The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1913-06-05
An Arrest
By JAMES B. BARSTOW


pose as a native of any civilized land.
One day my chief told me that he
had reliable information of this accom-
plished confidence lady; that she was
living in apartments and he wished
me to 90 and arrest her. Go in plain
clothes" he said, land keep your wits
about you. She is very slippery and
will elude you if you give her the
slightest opportunity
/ started out with the intention of
being thoroughly on my guard. knew
that flathouses are apt to be conven-
lent for those who wish to light out
suddenly and took with me sufficient
force to watch from every direction
Having stationed man In front, In
rear and on the roof of the adjoining
building, | rang the bell at Mrs Bur
RACES door. The summons was an
swered by a maid dressed in uniform
"a black dress, apron and cap. She
held a silver salver in her hand for q
card.
But | was not there for a call, mol
did it suit my purpose to send in my
name. | brushed past the maid and
passed through the living room to q
bedroom, where l found lady IN dis
habille.
What are you doing here?" she
asked. betraying a foreign accent
Il have come, madam, to ask you to
make a call upon the inspector"
THE inspector! What does this
mean"
THAT you are under arrest"
She pretended for awhile to be be
wildered at the idea of being arrested
but when she found | would listen to
her no longer she agreed to accom-
pany me without urging if would per
NIT her to put on costume suitable
TO the street. After examining the out
lets and seeing no possible way Of heI
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 hel
getting out except through the living
room. So ! retreated to that apart
ment. but insisted that the door be
tween the two rooms should be suf
ficiently ajar for me to hear, though
not to see.
There was but one door opening
from the suit to the hall, 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
was, took her time about dressing.
listened for every move. and she made
enough Of them for me to know by the
sound that she was still there. Thi:
was gratifying, for, though l saw NJ
way for her to escape me. would have
felt uneasy at any lengthy silence
When a quarter Of an hour had passed
and she did not appear | asked her Il
she was not ready. She replied thai
she had no one to hook the back of bel
dress. I told her that l had often per
formed that service for my wife and Il
she would come into the living room
would accommodate her. She said sh,
would prefer that I come in to her
Resolved not to grant anything sh,
| proposed, told her to come out to me
which she did with evident reluctance.
hooked her dress for her, and wher
she went back to her bedroom to put
on her coat and hat 1 flung the dool
wide open, so that she could complete
her toilet under my observation. She
was so slow about it that finally told
her that l would give her five minute:
by my watch to finish. She got into
her wraps within the time and sale
that she was ready to accompany me
But she must ask me to 60 through
the rooms with her-if l would no
permit her to go alone-to see tha
they were in order for locking up.
consented, and we passed through tn,
other bedrooms and finally entered tn,
! dining room. My prisoner passed
| through it to pantry between it and
the kitchen and, opening a door
looked down a lift used for sendin.
up supplies. Thinking she would at
tempt to escape through it, l caugh
her skirt. X
She turned toward me and smiled. z
"You may take me to the inspector
If you choose" she said, "but I an
not the person you are after. I am tn,
maid. My mistress you passed at tn,
door. She got word of visit by tn,
police and Immediately changed clothe
! with me. When you came to me sh,
made up for a man, went down OF
this lift to one of the apartments be
low and has doubtless passed on
through the main entrance. I hav,
been delaying you in order to give he
the needed time. Here" pointing t,
the servants room. "are her maid'i
clothes"
did not take her to the inspector
I went back to him myself and 60
laughed at.
Some years later I went to arrest tn,
same woman and succeeded. / asket
her how she got wind Of her intended
arrest, and she told me that she hap
pened at the time to be looking out o.
a window down on the street and saw
| me posting my men, she having haf