The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-24


clear up sensational crime might be a
fortunate Individual. Ten thousand
pounds were offered by the government
in 1882 TO anyone who would lead to the
discovery of the assassin of Lord Fred
erick Cayendish and Mr.. Burke, in the
Phoenix park Though there were at
least dozen persons concerned in the
fearful deed not one came forward till
James carey, the chief offender, did 50
In order to save himself from the threat
ened gallows. Five thousand pounds
We're vainly offered by the city of Lon
don for information respecting the mis-
ereants who tried to blow up London
bridge with dynamite. In 1884 Scotland
Yard discovered that an attempt made
to blow up the German embassy i'll
London had actually been planned by a
seroundel who relied on a large reward
being offered to betray his friends and
make money by the crime to which ne
had himself urged them.
Since that time government rewards
have only been offered for information
that may lead to the discovery of want
ed persons Thus when DR. Crippen
fled a reward of $50 pounds was offered
for information that might lead to his ar
rest. Public bodies and private individ-
uals still offer rewards for evidence that
shall convict offenders, but the home Of
| flee looks askance at the practice. They
| even refused to offer money for the dis
| covery of Jack the Ripper. The city
! authorities, however, placed a suih-of l9oe
pounds on the niscreants head without
| avail, though hundreds of amateur detect
ives sought to gain it.
What money offered in reward will ex-
tort from the Indian native. who has the
power to rescue from death the victim of
the deadly cobra the secret of his cure?
Between 20,009 and $1,000 persons are year
ly hurled to the grave in India through
snake bites. and the government has Of
fered huge sums of money to anyone who
shall make public cure that shall be ef-
ficacious and readily applied. Hundreds
OF British and foreign medical men have
sought to make that golden fortune
theirs But the native snake bite curer
| remains untempted. II he is at hand a
victim may be saved by him, but he re-
fuses to part with his secret remedy,
while his brothers and sisters die in
thousands yearly and the deadly cobra
glides on its way darting death around.
Is the secret of the cure something re-
veaed to him under an oath he dare not
break? Or does the cure consist in some
hypnotic power that he is conscious he
llcannot impart to others? The dusky lips
are closed. and no offer of gold appears
able to make them speak.
ly fail to effect their object? In t-vo cases
1y fail to effect their object In two cases
there have been rewards offered in re-
cent years of from 1000 to 5000 pounds for
the return of valuable pictures that have
disappeared and the rewards have been
offered in vain. Two pictures there are
supposed to be somewhere in London to-
day for which the reward of 1000 pounds
was offered year or two ago. The pic
lures were cut from their frames by burg
lars who entered the house of West
End millionaire. One OF the thieves was
subsequently captured and sentenced to
term of imprisonment and while in
prison he confessed that he had hidden
the pictures behind the plaster of wall
in a squalid room in the East End. There
upon the wall the anxious searchers
found the mark by which the hidden
place was indicated Quickly the ath and
plaster We're demolished. and there was
the hiding-place revealed. But it was
empty, Who removed the pictures. and
what became of them? 1t is probable
those two treasures worth thousands, are
nailed up on the wall of some squalid
home in the East End. their value un-
dreamt of by their possessors.