THE SUNDAY OREGOSIAX. PORTLAND. NOVEMBER 8, 1903. 9
Tales of time
W it-l? iris? ffl Tf?lf?A HIf5) AfC "Tr-UHlr? mflM lAf Mlfl
HERE are few mysteries which
ar never cleared up." com
' mcnced Captain Dickson, as ve
at before the cheerful wood fire of his
eosy study one night last Winter, "al
though some of them slumber for years
among the things forgotten, until the
denouement Is accidentally developed by
some person who, perhaps, never heard
of the original matter. Such ww the
case whlrh I have come to remember as
that of 'The Iron Pot." It was a vessel
of this humble character that Anally
cleared up a great mystery and brought
the guilty to JustJre.
"You are well aware that the silver
dollar pafsetw current for something like
43 or 50 cents- more than the actual sil
ver in it is worth. This fact has not
been overlooked by counterfeiters, and
because of it the secret service haa had
some knotty problems to unravel.
"The largest percentage of counterfeits
of specie are crude, black, leaden things
that are readily detectable and difficult to
pas a The handling of these coins Is
bs-t with excessive danger. But there
have been some casps where counterfeit
era hav so perfectly Imitated the silver
dollar that experts have been deceived
by It. Such a coin was brought out by
a gang operating In St. Louis some years
ago. Their dollar was of the same fine
ness and weight as the coin of the Gov
ernment's mint and had the same quan
tity of alio;-. The only difference be
tween the two was that the s-ourtous
coin was a shade thicker than the gen
uine, which fart was due to the ma
chinery of the counterfeiters being some
what lighter and less powedful than that
of the Federal mints.
"The popular Idea that coins are cast
or molded I? quite erroneous. They are
stamped or pressed out of narrow strips
of metal. It is only by this means that
they can be sufficiently compressed to
stand the wear to whh-h they are sub
jected in circulation. The machines used
for this purpose are heavy, ponderous
things, and It Is difficult for counterfeit
ers to Bcurp the manufacture of such a
machine and quite as hard a proposition
for them to find a suitably secret place
In which to operate it, once they have
got It made.
"The St. Tenuis gang nad their plant
In a cleverly constructed cave in a sub
urban district. It was an artificial cave,
dug bark In the fare of a clay and gravel
bluff. The entrance was through the
shanty of a poor Irish family, a cir
cumstance that diverted suspicion from
It and one to which is partly due the
long immunity the gang enjoyed.
It is not necessary to detail the long
and tedious work it took to locate the
cave, for that is a story all by Itself,
and dws not neei"to be told to lead up
to the matter of the Iron pot. At any
rate, when we descended uion the shanty
and explored the cave, we found nothing
more t'ian a ponderous machine, a few
tools ordinarily employed with machinery
of any character and a gasoline engine,
which supplied the motive power. We
were certain that the machine had been ,
twd to stamp out the bad money, but I
there was nothing beside It that looked
trie least bit suspicions. It might have i
been used for a legitimate business quite
as well as for a contraband one. as far
as anything we found would Indicate.
The only fact that tended to point to Its
ral use was that It was hidden away in
such a suspicious place.
"There was no scrap of metal, no coins, i
BEING PROF&OR SHORTY MUGABE,.? ACCOUNT OF A MIX-UP
PLUTE WHO WAiS3 DODGIfVG THE PROCEiy,iV, iPERVER
AS I was sayin' to Swifty Joe,
"Swlfty." says I. "did It ever
strika you that every garden has
Its lemon tree?"
"Ahr. chee!" says Swifty. "All the
hand organs is playln' that tune. Ring
off.
But say. what's the use wastln' high
art conversation on coi-oanut head
ltke that? so I don't till him w"jat
happens out to Primrose Park on a wet
Sunday. You see. when I goes up on
Saturday night I was lookln' for an
other dry sixiler; but I uess I must
have read the signs wrong, for when I
wakes up In the mornln' the rain is
comln' down slantwise and plenty, and
the lawn Is lookln' as soggy as the
under crust of a huckleberry pie.
It sure seems like an all day session
with my- heels up on the rati and
nothin' doln' but read the paperj and
wish I was back on Broadway. One
of Mrs. Whaley's Sunday breakfasts
cheers me up some, and I've got my
self planted In a dry corner of the side
porch, prepared for the worst when I
hears somethln" out on the Post road
that makes ma sit up. It sounded like
a solid bump, followed by breakin'
class. I squints out through the rain
and sees a big black tourin' car with
Its nose jammed good and hard against
an elm tree about three foot thu-k.
Looks like a case of skiddin'," says
I to myself.
That's lust what lias happened.
There's quite some of a curve out there,
nd. tie road beln' greasy, and maybe
on account of the dew on his goggles.
Mr. Sliuffer has cut It too f:ne. Not beln'
able to climb a tree or go through it,
the slxtr-horse power gives a hiccup
or two and goes out of business.
Luckv he was runnin' Inside the
need limit, or the machine would have
plastered lilm up against that tree so
tiaht the Coroner would have had to
pry him off with a putty knife. As It
is. he only has his wind knocked ouc
by the steerln' wheel, and before I can
grsb an umbrella and get half way out
to the road he has got his breath back
and has limbed out to take a view of
the busted lamps and the crumpled
hood.
"That's one way of stoppin1 quick."
says I. soothln.
"Sar-r-r-re!" says lie.
vwhlch don't help much." says I:
"but if it's any relief to your feelln's,
ltt it come."
And he does. too. I don't under
stand much French: hut j'ou can al
ways tell cuss words In a'.y language,
and this gent had a fine lot on tap.
He was waikin around that bu'sted
machine and tearin' 'em off by the yard.
hen some one raps on the plate gla
i-indowi of the limousine and he corks
chemica's. or other thing used in the aij.
Only the machine and a few wrenches and
similar tools. The gang had skipped out.
The Irishman was half-witted, and his
wife was to clever to be caught in the
traps we laid for her. We had made a
waierhaul, except for the machine, which
was destroyed. The cave was filled up.
Acting undr orders from Washington
we maintained secrecy about the entire
matter and nothing of it got .into the
newspapers.
"I found one tiling in the shanty which
might or might not offer a clew to the
counterfeiters. It was an empty envelops
bearing Hie postmark of an obscure rail
road station in the sunkland district of
Northeastern Arkansas. I had long ago
learned that !t is the seemingly insignifi
cant things tliat lead to the discovery of
criminals, and while this envelope might
mean nothing, on the other hand, it
might be of the gravest importance. It
had been found beneath the sheet of metal
on which the cook stove stood, the tip of
one corner, discolored and grimy, attract
ing my attention. I had secured it and
pocketed it without attracting attention.
"If the gang had never existed it could
not have disappeared more effectually.
We were far to fac with a blank wn.ll.
This made us the more anxious to capture
the counterfeiters. As nothing better of
fered, the, chief suggested that I follow
up the clew of the empty envelope.
"With as cumbersome and complete an
outfit as every city sportsman carries
Into the woods with him, I left the train
one day at the wayside station which bore
the name of the postmark. Securing a
guide and cook. In the person of a lanky
native. I had my truck hauled out to the
St. Francis River, only two miles distant,
where I pitched camp and made prepara
tions for an indefinite stay.
"It was the greatest game country I
have ever seen. There were deer without
limit and a good sprinkling of turkeys,
some bears, and water fowl of every kind,
until the killing of them lost much of its
charm, and became mora like ruthless
slaughter.
"I had a plentiful supply of liquors and
cigars, a fact my guide lost no time in
spreading broadcast about -the country.
This was just what I wanted him to do,
for It brnucht the nntives flocking to my
camp to partake of the liquors and cigars
which I distributed with a lavish hand.
It gave me the opportunity for which I
was playing.
"By making Inquiry of my visitors. I
learned that about five miles down the
river were camped. In a snug cabin built
by themselves, three gentlemen from parts
unknown. They maintained the place as
a sort of club and had spent the Spring
season there. They left about March and
were gone until October, when they re
turned one night and again took posses
sion of their cabin. Our raid on the cave
had been made on October 15, and this
caused me to think that perhaps the
empty envelope was making good.
"As the three gentlemen did not deign
to visit my camp, I decided to make a
call upon them.
"I started out in a folding canvas canoe,
late In Ihj afternoon, and arrived In the
vicinity of their camp just at nightfall.
With a sharp cypress tree, aided by a
jagged cu-t from my bunting knife, I suc
ceeded In punching a bad hole in the
bottom of the canoe, and with the boat
rapidly filling with water, I landed just
after sunset at the very door of their
cabin. The three men were at home and
they welcomed me with the open hospital
ity of campers. Insisting that I spend ;
the night wHl them. This was Just what j
I had been playing for.
"It was easy to se that the men were j
crooks. There la always something to
up like the emergency brake had been
put on.
"Gee!" says I. "I thought you was
runnin' an empty. If you've got folks
In there you'd better see how bad
they're shook up."
With that I begins rubberln' at the
back windows; but I got as much sat
isfaction as if I'd been peekin' down a
Jointed gas pipe. Every curtain was
pulled down tight, except one, and
that only stays up Ion; enough for a
hand to wave the shutter to the other
side of the car. He trots around live
ly, too. and begins to explain how it
happened and what the damage was.
Well, there didn't seem to be any
wild call for my help, or society, either;
but I was eettin' curious. I wanted to
know what klud of people was ridln" '
around In the rain that way, with tne
shutters all up, so I strolls across to
my own side of the road and waits to
see what's poln' to happen next. It
didn't take long for Ooggles to con
vince his people that the car was all
to the bad. Then I sees a shads pulled
back, and I has a feelln' that some one
was slzin' me up close. In a minute
or so the snuffer comes over and
touches his cap, as polite as you please.
"Ees that the house of monsieur?"
says he. polnttn' to the cottage.
"That's the house of me, for a fact,"
says T.
"Pardong." says he. "but will mon
sieur have the great kindness to de
clare his nameT"
"Why. cert, Frenchy." says I. "I
am Monsoor Shorty SlcCahe. Here's
my business card and telephone num
ber. Sorry I ain't got my latest photo
graph and vaccination certificated too."
"Mercl. mercl!" says he.
"Same to you and many of 'em," says
t
It wasn't exactly the weather I'd
pick out for swappin' bows and that
sort of thing: but I can be Just as po
lite as the next one. even if I am
standin' in the mud. with an umbrella
Icakin' down my collar.
Frenchy takes the card over to the
shut-up machine and pokes it through
a slit In the door. Say, It was all done
as mysterious as If the stage was set
for some kind of a Jugglin" trick. First
Frenchy puts his face close up to the
glass and chins a minute or so without
takin' breath: then he listens to what
somebody tires back, shruggin' his
shoulders and stiakln' his head all. the
time; the next he steps out into the
road, lookin' up and down anxious
like,
I was gettin' soaked from my knees
down: but It was too. excitln' a thing
to leave. All of a sudden the side door
Is pushed open, and some one beckons
mo over. He was a well-shaped, mid
dlin' oldish gent, with a cropped gray
niu.Mache and a pair of rfose-set gray
eyes that I could almost feel explorln'
.'rem JWmm-t Atya
J - - - r
disclose the counterfeiter, if the ob
server Is only sufficiently versed in
their ways and mannerisms to recog
nize the telltale signs. I was pretty
sure, before the eveningr was over, that
these were the men who had done the
the back of my head as he turned 'em
on me. But he was real smooth spoken.
He wants to know how far It is to the
nearest garage, and if he could tele
phone, and if I minded them waitin'
a while at my place. Course, I says
that in a case of this kind my ranch Is
wide open for as long as they likes. .
"Well," says he, turnin' to the dark
corner of the car, "what do you say?"
Blessed If I could see a thing inside
there; but I has a lady all pictured out,
even to Just how high her veils come
on the cushions All the answer he
gets is a sort of a mumble that I
couldn't make out.
"But you know It Isn't safe to stay
here;" says he to the one in the corner.
I pricks up my ears a little at that.
Maybe slttln' in a bu'sced bubble along
side the road ain't the most joyful pas
time in the world; but I couldn't figure
out why It wasnf safe. The argument
seems to convince the unknown,
though: for there comes another mum
ble, and the first gene piles out. Then
him and Frenchy ranges up on' either
side the step and proceeds to haul out
oareful a tall, bent-shouldered party
with his head all muffled tip in a
steamer rug that he was wearin' same's
a washerwoman wears a shawl. By
the gentle way they handles - him I
thinks first eft that he's sick or some
thin"; but when his feet strikes the
ground he stands up without beln'
propped and steps around like a well
man.
Gent number one. notlcln' me stand
In' there with my mouth open, remarks,
"Perhaps you will lead the way, Mr.
McCabe?"
"Sure," says I. and puts myself at the
head of the procession.
It wa'n't until they'd phoned for a
wreckln' machine and Frenchy has
been sent off with his Instructions, that
I gets a good look at number two: for
he waits until everything Is settled be
fore he begins unwindin' the head
wrappins'. Then I sees I'm entertalnin'
a curio. Not that he was one of the
toothless, snow-capped kind. His hair
Is only nicely frosted up, and his face
la as smooth as a baby's; but he has a
complexion like an apple dumpling,
and them eyes of his was the foxiest,
shiftiest set of lamps" I ever see In a
man.
Course. I could account for the crop
of soft, wavy hair, and the white, even
teecb. They come from the store, and
a better Job was never turned oui- But
the eyes had me guessin' from the
start. I'd have bet my pile there wa'n't
another pair like 'em 'in the country,
and yet they has a sort of familiar
look I couldn't get away from. I-' was
dead sure I hadn't run across the rest
of this old gent, but I couldn't shake
the thought that somewhere I must
have pppn them eyes before. Say. it
was enough to give you the creeps!
Job In St. Louis.
"Nothing about the cabin was the
least bit suspicious. A large iron pot
bubbled invitingly over the open fire, the
fragrant odor of boiling meat issuing
from under its lid when the steam
So that's where I start hlntln' for par
ticulars. "Excuse me," says I, "but - didn't
catch your names."
The two gents flashes a look back and
forth, and then the one that's been
doing the talkln' speaks up.
"Thayer Is mine," says he, "and this
is er Mr. Dayton."
Say. he was a smooth boy, all right.
The Thayer comes out just as though
he was used to sayin' It, and if it hadn't
been for the diamond "W" on his gold
watch fob I shouldn't have suspicloned
it at all. There was only the least bit
of a hitch about the Dayton, too; Just
enough to give me a quiet hunch that
I was beln' treated to an incog.
"Dayton, eh?" says I. "From Ohio?"
At that they swaps another quick
look, and then both turns on me. But
when they sees me grinnin' they knew
it was only a josh.
"Ah, Dayton, Ohio!" says Mr. Thayer.
"Very good, very good!"
"That's nothin' to what I can do on
a bright day," says I. "But make your
self to home, gents, while I dig up a
box of smoke sticks."
When I comes back with the cigars
Mr, Dayton has shed his long raincoat
and is over in the corner preparin' to
get down on his knees in front of a
Morris chair. Thayer has Just spotted
his motions, and his straight-cut mouth
begins to curl up at the corners.
"Oh, I say, Henry," says he, "is that
er exactly necessary?"
"Samuel." says Mr. Dayton, speakln'
kind of solemn and wavery. "we have
just had a providential escape from a
fatal accident. It Is fitting that I
should return thanks for "
"Yes. yes," says Thayer; "but can't
you hold it over until " and here he
squints at me.
"Oh, let him blaze away," says I. "I
ain't one to bar prayin". Fire ahead!"
And he does. It was as fine prayin' as
I ever heard too. and before he gets
through he's squared himself with everyone-
from nere to the Pearly Gates, not
forgettln' me, and the kind-hearted elm
tree that didn't turn out to be a 10-foot
ditch. My! but he sure was a good man!
Made me feel mighty low down and mean,
just listenin' to him.
The effect on Mr. Thayer was different.
He stands there roliin' his eyes up to the
ceilln' and lookin' weary, just as If he
didn't have any religion at all. He has
a hard face, that man' Thayer, though;
one of the kind that reminds you of pan
ics in Wall street, and customs inspec
tors, and police court judges.
It was easy to see his mind didn't set
easy; far after the services were through
and me and Mr. Dayton was havin' a talk,
the old gent as calm and satisfied as
though he was at home. Mr. Thayer was
pacln' up and down the room, now and
then stoppin' to take a nervous squint
out of the windows at the road. He could
pushed it up on one side. A steaming
haunch of venison, cooking with some
vegetables and dumplings, was produced
from the pot for our supper, which was
served soon after my arrival. In the
center of the room was a big table.
JiJ Us!l2
not have been more uneasy if he'd been
tryln" to dodge a bill collector.
Mr. Dayton was as much interested In
me as if I'd been his new son-in-law. He
wants to know all about the physical cul
ture business, and what rent I pay for
the studio, and what my average income
is, and how much I'm saltin' away in the
bank. He seems kind of pleased to hear
I don't follow the races, or monkey with
the market, and he hands out a lot of
good advice about lnvestin' my surplus in
first mortgage bonds and real estate.
Fatherly! It was almost as good as bein'
adopted by a minister.
Right in the middle of our talk Mrs.
Whaley comes rushin' in from the kitchen
and says as how Dennis has nabbed a sus
picious actln' character that he's caught
tryln' to sneak into the stable, and is
towin' him our way.
"Gee!" says I, "this Is my day at home
for sure. Well, tell Dennis to lug him in
on the carpet.'
"What! In ..ere?' says old Mr. Dayton,
jumpln' up and lookin' scared. "Aren't
you afraid?"
"All, say now, don't get uneasy," says I.
"Most likely it's only some seedy hobo
tryln' to get in out of th wet. Let's
have a look at him."
"But, you know," says Dayton. "I had
rather not "
It was too late for him to do more than
Jump for a dark corner of the room,
though; for in comes Dennis, holdln' the
guy by the collar. One look was enough
to see he wa'n't any reg'lar freight car
tourist: hut beyond that I couldn't place
him. He's a long geared, think .shanked,
sallow faced voung chap, about twenty
four or five, I should Judge. He's wearin'
eye glasses, and a blue serge suit that
needs pressln' and brushin' the worst way;
but if he'd been fixed up some, and con
nected with the shave and the haircut
that was due him, he'd been almost fit
for the parlor. He don't take kindly to
beln' led up for inspection, though. By
the way his jaw was tremblln' and by
the shake In his knees, you could tell he
was so scared that his liver ws turnin"
white.
"Well, young feller," says I lookln'
him over, "whei-e'd you get the Idea I kept
the fam'Iy plate in the stabler'
"Oh, I I I I" says he.
"Quit that!" 6ays I. "This aint no mass
meetin'. What's your gamer
"Pup-pup-please, sir, I dud-dud-didn't
mum-mum-mean " but his tongue is so
thick he can't get out any more. He puts
his hands over his face and slumps down
on his knees.
"Up with ye!" says Dennis, jerkin' him
on his feet like he was handlln' a sack of
meal.
"Easy there, Dennis, or you'll have him
apart," says I. "Turn him loose and go
lex-k the stable. I'll tend to him."
When he gets the Knuckles out of his
neck, and fTnds he aint goln' to be hand
crudely constructed of heavy oak tim
bers. The cabin was well lighted, the
lamps being of expensive character and
gTeat brilliancy. Guns and fishing tackle
and hunting toggery of every kind gave
the cabin the atmosphere- "of a sports
man's club.
"The men talked freely of everything
but themselves. They spoke of many
cities, but never of their homes. They
told me they were college chums who
had aJways made it a. custom to spend a
few months together each Fall In the
woods. They were clever men and read
ily passed for the lawyer, the doctor and
the merchant, the characters they re
spectively pretended to be. The one to
whom the other two deferred in every
thing was a large, powerful man with
clean-shaven face and jaw like a bull
dog. His face was too shrewd to be
pleasant. He watched me furtively, a
sinister, amused smile playing about the
corners of his mobile mouth. That smile
spoke volumes. It made me lie awake
all night. It seemed to say that he knew
my real character and therefore I
thought it best to keep on the watch. The
man seemed capable of offering me per
sonal violence. But the night passed
away without incident. After break
fast I repaired the leak In my canoe and
paddled slowly upstream, trying to fig
ure out where I had seen the big man
with the square Jaw before.
"While I was smoking a last cigar
before retiring that ewning. It came to
me where I had seen him. It was on a
streetcar in St. Louis, on one occasion
when I was shadowing the shanty at
the cave. He had been on the same car
and had kept his seat when I alighted
near the hut. He had looked at me
then as if he.wantec". to know me the
next time he saw me. I was assured
that he was one of the counterfeiters and
made up my mind to arrest the three
of them the first thing next morning.
"Here I learned a lesson in procras
tination. While I hastily gobbled down
my breakfast the next day, a trapper,
who camped near by and who had gone
to the village the night before for sup
plies, happened along and told me a
most disconcerting bit of news. The
three men had taken French leave. They
had caught a through freight about
midnight, taking little or no baggage
with them. I hastened to the village,
and although I worked the single tele
graph wire to Its utmost capacity, the
three men succeeded in making their es--cape.
"Sending a full cipher report to Wash
ington, I repaired to the cabin in the
swamps and made a careful search of it.
Everything within was in the greatest
confusion. Clothing and shells, guns and
fishing-tackle were strewn about the
floor, evidencing a precipitate departure.
It was tantalizing again to allow the
criminals to escape. I felt deeply
chagrined, and resolved never again to
put oft a matter of this kind. The men
had forestalled me by only a few hours,
for I had intended arresting them that
morning, and there had been nothing in
their conduct during my visit to their
cabin to indicate that they thought of
flight.
"In one corner of the cabin, beneath
the very bunk on which I had slept,
there was an xcavatlon three feet square
and as many deep. The cover was down
and dirt was strewn 'over it, which gave
It the same appearance as the dirt floor
of the house. I discovered it by a hollow
sound when I tapped over the spot. It
was empty.
"I noticed the absence of the pot which
had supplied my supper, but it was
rather a subconscious notice of it. The
WITHA
cuffed, or hit on the head with a billy,
he feels a little better.
"Now tell us all about it," says I.
"Oh, I will." says he: "I'll tell every
thing Just as it happened. But please
don't don't " and down he goes again.
"Up. up!" says I, pokin' my thumb at
him, like the elephant trainers do.
"Pup-pup-please " he starts off once
more.
"Oh, have it your own way," says I. "If
you can talk easier on your knee pads,
why stay there Jaut get busy. What par
ticular kind of an undesirable cit. are you,
anyway?"
"I I'm a thief," says he, beginnln' to
blubber.
"Oh, shocking!" says old Mr. Dayton,
who has been edging out from behind the
corner of the bookcase. Thayer comes to
the front too, and the three of us lines
up before the specimen on the rug.
Now say, I've seen enough of crooks to
know that the average run of 'em don't
go around punlishin' their -record before
strangers; so I takes it we've dug up an
amateur.
"Thief, eh?" says I. "Is that a bluff,
or are you just bragging?"
Yes, yes," he goes on; "I am a thief, a
thief!"
"Well, well," says I. "don't get chesty
over it. You've got lots of competition in
that line. What's your specialty?"
But just then old -Mr. Dayton butts in,
wantin' to try his hand. And say, what
ever that old duck's reg'lar business is,
he missed it by not goln' out with a par
lor organ and a tent; for as an exhorter
he's the fancy goods. First thing Thayer
and I knows he has camped down along
side that shingle-chested wreck, and has
got hold of one of his hands, and he's doin'
the Moody and Sankey turn to beat the
cars. It was "Oh, my poor erring broth
er," and "Sinners come to glory," and all
that 'business; both of 'em rockin' back
and forth on their knees like some one
was pullln' the strings.
' After a few minutes of that Mr. Dayton
looks up at us with his eyes leaky and
says, "Now, friends, let us all Join In a
hymn for the sake of this poor wander
ing soul. Come, 'Salvation Is Free.' To
gether, now!"
Say, would you believe it? He had me
goln'. - 'Maybe I never made a stab at
hymn singin' before, but I did then. So
does" Thayer. The four of us was at It
full tilt, when I looks up and sees Dennis
and Mother Whaley peekin' through the
door, with their eyes popped out and their
mouths open. That sends me off the key
as quick as though I'd fell from a ladder,
and I'd quit for good If old Mr. Dayton
hadn't caught my eye and give me the en
couragin' nod. At that I waves the Wha
leys to beat It, and takes a fresh start.
"Now," says Mr. Dayton, after we'd
staggered " through "Bringing in the
Sheaves,' perhaps our dear brother will
confers his sin." .
"Why, sure,"" says I. "I'll go as far
as"
fact really made no appreciable -Impression
on me at the time, nor did It, in fact,
until more than a year had passed. It
was then recalled by a newsooer dis
patch under date of the small village.
'Some of the boys in the vlllasc had
appropriated the cabin as a sort of club
house, after the throe men had fled. Thy
would spend Saturdays there, fishing and
swimming and hunting. Immediately In
front of the cabin was a steep bank, and
the river widened out into a broad, depp
pool which afforded good tlshing and
swimming. The boys would throw white
pebbles into this hole and dive for them
from the bank. One of them had struck
his head against sumething hard at the
bottom of the river slid had lx?en pullt-d
up a corpse, his skull lwiviug ben frac
tured by the impact of the blow.
"The others investigated and found a
large iron pot half buried in the soft
mud. Ita cover was sealed down and Its
weight had been so great the boys
couldn't lift it from Its oozy bed. Tlie
dispatch stated that the pot was to be
raised and its contents examined.
"I was in Little Rock when I read this
dispatch and, without waiting for instruc
tions from headquarters. I boarded the
first train and set out for the village. I
was In a state of feverish excitement,
fearing I would arrive there after the prt
had been secured. I wanted to be the
first to view its contents. I felt sure I
knew what was in it.
"After a journey that seemed inter
minable I arrived at the village and in
quired about the ot. Aly fears had been
groundless. With the Indifference so
characteristic In country people the vil
lagers had forgotten, after the funeral
of the unfortunate young man, tiie in
cident of the pot. While there had been
some talk of raising it, no one had taken
the lead, and there the matter had rested.
"Securing a team of mules and some
strong ropes and chains. I drove out to
the cabin. By dint of much diving I suc
ceeded In fastening the chains about the
pot and had my assistant drag it out
upon the bank. It was the vessel wh U'H
had hung over the flre when I had visited
the counterfeiters In their lair. Then
I remembered Its absence, when I had
searched the hut after their departure.
It was sealed with paraffin and sealing
wax, and not a drop of water had passed
the lid.
"It contained a complete set of en
gravers' tools, several bottles of power
ful acids, glass stopped and sealed, a
number of bars of silver, some 30d-odd
counterfeit silver dollars, and the dies
with which they had been stamped
with wax, and were as bright and fresh
as when they beat out the false coins
in the secret cave.
"After swearing my assistant to sec
recy, I returned to headquarters with
my booty.
"Not many weeks later two of the
men were captured. I had given the
department a minute description of
them, after their unceremonious de
parture, and its vast machinery had
been set in motion for their apprehen
sion. It is a maxim of the service
that a man once a counterfeiter Is al
ways a counterfeiter! This rule held
good with reference to two of the
men, at least, for they were captured
and convicted of another Job. The in
cidents I haye just related were not
introduced in evidence against them
and consequently escaped the press.
The man with the bulldog jaw escaped
completely at that time, but I met with
him, years after, under circumstances
neither of us will forget so long as
we live."
(Next week Capt. Dickson will relate
the Mory of "The Affair of the Panama
Hat.")
i
"It will be your turn next," says the
old boy, motioning me to go on -the side
track.
Say, you can judge the state I was In
from singin' them hymns when I make a
break like that. Honest, if he hadn't
stopped me, I'd gone on to tell all the
mean things I ever done, or meant to do.
That old gent has the most catchin' kind
of piousness I ever run against. The
wreck feels it too, and as soon as he
gets a show he loosens up.
"It was apples," says he. "I stole ap
ples." What a jar! "Apples!" says I. "G'wan!
If you can't dig up anything worse than
pinchin' a little fruit, you'd better quit.
Ah, take another think!"
But old Dayton wouldn't have it that
way. Says he, "It's a sin to steal a piu.
Go on, my young friend."
And our young friend was more than
willin'. He says his name Is Alfred Mar
ston Boggs, and that he was studyln' to
be a minister. Seems he'd been puttln'
in his vacation gettin' subscriptions for
"The Life of McKinley," and takin' orders
for a glucose fact'ry that turns out home
made preserves, tryin' to make enough to
pay his board durin' the next term. But
he'd run up against it good and hard.
Alfy finds the subscription business over
done, and in the territory he strikes all
the women put up their own strawb'ries -and
canned peaches.
He'd got as far as Albany, and was
workin' his way down the river, when his
last dollar gets away from Iiim. Firs:, off
he eats his jam samples, which givos
him the coilywabbles so bad ho has to lay
off for two days and swaii his agent's
copy of the "Life" for lodgin at; a third
rate hotel. That leaves him all in a
heap at the foot of the slidin' board, with
a 50-miie walk between him and the near
est place where his touch was good.
Alfy has stuck it out for nearly a day,
acquirln' an appetite like a sausage, mill,
when he strikes one of them big estates
up along the Hudson and sees some nice
red apples. There was a high iron fence
with spikes on top, just purpose to keep
folks out; but our young friend has a
gnawin' sensation that won't behave, so
over he climbs. .
'Oh, horrors!" says I. "You didn't
really and truly steal an apple, did you?"
Alfy groans and nods his head, and says
the worst is yet to come. He goes on to
tell how it was a dinky little tree, with
only five or six appies on it; but he gob
bles down tho whole crop. He is just fin
lshin' off the last one when he finds
himself collared by a real elegant young
gent with a half-baked look on his face,
but so mad he s nearly frotliin' at tho
mouth.
"It was terrible!" says Alfy. "He said
I was a common thief, ami that lie was
going to have me put In jail and then
oh, I don't know what mai'.e me do it.
(Coucluded on Page 11.;