The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-11-22
"PEG" FOSTERS STORY.

when Denny died." said Peg, Il
thought that l had enough Of living on
the run all the time. made up my
mind to settle down and live pretty
straight. I never had been pinched
but once. l got out Of that scrape by
an alibi, so that had a clean record.
But the way you bend a tree 1t Is
bound to grow, and it was not long be-
fore l doubled up with Alec Foster,
who is now in his grave because he
would not listen to me. Alec was
always reckless l tell you the only
thing that will keep some men In the
traces Is woman.
when I went in with Alec he was
doing the hotels and doing them we'll.
Then he got it into his fiery head he
had red hair-that his particular busi-
ness would be very much better If he
had woman with him. I was willing
to do anything and as it was summer.
We started out to do the seaside re-
sorts in style. Did you ever see Alec ?
WE'LL you remember that he was about
as distinguished-look a fellow as
you would meet in a days travel.
Whom we went into a swell hotel ard
registered under some military title,
you can bet that it went every time.
Alec could fool the best of them, and I
was not so very slow myself.
1T was a part Of my duty to get on
very friendly terms with the women
in the hotels. Alec would do the
same with the men. by keeping our
eyes open we would pick out the
rooms it would pay us to make visit
for professional purposes at such
times as might be COnvenient> After
we had got the game we'll planted we
would wait until some transient guest
arrived. 1t was usually dead easy
work. Hotels at watering places were
deemed so safe that few persons lock-
cd their doors. If they did it made
no difference. for I never saw a door
that Alec could not open If he had a
fair show.
1T was my work to enter the rooms
and do the tapping. If any one should
be aroused l could make an excuse
that would go much better than a man
could. Whenever I was caught after
I had picked up Il lot Of things in any
Of the other rooms I always made a
great fuss about being robbed myself.
This carried great weight when people
were excited and had no time to think
The bolder tho theft the better 1t goes,
generally. If | got through the rooms
without arousing any one we made it
a point to report that we had been
robbed first at the office. When the
other guests came to the office with
their tales of woe we had plenty OF
sympathizers
"Alec and | worked the scheme up
and down the Atlantic coast We were
never arrested on the whole trip. So
far as | know we were never even un-
der suspicion. We never kept the
stolen goods around. but would send
them concealed with other things, by
express to New York, or some other
city. to be called for and delivered
upon payment Of charges We had
many amusing times helping detec-
tives look for the thieves. 1t seemed
so ridiculous to me on several occa-
sions that If the men had been smart
they certainly would have seen by my
manner that l was only hollow pre-
tender
After the season had closed Alec
and I made tour of the country, and
1t was star tour. We stopped at all
the f1rst-class hotels in the large cities
and worked our little game to perfec-
ton. We never took anything but
diamonds and money. We Immediate
ly pinched the stones from the set
tings to prevent positive Identification
IN case we were discovered. We had
little trouble in Chicago, but easily
pulled out Of It with a liberal use of
greenbacks, Of which we had plenty on
tap. Everything ran smoothly until
We tumbled into Philadelphia and put
up at the Girard House. l got caught
dead to rights there in the room of a
banker. Alec, who was in the CORR
dor. flew to my rescue, and was shot
through the lungs by a night watch
man.
Il had always urged him If ever l
got pinched to stay out of the scrape,
as woman always had a better show
Of getting free on the plea of klepto-
mania. Alec was taken to a hospital
and died in few days. I was tried,
convicted and sentenced to five years