Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-30

II
ever satisfaction we cared to out OF that.
I admit that we looked like fearful dubs.
And to think that a raw beginner was
laughing at us all this tlme
We caught him, or rather he was caught
,cr us, in 1916.
Probably l had better put It that he
caught himself, AS have said before in
this narrative, he was too young to observe
the ordinary rules of discretion. Success
had gone to his head. He was having a
wild lark. He was too smart TO be caught.
He had been operating under the very eyes
OF the police and detectives What lot
OF boobs they were Here he was, a kid
making monkeys Of them. And the awful
part OF 1t is that he was going stronger all
the time. He had COMPOUNDED us by his
audacity. He worked in the open, in the
daylight. 1t was something new. l admit
that we were outplayed.
1t happened in Santa Cruz, Cal Into the
jowelry shop Of L. S. Tumbley, "a Pacific
avenue, Santa Cruz, in September 1915,
walked courteous stranger. He asked A.
M. Oreutt, the clerk, for fountain pen
Think for moment! If you were to
purchase a fountain pen what would you
do first after the clerk handed you one?
Why, of course You'd try it. You'd write
your name or something, wouldn't you? To
be sure you would.
Where Fatal Error Came
In Making Small Purchase
: But this stranger didn't He pocketed
the pen. He didn't even ask to have it
filled with ink, Indeed, l believe he
dropped the pen into a side pocket. And
that is most unusual Then he handed
circuit a $40 bill circuit gave him the re-
luired change and the stranger departed.
circuit Is bright man. All the irreg-
ularities of this particular pen buyer had
impressed themselves upon him. The man
hadn't tried out the pen. He didn't want
any ink in it or at least hadn't asked for
any. Besides he had dropped it carelessly
in side pocket of his coat.
That man didn't want pen.
And circuit knew that the Pacific coast
had been plastered with bogus $40 bills \
He ran across the street to national bank
and asked the cashier to examine the bill
the stranger had given him The cashier
examined it and pronounced it good. Then
circuit, not yet satisfied, tried another bank.
Here he was told that the bill was fraudu.
lent.
Santa Cruz is a little place. circuit
knew what time trains arrived and trains
left the only railway station in town. Like
wise he knew the police force They re-
CURED but little knowing, inasmuch az
there were but six men on the force. But
he told his employer and suggested that he
take cop with him and watch the railroad
station.
circuit and Policeman Tom Parker went
to the station and did what think heady
bit Of work Instead of trying to find the
stranger in the crowd, they waited until
everybody had boarded the train and It
was about to pull out for Los Angeles
They arranged to have it held back for q
minute and in that minute they raced
through the cars. In the smoker they found
the courteous stranger
Police Headquarters in Santa Cruz Ia on
the second floor of two story edifce.
There are stairs on the outside of the
building, and up these and into headquar.
tiers they took their prisoner. A large
window looks out upon the street. They
were in the process of searching their pria-
oner when he leaped through the window.
He took sash and all with him. but scram.
bled to his feet on the pavement, ten feet
below.