The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-12-27
Foolish Trifles by Which Thieves
Betray Themselves to the Police
Veteran Officer Tells Of Peculiar Clues by Which Negro Grim
inals Have Been Caught-How Parker Gang Was Broken
Up-stable odor Puts s]euths on Coachman's Trail.

had done tho work. We looked up a
coachman formerly In Mrs. Hornsby's
service, and Y him to h%cadquar-
tiers. We charged him with the rob
berry. but he denied it. We really had
no doubt after IL tirs, talk with him
that he was the guilty party. hut re-
allied II would be foolish tn lock him
up. Confident hat he would some day
play into our hands. va arrested and
DISCHARGED him in all five times.
"Finally. weeks after the robbery.
sure enough, he came across. He gave
Il diamond worth at least $1,000 to
another negro. apparently to dispose
of 1t. Instead, the latter dropped IN
on n craps game and took IL hand. lie.
too. Went broke. and borrowed so
cents on this 1000 stone. We got a
tip ahou this also, and looked up the
man who had the diamond. He told
us who had given it 4" him, and that
party accused the former coachman.
Il went right after the roachman
and demanded the rest of the jewelry.
He held out unit i showed him the
stone that had been pledged i'll the
craps room. lie tn, n caNcd in COM
plctcly, nj led ME to a big livery
stable. followed him to the very
top Of the buildins. and he showed
me a small tin lard bucket hanging
w among the rafterS.
"'Dey'se in dar,' II. said. l climbed
up and got the bucket. and sure
enough. everything except the II
stone was in it. Re < got a long
term at Atlanta for that job.
Betrayed by Borrowed shovel.
About twelve years ago ahout 100
boxes of cigars wer. stolen from IL sa-
loon in the northwest. This. also,
lnnk nH like :, nakrrn ,,l, ly,S V.., W-cra
up Il tree for sever! days. Finally.
II of the two egrur who commit
ted the robbery borrowed a shovel
from his victim. Tho ~Saloonkeeper
told us ahout it. ami. although there
seemed to be no Significance attached
to this borrowing, l decided to watch
this man.
For several evenings he and a
number Of others hung around a va
cant lot in the rear "f Il tumble-down
brick house In NJ street. near North
Capitol street northwest. once or
twice l saw them enter the yard Of
the vacant house and emerge after a
while. all smoking cigars. The next
day l went into tn" cellar and dug
UP several full boxes of cigars. That
evening another officer and / waited
in the same cellar until two negroes
nj in for another smoke. They had
paved the cellar with the cigar boxes,
e~Nrarattng with their victims shovel.
We arrested them, and they admitted
the theft. We recovered practically
all the cigars that were stolen.
Only about a Year ago a negro
named Davis stole a satchel containing
$500 worth of jewelry from a Balti-
more woman, who roomed up in Six
tenth street. This thief worked on
the premises. We watched him for
several days, and finally caught him
paying frequent visits to an old ash
"a that sat In the cellarway. Finally.
We inspected the car and in the bot
tom we found all the missing iewelry.
with garbage and ashes.
Sever or eight years ago a darky
ran out of a Pennsylvania avenue jew
elrN store with a 2-carat diamond.
We got a Yer. good description of
this thief from the jeweler. and. after
a while. arrested a man we thought It
fitted pretty we'll. But the teweler
was not quite positive enough in his
identification, SO we decided to hold
OFF and wait developments. The thief
too smart to try to SELL or pawn
1t. but was crazy enough at last to
sport 1t on his finger at several negro
society dances. One of his friends
tipped us off. and We arrested him.
He swallowed the big sparkler, and
W" took him to headquarters. We
called in a physician who administer
ed a powerful emetic, and up came
the ring