 30 how he had
been bunkoed. but Darby, who had a
way OF changing his expression, con-
fused the witness, and he wouldn't
swear that he was the rascal. But
If we could prove that the man who
had swindled him was Darby we were
sure OF a conviction.
The prisoner was instructed to take
of his coat and roll up his sleeve on
his right arm. He did so, and we
were disappointed at not seeing a tat
too. Fancying we had been mEin-
formed and that the letters might be
on the left arm. he was ordered to roll
up his left sleeve. There were no9Iet.;
tiers on that arm either. Thus far he;
had foiled us. In some way he had
got rid OF the tattoo The next step
was to prove, II possible, that the man,
had been tattooed. A medico-legal ex-,
pert was called in, who applied strong
friction to the prisoners arm. This.
had the effect to bring out white lines
with slight blush tint These lines.
were letters and spelled the word
Agnes"
Having brought circumstantIal evil
dence, though II was weak, 10 Prove
that the prisoner was the man who
had swindled the farmer, this proof
that he was an ex-convict made
case so strong against Darby that we
did not doubt that we would get rid
of his pranks for at least the period
of another term in state prison. Our
only regret was that we couldn't send
his partner, Williams, with him But
Williams had given us the slip. and,
though we sought for him everywhere,
we couldn't find him. You see, we
had evidence connecting him with
Darby that we had never had before
and, having the desdwood on one of
them. we would have no difficulty OF
convicting the other.
The Judge virtually give the jury In
structions to convict Darby, and some
of us expected they would do Il with
out leaving their seats. The foreman
held a brief consultation with the 9TH
er eleven before retiring, but there
seemed TO be opposition somewhere
among them-we couldn't tell where
to bringing in a verdict that way, and
they got up and filed out OF the court.
room.
1 waited around for half an hour to
make sure that we'd got Mr.. Darby
where we wanted him. but the jury
didn't come back. Then ! waited an
other half hour, feeling certain that Il
wouldn't require more than an hour
10 settle the case OF a man who had
been proved to be such an arrant ras-
chi but sixty minutes didn't serve the
purpose. i fell TO thinking OF Mr..
Worthington, the gentleman who ex-
pccted 10 get through in time 90 attend
the funeral OF his relative. The delay
must be very aggravatlng TO him. In
deed. 1t was now past the time for the
furcral-that is, Judging from what ne
had SAID about II.
Well, 7 waited till dark. Then, being
hungry, ] took more interest I'm my
supper than the conviction OF Darby
and went home TO get something 20
eat After supper / went back TO the
courtroom. The jury was still. out.
At 10 o'clock the foreman sent word
TO thc Judge that they couldn't agree.
The Judge sent back word that they
must agree. At midnight he sent IN
again TO ask what was the prospect Of
a verdict, and they assured him that
owing TO the obstinacy Of one. man
there was no hope OF verdict except