Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-08-09

N1N NOOAB oAo alta
asked to see Mr.. Bentley If he was at
home and Mrs. Bentley II he was not
at home. Mrs. Bentley went down into
the hall where the man was waiting.
g, I'm a constable, ma'am, and have
been sent by the court to make a
search for certain papers required In
the cas- of Perkins versus Bentley"
Throwing back his coat, he showed a
badge, then took a paper from his
pocket, which he presented as a search
warrant. Mrs. Bentley knew nothing
of the badge and was not sufficiently
yersed In court procedure to discover
If the search warrant was In form. She
knew that her husband was being sued
by his ~ex-partner in business, and she
considered the said ~ex-partner q ras-
cal. She gave no thought to the gen.
uineness Of the warrant. She concen-
trated her mind upon the problem of
circumyenting the search. Her hus-
band had told her to keep the papers
In question where they would not be
readily found, since it was important
for his own side of the suit that they
be not produced In court except upon
the choosing of his own counsel.
please wait a moment" she said
and turned to go into the library, when
the man stopped her.
II can't let you go and hide the pa
pers," he said.
VERY well. l merely wish to con-
suit my brother" Then, calling
"Will!" a young man of serious and
intellectual mien appeared. Mrs.
BENTLEY told him Of the search war
rant. He examined it, pronounced II
an order from the court and, taking his
sister aside, warned her not to refuse
the man permission to make the search,
since she might render herself liable
to severe punishment II she did-per-
haps Imprisonment.
~ don't believe he's an officer of the
court at ALL" said Mrs. Bentley.
"Why not?'' asked her brother.
well, l don't know. His nose Is
crooked, and there is a cast In his eye"
That's a pretty reason. Do as you
please. but IL you get imprisoned for
contempt of court don't blame me-.
81 won't" said Mrs. Bentley.
Mrs. Bentley told the constable to
make the search. He went upstairs,
she following. When he entered a bed
room to search it he ordered her to re-
main outside in such commanding
tones that she obeyed. Finally he
came to a closet wherein was kept tho
family silver not in use. An iron door
had been put In to make it doubly safe.
1t was locked. The man demanded
the key. Mrs. Bentley produced 1t.
The man opened the door and went
inside. Mrs. Bentley closed 1t and
turned the key. Then she went down
stairs ara told her brother what she
had done.
He informed her that she had GER
tainly been guilty of contempt OF
court. Mrs. Bentley, without needing
him, went to the telephone, called up
her husband and told him what she
had done. Mr.. Bentley telephoned his
lawyer, and the lawyer telephoned the
clerk Of the court, but found no n
who knew anything about the search
warrant.
II thought he was a fraud" said
Mrs. Bentley to her husband over the
phone.
"Why so2"
At don't know. I didn't like the looks
of his nose, and he squints."
She heard laughter through the re-
ceiyer.
"Well." said Mr.. Bentley, keep him
where he is, and I'll come right up.
III bring a policeman"
Mr.. Bentley soon appeared with a
genuine cop. They all went to the
closet and unlocked the door, and out
stepped the constable. ~
"My eyer exclaimed the cop. IF it
isn't Joe Green, alias Tom Dugan,
alias several other names"
81 told you So" said Mrs. Bentley.
Look at his pockets said the cop.
They were bullying with the Jewelry
Mr.. Green had picked up while in the
bedrooms. You didn't know him for
what he is, did you, ma'amT'
"No, but / didn't believe he was
what he pretended to be-"
"Why not?"
"Don't you see," Mr.. Bentley put in,
'that his nose isn't straight and he's
cross eyed. That's how she spotted
him. She's no good for logic, but she
hits right conclusions"
Mr.. Green was removed to the sta
ton house, where he explained that he
had seer In the morning paper that
there was a dispute about certain doc
uments in the case OF Perkins versus
Bentley, and 1t had occurred to him
that the circumstance furnished q
chance for a stroke OF genius. Hav.
ing had a great deal TO do with courts
Though they were the criminal courts,
he knew enough to perpetrate the
fraud. Possessing himself of a blank
search warrant, he Allied 1t up himself,
and, borrowing a areman's badge,
he considered himself well equipped
to play the part of constable. II was
only Mrs. Bcntley's peculiar method of
determining the difference between q
thief and a constable that spoiled his
game.
Mr.. B~entley's brother, who had pro
nounced the search warrant genuine,
became a lawyer. Mr.. Bentley always
insisted that Mrs. Bentley could tell
more about law by the twist in a
mans nose and a cast In his eye than
her brother could tell by a legal docu-
rnnnnA