f
J
9,
ljc STimcs, New Blaomftclir, Ja.
ntOVIXG AN ALIBI.
d;;t :ctive stoiy.
IF TJ I K I? K in anything more calculated
to sharpen a man's wics, and keep
him continually on the lookout than the
dctcctirc'H business, I don't know what
it can he. - A few years of this life that
we in this peculiar business have to lead
makes it a man's second nature to be
watchful without seeming to be so ht all
and to take notice of what is going on
even when imt engaged on any particular
lay,' as tlic rogues say. 1 have two lit
tle stories to tell which will illustrate
this. ' '
One Sunday, about ten years ago, I
found myself 'at Carlisle, a nourishing
town on the Blank and Blank Railroad.
I was considerably acquainted there, and
had bern there, pretty often on business;
but my being there at this time was the
result of an accident merely. I had been
three hundred miles west of this, trying
in vain to tirid a clue to tho whereabouts
of an absconding defaulter; and coming
back to take u fresh start, I found that a
flood had submerged the track for several
miles east of Carlisle, and that there
would be no getting away till Monday, at
the least. So I made a virtue of necessity
and telegraphing my detention and its
cause to my family, I went up town.
After dinner at the hotel, I dropped iu
at the office of the district attorney,' with
whom J was well acquainted. 1 found
him arranging the details of a number
of criminal cases which were to bo tried
at the court which began the following
Monday.
" Anything of importance ?" I asked,
rather carclccsly.
' One. sit least," he replied. " Joe
Slifer, a notorious scoundrel, is to be
tried for highway robbery. The victim
was dragged out of his buggy on a lonely
road, beaten insensible, and robbed of a
thousand dollars. lie identities Slifer
positively as one of the ruffians."
""What's the defense?"
" I can't imagine. I don't think there
is any, in reality."
'' Maybe he'll prove an alibi," I jo
cosely sufjftestcd. He shook his head.
" They'll hardly try that," he said.
"The facts are too clear."
After soiihs more unimportant conver
sation with lil in. I returned to the hotel
where I spent tho remainder of the
day.
The next day was Sunday. I awoke
quite early, and found the promise of a
beautiful summer day so good that I
dressed myself and sallied out for a walk.
Nobody was stirring yet about the hotel
and the streets were perfectly still. I
walked around several squares, and re
turned to the hotel, meeting only one
person on the way.
That person was standing iu the door
way of a basement saloon as I passed. I
looked down casually, and saw him stand
ing there iu his shirt-sleeves. His hair
was tumbled, and he was gaping, as if
just awakened. I did not discover that
ho was doing anything particular there;
I thought afterward that it was quite
likely that he had been left in a druuken
sleep ou i lie floor or on a bench in tho bar
the night before, and that waking up at
this early hour, he had taken tho wrong
door in seeking for his lodgings, and had
come out of doors instead of going to bed.
My look at him was merely a side glance
but that was enough to photopraph his
face iu my mind. It was a thin, bilious
face, perfectly smooth, with a long nose,
much twisted to one side, and a red scar
over the left eye. I marked it instantly
as the face of a rascal. How I could do
that, I can't explain; our business learns
us to read faces as most nien read books,
and the glance (hat I had at that face
told nic t tint the man was a lawless fellow.
His actions confirmed the opinion. Sleepy
as he looked and acted, no sooner did
he see me passing than ho dove back
through the door and slammed it to.
instantly understood him. ' A
scamp, on some " lay" or other, and don't
want to he spcii," was my thought. And
, I walked on with his photograph iu my
mind, but ceased to think anything of
him or of the circumstance before I reach
ed the hotel.
The day passed ; and bright uud early
Monday' morning I took my satchel und
went down to the depot. But it was to
no purpose ; the office was closed, und a
pIacajL" the wall informed the publio
that t JTo' f ud would not be opeued before
Tuesday!
1 went back to the hotel, too much out
of Bol ts to enjoy my breakfast. I did uot
understand, til) tho day was some hours
older, that i whs needed more hero at
Carlisle than anywhere else, just then.
I went from tho breakfast-table into"
the reading-room, and after I had read
an hour, I heard one man say to another 5
" Let's go over to tho courthouse ;
they're trying Joe Slifer." They went
out ; and remembering my little talk with
the district attorney, my curiosity was
excited, and I followed them.
When I entered the courtroom, the
victim of tho robbery was on tho stand,
lie was a plain simple old man, and gave
his evidenco with apparent truthfulness,
He testified that he was stopped about
sunset, some months before, while passing
from Carlisle to his home with one
thousand dollars that he had drawn that
afternoon from tho bank. It was a lone
ly spot, and there was no house within
half a mile of it. Ho was jogging leisur
ly along, when a light wagon drawn by
two horses dashed up beside his buggy,
and three of the four men in it jumped
out, while tho fourth held the reins. They
were pll masked. One of them sci::ed
his horse by tho bit aud stopped him, tho
second snatched tho lines from his hand
and the third climbed half into the bug
gy, and taking him by tho arms, demand
ed his money. He said that he instantly
shouted as loud as he could ; when the
ruffian dealt him a savage blow with a
slung shot which knocked him scusclcss ;
and when he came to himself again both
robbers and money were gone.
He recognized only one of the four;
the man that struck him. As he drew
back to give the blow his mask dropped,
and revealed tho face of Joe Slifer, tho
prisoner at tho bar. He knew it he
was perfectly positive of it and all the
ingenuity of the cross-examination could
not weaken or shake his evidence upon
this important point.
No other witness was called .for tho
prosecution ; none seemed necessary. The
prisoner's lawyer got up and made a
plausiblo statement to tho jury that the
complainant was mistaken about recog
nizing Joe Slifer on the occasion referred
to ; that Slifer was not there at all, but
that he was at Norcott, fifty miles north of
Carlisle at the very hour of that robbery
and that he should prove it by at least
two good witnesses. He sat down and
called out, " Caleb Wye," and everybody
leaned forward expectantly.
The witness came forward with a slow
limping gait, leaning on a cane. He was
apparently a man of middle age, and was
dressed in a suit of sober black, with a
white choker about his neck. His hair
was silver gray ; and as he mounted the
stand, aud leaning on his cane turned his
eyes placidly to the prisoner's counsel, he
presented an appearance that would at
tract attention and respect anywhere.
I saw him; and though I did not be
tray any surprise, I know that my heart
gave a tremendous thump. For I saw
the bilious, thin face, the crooked nose,
and the scarred forhead of. fhi Tr
whom I had seen twenty-f ' :" f .-'
fore iu the doorway of the saloon. "xV3h
this difference, however the hair of that
man was almost black, while this man's
was silver gray.
I edged my chair quietly up beside
that of tho district attorney, und while
tho man was testyfying I managed to
whisper in the officer's ear without at
tracting the attention of the witness.
The latter testified that he was a dealer
in ready-made clothing at Norcott, and
one of the firm of Wye aud Pleasants.
That on tho day testified to as tho day of
the robbery, both he and his partner
were at their store at Norcott, and there
was an unusual call for goods. Joe Slifer
was then in town ; they knew him well
and had often employed him to help in
tho store. On this particular day they
sent for him; he came immediately; and
he remained at the store, waiting on cus
tomers, from two o'clock to eight, without
once leaving it. Mr. Pleasants was in
court, and he would testify to tho same
facte.
The first question of .he district attor
ney made tho fellow start and shiver.
Arc you iu disguise, sir ?"
"Wh What?" stammered the man.
" Have you a silver-gray wig over your
dark hair ?"
The man looked unuized uud then
frightened, but said nothing ; and before
he could recover his self-possession, the
district attorney had stepped forward aud
removed the wig, revealing a smoothly
brushed head of dark browu hair !
(i What does this ineau?" he asked,
sternly.
" Only a fancy," was tho sulky answer.
" I have worn that wig for years."
" Have you indeed ? Did you wear it
all day yesterday V
" Yes sir," was the confident response.
'Where?"
" At Norcott to be ure."
"All day?"
" Certainly. I was there the whole
day."
".When did you arrive here at Car
isle ?" ; " , ;
" At seven-twenty this morning."
Tho district attorney gavo mo a trium
phant wink; and when he stated to the
court that he desired tho witness to bo
detained till tho close of tho trial, the
sheriff was directed to take charge of
him. Mr. Caleb Wye camo down from
the stand with his wig in his hand, and
took a scat by the sheriff, looking decided
ly more bilious than I had yet seen him
appear, -
Mr. Pleasants was now loudly called
for by tho defence ; but no one came for
ward. The unexpected reception that
the last witness had met probably chilled
the ardor of his confederate, and he
wisely chose to keep himself in tho back
ground. This then was all of the de
fence ; and my evidence at once blew
it to the winds. I looked directly at Mr.
Wye (so called), while I was telling the
jury when, where, and under what cir
cumstances 1 had seen him the previous
day, and I saw him tremble like an aspen
leaf. The jury convicted the prisoner
without leaving their seats, and the wit
ness was locked up for further considera
tion .
I left Carlisle the next morning, and
heard nothing more of this attair for
several weeks. Then a letter from the
district attorney, thanking me for the as
sistance I had rendered him, conveyed
more details.
" Tho witness Wye," he wrote, whose
real name is Nicholas Bray, was
indicted for perjury. A very slight in
vestigation showed me that we could
prove that he had no right to the name of
Wye, that neither he nor any man by
the name af Pleasants ever kept store in
Norcott, and that neither of them was
known there at all. This, with your evi
dence, would have been sufficient to con
vict him; and understanding it as well as
anybody, he concluded to save trouble
and plead guilty. So he and Slifer are
both in the penitentiary, and will stay
there for a te . ni of years.
" But do you know what I think of
this gang? I think that both Wye, alias
Bray, and Pleasants, alias somebody else
who was doubtless in the courthouse dur
ing the trial, were both present at the
robbery, and took part in it. Don't
you?"
It was a shrewd guess, aud, I am in
clined to think, a correct one. So intri
cate and powerful are the combinations
of rogues ; and yet, how they sometimes
be ray themselves by a trifle !
A Cupltal Joke.
T I MllH New Jersey Patriot teils the fol
JL lowing story, which it says is all the
more palatable because it is true and can
be vouched for. It took place a few Sun
days since at oue of the prominent -1th
street churches.
It seems that a worthy deacon had been
very industrious in selling a new church
book, costing 75 cents. At the services
in question the minister, just before dis
missing the congregation, rose and said :
" All you who have children to baptize
will please present them next Sabbath."
The deacon, who, by the way, was a
little deai and having uu eye to sclliu
tho books, and supposing his pastor was
relerring to them, immediately jumped
up ana shouted :
All you who haven't auy, can get
many as you want T$ railing on
mo,
to cents each.
Tho preacher looked cross-eyed at tho
brothc.s, the brothers looked at the cler
gyman,the audience punched each other
in the side, tho bubble grew larger
until it burst into a large guffaw. Ladies
colored up, crimsoned, blushed, und thcu
thanked the Lord or the low price of
peopling the earth.
There was no benedic'tou that morning
worth speaking of. The deacon, after he
found out his mistake, changed his pew
from the frout of the church to the
third from the rear ; und though he can
not hear the sermon, he is consoled with
tho thought that 'the young ladies cannot
snicker at him.
tk& Ruskin says, and well says, that
" It is no man's business wiiothe.' he has ;
genius or not ; work ho must, whatever
he is, but miietly and steadily ; and the .
uaturulaud unforced results of'such work i
will be always tho thing (jod meant him
to do, and will be his best No agonies or '
heurt-iendings will enable him to do auy
belter. If ho is u great man, they will bo i
great ihings ut always, if thus peacefully '
done, good and right ; always, if restlessly
and ambilitioiisly done, false, hollow and .
despicable." ,
What Led to the Arrest of the Great Ex i
press Itobbcrs. ;
. Tho most trivial incidents will often
lead to the detection of criminals, as was
illustrated iu tho case of. the great Ex
press llobbcry of a quarter of a million
that startled the country 'last'" summer;
There were a good many detectives em
ployed in ferreting out the guilty parties
and some of tho newspapers gave some
of them a great deal more credit than
they did mo ; but I caro little for that.
Between you and me, I was the first man
that got a clue to tho robbers, and that
was really what overhauled them in the
end, after a three months' chase all over
the United f'.tates, with no end o" tele
graphing and secret working.
That clue came by chance, as is very
often the case. I was at tho depot,
waiting for a train that was . to bring
a man who had some impcrtant business
forme. There was a crowd at the station
and during tho teu minutes that I had to
wait, I walked up and down the platform.
There wasn't the least reason that I then
knew of for mo to keep an eye out for
anything or anybody; but the sequel
will show that the ruling passion was as
strong with mo as ever.
Tho lightening express for tho east
was to leave just as the train that I was
waitiug for came in. As I ncared the
end of the depot iu my walk. I saw three
men go out and to the le."t of the doorway,
together. I walked straight out after
them, and saw them standing close to
gether, talking fast and eagerly. I gave
a loud " hem !" to make them .look up,
which they all did, at once and I saw
their faces. It is unnecessary for me to
describe them; 1 marked each of them
at a glance, and saw that they were fel
lows who lived by their wits. When
they saw me, they hastily withdrew along
the side of the building, und I passed into
the depot ogaiu and resumed my walk.
I had walked across the platform once,
and when I turned to go back, I saw
one of tho three men whom I had just
left approaching me. Another of the
three passed between us, so close to the
first that lie could have touched him
with his outstretched hand ; and although
they looked directly into each other's
face there was no nod, no, word, no
sign or expression of recognition. I saw
the three within tho next five minutes
each man by himself, and meeting con
tinually us they mixed with the crowd
but never betraying in any way that they
were ought but entire strangers to each
other.
All this would seem strange to any one ;
but I understood it at ouee us the extra
precaution of accomplished rascals, aud I
concluded that some deep and important
ganiQ-w'as afoot. ys the whistle of the
approaching train sounded, the bell of
the departing one struck, and the con- i
ductor shouted " all aboard '." and watch-1
ing now in caimcst fo see what became !
of these men, I saw them take the out-!
going train from ' the side opposite the i
platform, each oue entering a separate Car. i
This was at five o'clock in the after- j
noon. The robbery was committed about :
one o'clock the next morning, iu the ex- j
press cur of this train, and the fact was j
discovered about day-break. Before a
word was iu pr!nt about it, I was sum-1
moned by telegram to the head-quarters
of the company, where I met u dozen j
more detectives that evening. j
Of course, the officer who telegraphed1
to me did not suspect that I was in poss- j
ession of any knowlodgo on the subject ; I
but when I sat down at that first secret !
anxious conference, and doseribod the j
men whom I had noticed at the depot '
ut ,and their actions, one of the de-'
tectives present who lived at a place a j
hundred miles away from the line, instant- i
ly recoguized the description as that of
three burglars well known to the police i
of his town.
Some mouths afterwards the last of the '
three was captured by the aid of this :
clue, and with him the greater part of tho j
money. They had worn masks or black- ,
ened their faces for the robbery, aud ta
ken every precaution against I'ctcetion ; '
and it was remarkable, though not ut all j
unusual in this kind of, business, that 1
their detection and capture, as well us ;
the recovery of most of the money, should '
result from their meeting a total stranger
at a distant city, eight hoars before the
rubbery,
af'" Kind words are the brightest
flowers of earth's e:;istencu ; tiiey make a j
very paradise of the humblest homo that !
the world can show, L'se tiiein, aud es- 1
pecially round the fireside circle. They I
uro jewels beyond price, und more pre-1
eious to heal the wounded heart, and make
the weighed-dowu spirit glad, than all the
other blessings the world can give.
Billing's Advice fo Joe.
BY awl means, Joe, get married, if
you have got a. fair show. Don't
stand shivering on the bank ; but pitch
in und stick yuvo head under aud the
shiver is over. There ain't cuny moro
trick in getting married after you are red
dy, then there iz iu eating peanuts.
Mcnny u man haz stood shivering on the
shore till the river" awl run' out. ' Don't
expect to ma ivy an angel, the angels hev
awl been picked up long ago. llemem
bcr, Joe, you ain't a saint yourself. Do
not marry for buty cxcloosively ; bnty iz
like ice, awful slippery, and tha,ws dread
ful easy. Don't marry .'or luv neither;
luv iz like a cooking stove, good for noth
ing when the fuel gives out. But a
mixture. Let the mixture bo some buty,
becomingly dressed, w'th about $225 in
her pocket, a good speller, hondy and
neat in the house, plenty of good sense,
a tuff constitooshun and by-laws, small
feet, a light stepper; add to this clean
teeth and a warm heart; the whole to bo
well shaken before taken. This mixture
will keep in enny climate, and not evapo
rate. , If the cork happens to be left off
for two or three minutes the strength
am t all gone, doe, ior neaven s saikel
don't marry for pedigree ; thar ain'tmuch
in pedigree unless it iz backed by bank
stocs. A family with nothing but pedi
gree generally lacks sense; arc like a
kight with too much tail, if they would
only take oph some ov the tail they might
possibly get up, but they are always too
illustrious to take oph the tail.
But mi dear fellow, don't be afradcj
wedlock iz as natural as milk ; about
higsten cream thar iz one thing often
don't happen, and that iz awl milk to
hav cream torizc good, and keep sweet ;
it must bo kept in a cool place, and not
be roused up too often .
Don't be an old bachelor; louesumand
selfish, crawling out out ov your hole in
the morning, like a shiny-backed beetle,
and then backing into it again every
night, suspicious and suspected.
I would as soon bo a stuffed rooster, set
up in a show window, or a tin weather
rooster on a ridge pole of a female semi
nary, as u loncsum bachelor, jeered at by
the virginity of the land.
Involuntary Suicide.
A gentleman was recently ound dead
iu his bed at a hotel iu New York
City with a hole through his body, made
by a pistol ball ; the circumstances , po
sition of the body, etc.. goiup; to show
that tho man shot himself while asleep, ,
nndtherefoie unconscious of what he was
doing. The body, it appears, was care
fully covered up to the chin, proving that
tho pistol must have been fired under tho
sheets, and also from the left hand. No
possible cause for tho suicide if such it
was could bo assigned; and it is sup
posed he was uuder the influence of a
vivid dream. In support of this theory,
a New York paper mentioned an instance
where u gentleman came very near kill
ing his wife one uirht through a dream
in which he saw himself iu the act of
shooting a burglar. He awoke just as he
was about to pull tho trigger, and, to his
horror, found himself stauding by tho
side of tho bed, with tho weapon cocked
in his hand, leveled at the head of his
wife. Had ho killed her, but few persons
would have believed tho truth of his
protestations of innocence of murder.
Instances similar to this are not, we be
lieve, without occasional mention in the
annals of crime, nor yet entirely unknown
to jurisprudence.
Doinjr Iier Duty.
During the war, says the Boston Timet,
there was a little girl, and she always felt
" like she was in (Ircgory," because she
lived there. Writing to a Northern
friend ono day she remarked that thero
was a wounded Yank at their house, and
that she was going to ; izen him. Wri
ting again, she said that there were south
ern girls. everlasting ' goiug" for these
blue-coated Yanks, but sho for one would
never be 'subjugated,' und she would
never speak to them no more. Another
letter said that the wounded Yank who
was stopping ut her house, was getting
along finely, und she hated to kill him,
but sho knew her duty. Thero were sev
eral letters after that, and the last one
concluded: ,4By the way, dear, that
wounded Yank wants to marry me, und I
have finally determined to let him do so,
and pizen him afterward. I think I know
my duty.' She certainly did,for she and the
unhappy Yank shortly after started oue
of the best families in Vermont.
The only persons who really enjoy
bad health is tho doctors.