The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-10-04

II did not know that he was looking
for me or I would have been more
cautious. only learned it afterward
when turned the gang up and land
ed seven of them in Sing Sing. After
leaving headquarters went TO Andy
| Mullen's. He spoke very pleasantly
| to ME and threw me completely of my
guard. We had a few drinks and then
| Red went out with several Of the
crooks. tried to find out If anything
was up, but could not. left Andy's
to go to my room about midnight.
had only gone a short distance when I
got terrific blow from sandbag. It
| was meant for the back of my neck.
| but the aim was bad and caught it
on the shoulder. Four Of them came
at me. The darkness was in my favor,
knives at my heart. got pretty we'll
bruised and battered. Help was out
of the question. At the first oppor-
tunity I ran like a deer and several
shots came after me.
"The next day We received report
|
jeweler named Bennett in London,
believed to have been committed by
American crooks. In the description
was the statement that one Of tho
thieves had the letter L on his right
hand. A boy who had been apprenticed
by old Bennett saw the men enter the
store and noticed that India ink mark
on the hand. The boy knew that old
Bennett had a lot of money in CHM
ney. This had been taken, and the
old man was found unconscious. He
could not tell what had happened. The
police kept the facts quiet as to the
evidence of assault on him, hoping
that the thieves would believe the
story which had been printed about
his miserly habits making him i'll.
! II was sent to London to look the
matter up. There learned that Jim
my Parsons had been mixed up in it,
in some way, though there was no evil
dence Of his actual participation in the
crime. Years before l had done Par
sons a favor when he got into trouble
| in New York. He had been arrested
for forgery. I proved that he was en-.
tirely innocent and cleared him.
went to see him and made myself
known. At first he was very reticent.
| I went to see him every day for
| week to urge him to explain how his
name had been brought into the Ben
nett robbery. When I gave him my
! word that | would protect him ne told
! me all he knew.
lie said the two crooks from New
! York had come to him With a load OF
diamonds, and he bought them. He
did not know who had been robbed, as
| it vas not his business to inquire.
They stayed around for a week and
| had spoken to him about old Benefits
| money. The robbery of Bennett oc-
Cured the next day and the thieves
| skipped.
parsons told me with tears rolling
down his cheeks how they had induced
his daughter Nellie to steal a bag OF
gold that he had in the safe and go
with them. IIe had thought at first
that she had only run away for little
change, and he tried to get the police
to find her. Then he got letter from
her saying that she had gone to Amer
lea With bis friends.
He denied all along that he knew
who the thieves We're. One day asked
him what the L. stood for. "He re-
piled Little in an absent-minded way.
felt like turning handspring for
IT k11~ To-
and then gave up all he knew. He
said the crooks were JEFF O'Nein and
Tim Little, and that they were In
New York.
Il came back on the first steamer,
we'll satisfied with my trip and feel
ing that sooner or later would bag
my game. During the time that had
lived with the thieves In the Fourth
ward I had been very friendly to a
supplemented fellow whose head had
been split open with an ak. used to
take him to my room to sleep. He
talked so much that I did not dare
ask him any questions. He was known
as Shiny Baker. fixed myself up in
good shape, went down to Water
street on hunt for Shiny, and got
him after two days. asked him
about lot OF the boys, and then care
lessly inquired If he knew Tim Little
and jeff O'Neill. He told me that he
had seen them that very day with Lit
ties wife, an English girl. This was
great news for me, and I stuck to
Shiny closer than brother. He took
me down to Madison street and point
ed out the house. notified headQuar.
ters and several detectives Joined me-
I'VE had the thieves, but to prove
it was the next thing. One Of Simp-
sons clerks identified Lttle's hand by
the L. They blutfed it out and might
have beaten the case if had not
sprung the Bennett robbery on them.
This brought them to turn, and they
agreed to plead guilty to the charge OF
robbery at Simpsons rather than face
the English complaint They got ten
years each.
Il sent Nellie Parsons home to her
father, and glad enough she was to
get back, 80 he told mo afterwards"
A HustIind Job.
IF 1 give you meal will you do
some work in the gareen?"