The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-10-04
Copyright By +. l. Nelso
THE TRAIL OF THE TATTOOED the ston
HAND. when We
copyright BY F. L. Nelson

the stones. They hoped to nail US
when We sported them. But We had
been in the business too long for that.
When We got good chance We busted
for London and managed to get rid OF
the stuff in two days for 100000 to
Jimmy Parsons, who ran fence in
Whitechapel. Parsons had customer
waiting for the stones. He got SIS. 900
for them, and that shows you what
a poor run for his money a crook gets.
Tim got square with the old man
in roundabout way. Parsons had a
daughter, Nellie by name, slim,
black-eyed, black-haired lass, the very
look Of whom would set the heart OF
any man to jumping unless he had ice
in his veins. Tim was bowled over at
first sight, and she was just as bad
gone with him. Nellie gave us tip
on an old cove who was In the jewelry
repairing line. He was said to have
a big lot of Doodle boarded away in a
little shop where he had worked for so
years or more. Nellie visited the old
man and got into his confidence. She
didn't fancy the work, but she would
do anything Tim said The old cove
talked freely with her about his hoard
and complained that when he was
through with it he had no chick nor
child on earth to leave it to. She got
an idea from him where it was kept,
and when she reported to us We made
up our minds that 1t would be rank
cruelty to leave England without do
ing something to relieve the old man
from worry
His name was Bennett, think, and
he lived alone in a very lonely spot
near the Thames on Cooper street.
Tim and called upon Bennett late in
the afternoon to see about getting a
watch repaired. While he was squint-
ing at the works with an eyeglass Tim
thumped him with a bit of lead pipe.
| growled at Tim for hitting him so
hard. From the way he fell ] thought
his light was out The old man u.s.
ually went out about the time that we
visited him, so Nellie told US, so We
just locked the door, put out the lamp
and went on a scout for the coin.
I'VE turned everything inside out
without making much Roadway. We
got only few dollars here and there.
Then I remembered that Nellie told
ME that when the old man wanted to
get any money he always took small
ladder and went into a little closet in
the sleeping room adjoining the shop.
found the ladder under the counter,
and the closet was behind the old
mans bunk After little search
found box and 4 small bundle. I
ripped open the package and found
that | had struck the right spot. The
money was in Ranl; Of England notes.
and figured up just $4,000 in Ameri-
can coin.
II WAS hoping there was more, for
the old man was lying very still. It's
worth more than that to have Il muir
der on your soul Before leaving we
fixed everything w in proper shape,
turned up the lamp and got away
without ever a soul piping us off. Old
Bennett did not die. but the shock
knocked all the sense out of him for
while No one had tumbled to the
robbery, so far as the stories in the
papers went But | was mistaken in
this, as it turned out afterward. 1t
was through a little thing We knew
nothing about at the time that both of
us were nailed in Philadelphia for the
Simpson robbery