Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1913-06-28

] like TO talk with John Atherton, d
retired detective friend of mine for he
has fund OF incidents that occurred
during the days of his active service
that find interesting. Some OF them
happened 10 him personally. and some
Were told him by his fellow craftsmen
during idle hours. This is one OF Ath.
ertons stories that especially pleased
me from the ingenuity and assurance
perpctrated by rogue:
There are two ways by which crooks
work, the one with, the other without
confcderates. Both ways have their
advantages. \ man who works alone
doesn't have the fear Of being betrayed
by his pal. for where one is offered an
easy letting OF from hard sentence
If he will squeal he is pretty liable to
squcal. But man who has con.
fcdcrate can do what one man can't do
alone
In one way crook pals will usually
stand by each other. When one Is IN
danger the other will do all in his pow.
er and take considerable risks 10 help
him ont. was once put on Job 10
track down man called Jerry Wilson,
who was In the confidence department
OF rogucry. Wilson usually worked
countrymcn. He was one of the most
accomplished swindlers ever met.
He had been au actor and was prof
Client In the art OF making up We
would hear OF him one day passing as
stockbroker. ut another as Il clergy.
man and again as cotton planter
with perfect southern dialect OF
course we didn't know at the time that
these were one and the same man. but
We often suspected It and IN time learn.
ed 1t from Wilson himself
One day countryman reported nj
police headquarters that lie had been
victimized by Il man who passed him.
self or for an Englishman The coun.
tryman had come from England TWEEN.
~ years before and had never become
Americanized Englishmen seldom be-
come naturnliZcd. You will find thou.
sands Of them In this country, and 9th.
er countries for that matter. who have
become old men and not seen England
since they were children and are still
British subjects.
The man who picked him up doubtless
heard him speak with his British lingo.
had stepped up TO him and hailed him
as fellow countryman. One born,
he said under the British flag and
once accustomed To- the home accent
could always be placed as an English
man. Then he launched out on the de-
merits of this BLOODY country" and
won the farmers heart completely.
confidence man becomes very cx.
pert in drawing out information from
n greenhorn. and the new acquaintance
Henderson he called himself-was
evidently an adept ut this work, for
the farmer soon learned that they both
came from the same county in Eng
land ana from the same town and
knew the same persons. Henderson.
being later arrival. gave his former
fellow townsman lots Of information
as 10 what had become of many of his
old fricnds-who We're living and who
We're dead and who had married. The
result was friendly drink at pub
lic," as they call saloon In England
followed 10y friendly game. with the
consequent transfer OF several hundred
dollars OF the farmers money to the
pockets Of Mr.. Henderson. who. when
he had drained his fellow country
mans resources. slipped out through a
back door.
Well. We got on 10 Mr.. Henderson.
but We're deficient In proof The farm
er's testimony might have been met
by an alibi and other subterfugcs. and
decided TO capture him at his own
game. Having located him. | stood
near him and. adopting the British ac-
cent began IA talk about dear old
Merrie England. The fellow chimed
In. and we We're soon hobnobbing to
gether. had my pockctbook stuffed
with marked bills. which passed Into
my countryman's possession. Then
tipped Il confederate the wink. and to-
gethcr we took him In
There couldn't have been surer
case against a man than that. could
there? From facts | gathered and the
mans ability 10 personatc different
characters ! believed had got the
slippery Wilson. and intended to put
him where he would trouble the public
no longer. In making up "A jury 90 try
him we got nine good men. when
somehow We couldn't get any further.
Some We're exempt and some had suiil-
cient excuses When we got the elev-
enth man 80 much time had been lost
that the judge was getting impatient.
A gentlemanly looking man In the
courtroom said that II the trial would
not occupy much time he would help us
out He was Immediately served with
n summons. accepted ana sworn I'm.
The trial didn't require or II was not
given long time. The evidence was
perfect and the conviction was consid-
cred "A mere rnuffqr ~ form RaSfdoa