The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1913-05-23
An Arrest
a. LANES q. BARsTow
By JAMES B. RARsToW

sIcnorina Tarantoia. with a NUMBER OF
other aiiasesl was the most accom-
Tpiished swfndIer ever had anything
ID do with in all my term of service
ON the police force. She must have
belonged to well to do family or had
q talent for languages, for she could
nose as a native Of any civilized land
one day my chief told nee that ne
had reliable information OF this accom-
nIished confidence lady; that she was
living in apartments and he wished
me to go and arrest her. Go In plain
clothes" he said, sand keep your wits
about you. She is very slippery ana
will elude you if you give her tne
slightest opportunity
i started out with the intention OF
being thoroughly on my guard. knew
that fIathouses are apt to be conyen-
lent for those who wish to light out
suddenly and took with me sutic1entt
force to watch from every direction.
Having stationed a man in front, in
rear and on the roof of the adjoining
building, rang the bell at Mrs Bur
race.s door The summons was an
swered by a maid dressed in uniform
IA black dress. apron and emp. She
held silver salver in her hand Tor a
card.
Pint / was not there for call. nor
did it suit my purpose to send In my
name. brushed past the maid ana
| passed through the living room TO
bedroom, where foundaa lady in dis
habilIe.
asked. betraying foreign accent
Il have come, madam, TO ask you to
make call upon the inspector"
.sThe inspector! What does this
mean?"
.That you are under arrest"
She pretended for awhile to be be-
wiIdered at the idea of being arrested.
| hut when she found would listen to
her no longer she agreed to accom-
bany mo without urging if would per-
| nit her to put on a costume suitable
10 the street After examining the out
let's and seeing no possible way of her
/ making an escape consented. The
room was at the end of the suit, on the
| fourth floor, and no fire escape within
reach. There was no possibility of her
/ getting out except through. the living
| room. So i retreated to that apart
ment. but insisted that the door be-
I tween the two rooms should be suf-
fcientiy ajar for me to hear. though
not to see.
There was but one door opening
from the suit to the hail. and at this
door had stationed man with orders
to let no one. pass. On one side OF, the
fiat passageway was the living room
on the other the dining room and kitch-
en-. But what interested me was the
| bedroom in which had the prisoner
| cornered. / could not for my life see
how she could escape me.
Mrs. Burrage, or whatever her name
| wns. took her time about dressing. ~
listened for every move, and she made
l enough of them for me to know by the
| sound that she was still there. This
was gratifying, for. though saw no
way for her to. escape me. / would have
felt uneasy at any lengthy silence.
| When quarter of an hour had passed
and she did not appear asked her II
she was not ready. She replied that
| she had no one to hook the back of her
dress. told her that l had often per
formed that service for my wife and if
she would come into the living room j
would accommodate her. She said she
| would prefer that come in to her.
Resolved not to grant anything she
proposed, told her to come out to me.
which she did with evident reluctance.
! hooked her dress for her, and when
she went back to her bedroom to put
on her coat and hat I flung the door
| wide open, so that she could complete
| her toilet under my observation. She
was so slow about it that finally told
/ her that would give her five minutes
by my watch to finish. She got into
her wraps within the time and said
| that she was ready to accompany me.
But she must ask me to go through
| the rooms with her-if would not
permit her to go alone-to see that
| they were in order for locking up. i
consented. and we passed through the
other bedrooms and finally entered the
dining room. My prisoner passed
through it to pantry between it and
the kitchen and. opening a door,
looked down a lift used for sending
up supplies. Thinking she would at
tempt to escape through #, / caught
her skirt.
She turned toward me and smiled.
"You may take me to the inspector
lie you choose" she said, but ! am
not the person you are after. am the
maid My mistress you passed at the
door. She got word of visit by the
police and Immediately changed clothes
with me. When you came to me she
made up. for man. went down on
this lift to one of the apartments be-
low and has doubtless passed out
through the main entrance. have
been delaying you In order to give her
the needed time. Here" pointing to
the servants room. are her maids
clothes 50
did not take her to the inspector.
I went back to him myself and got
Innnl,ad nfs