The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-03-14
MyLecture
on India
1t Achieved a Result Be-
yond What Was
Intended
By DONALD CHAr1BERLIN

The horse stealing industry was not |
as profitable as it had been and was
better taken care of by those who had |
horses to lose Wholesale robbery had
become less lucrative. since more bust
ness was done by means of checks on
banks and less with gold dust The
grub desperate was being transformed
into the butterfly confidence man.
But before he ceased TO be a desper-
! ado be began to devote himself to con-
! fidence games. In other words, he was
both. We had one man in our region
who was the most dreaded of the
many who had terrOriZed US and was
at the same time the most artful swim
/ der. His real name was not known,
though many of the names he used
were on record with the sheriff. There
| fore he acquired the sobriquet of The
Eel. He had an especial fancy for as
Stunning different characters. He once
made a fine haul by personating a
capitalist out from the east looking
over the ground with a view to estab-
| fishing a bank. On another occasion
he represented himself as an agent of
the postOffice department. In this he
was not so successful. for he was
caught before realizing any plunder
/ But he did not hesitate to kill the man
who caught him, and nothing was
gained in the affair by law and order.
One day man rode into town who
said that The Eel was masquerading
in the region through which he had
passed as a Methodist minister. When
I asked how he knew the fellow was
The Eel, he said he had met the minis
ter and at once knew him for The Eel,
whom he had seen.
had done some work as deputy
sheriff for which had been commend
ed and was asked if | would under
take the job of going out to try and
bring in The Eel, dead or alive. L
think the preference was for dead.
since alive meant a trial and posi-
bility Of the prisoners escape either
by lack of evidence or an artful dodge.
| signffied my assent determining that
I would fight fire with fire In other
words, | would play a part, just as
The Eel was playing a part
donned black brOadcloth suit and
white cravat. intending to pass myself
off for a missionary collecting funds
for the board of foreign missions We
had had such man among us recent
~. and | succeeded in getting some
printed documents he had left behind
him. These | read carefully in order
to be able to talk intelligently on the
subject of foreign missions. Mounted
on the meekest looking horse l could
find, my saddlebags filled with the
printed matter. a Derringer pistol slunG
+ c1n Nv n nl0zfiP cord
| started out to find The Eel.
was obliged to travel fifty miles be
fore | found him, but was not dis
p pleased to get so far from home that
would not very likely be recognized
, Though | usually wore a beard | was
: now clean shaved. | tracked The Ee
to a town that was quite civilized for
that region and found him at work
raising funds for the Ostensible pur
pose of building a church. He had
been invited to stop with one OF the
most respectable citizens and was evt
IDENTITY on the way to make an excellent
scoop.
| inquired as to those citizens wht
were most interested in The EeIs
church building scheme and. selecting
Il one. Abner Smith, called upon him, in
PRODUCED myself as James Ridgeway
: missionary In India. and, telling hin
that had come among the people o
the town to raise funds for foreign mis-
sions. asked his assistance. He re
piled that had arrived at an inoppor
= tune time. since an effort had beer
started by the Rev Mr.. Swartout. VIII,
had also recently come to town to bull,
- a church. | suggested that Mr.. Swart
out and | might possibly work tOgeth
er, since we were both in the sam
h. service, and | would like Mr.. Smith t
bring US together. He consented an,
ii with the usual western hospitality il
at vited me to be his guest during IN
stay In the town.
d. That same afternoon / was intro
I'll duced to the Rev. MIR. Swartout, whoI
| at once recognized as The Eel by
n description of him | had secured be-
H. fore leaving home. He was a rattle
- tall, sharp faced man. with black hal
'' which he wore quite long. His ey
was a steel gray, and on meeting on
Of his own pretended calling be locke
through it with a suspicion whicl
though not noticed by others presen
e4 was not lost on me. But / at once 81
IN about convincing the reverend gentl
80 man that he had nothing to fear fro
me, especially in his church buildin
ed enterprise, by Offering to work wit
20 him in his own scheme.
IN Let us first lay the foundation"
ro- said earnestly. ''by building a churc
its for these good people. After the churc
is finished there will be ample time
is do something in missionary work. f,
nd my part shall not attempt to raj:
yer any funds here. but will gladly T
ma ma main for a few days and give you G
an, the assistance in my power"
could see his thought in his ey