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BAD COMPANY.
Or. TUmasrs on the Evils of Im
proper Associations.
Kestiu Sara to VeBew Gestae With
I FMMU-DHMtl at Tn iKk
lOntH aa gleaaars Cmi
laMUBtAralM.
la a recant MTSM at Brooklyn en the
subject of Evil Associations Dr. Talmage
took bis text from Proverbs xllL : "A
companion of fooU shall be destroyed.
Following ia the sermoa:
"May it please the court" said a con
victed criminal whea asked if he bad any
thing to say before seateace of death was
passed upon him; 'may it please the
court, bad compear has been ay ruin. I
received the blessings of goodpareats and
la return promised to avoid' all evil asso
ciations. Had I kept say promise I should
hare beea eared this shame and beea free
from the load of guilt that hangs about
sae like a vulture, threateaing to drag me
to justice for crimes yet'unrevealed. - J,
who once moved ia the first circles of
society and bare beea the guest of dis
tinguished public men, am lost and all
through bad company."
This is but one of the thousand proofs
that the companion of fools shall be de
stroyed. It is the invariable rule. There
is a well man in the wards of a hospital
where there are a hundred people sick
with ship fever and he will not be so apt
to take the disease as a good man would
be apt to be smitten with moral distemper
if shut up with iniquitous companions.
In olden times prisoners were herded to
gether In the same cell, but each one
learned the vices of all the culprits, so
that, instead of being reformed by incar
ceration, the day of liberation turned
them out upon society beasts, not men.
We may in our places of busiuess be
compelled to talk and to mingle with bad
men, but he who deliberately chooses to
associate himself with vicious people is
engaged in carrying on a courtship with
a Delilah whose shears will clip off all the
locks cf bis strength and he will be tripped
into perdition. Bin ia catching, is in
fectious, is epidemic. I will let you look
over the millions of people now inhabiting
the earth and I challenge you to show me
a good man who, after one year, has made
choice and consorted wih the wicked. A
thousand dollars reward fur one such in
stance. I care not bow strong your char
acter may be. Assotitte with gamblers,
you will be a gambler. Clan with the
burglars and you will become a burglar.
Go among the unclean and you will be
come unclean. Not appreciating the truth
of my t xt, many a young man has been
destroyed. He wakes up some morning
in the great city and knows no one
except the persons into whose employ he
lias entered. As be goes into the store all
the clerks mark him. measure him and
discuss him. The upright young men of
the store wish him well, but perhapi wait
for a formal introduction, and even then
have some delicacy about inviting him into
their associations. But the bad young
men of the store at the first opportunity
approach and offer their services. They
patronize him. They profess to know all
abcut the town. They will take him any
where he wishes to go if he will pay the
expenses. For it a good young man and
-a bad young man go to some place where
hey ought not the good young man has
invariably to pay the charges. At the
moment the ticket is to be paid for or the
champagne settled for the bad ycung man
.-feels around in his pockets and says: I
Jnavo forgotten my p jcke'.book." In forty--eight
hours after tne young man has en
ter d the store ths bad fellows of the es
tablishment slop him oa the shoulder fa
miliarly, and, at his stupdity in taking
certain illusions, say: "My ycung friend,
tou will have to be broken in," and they
i ir mediately proceed to break him in.
Young man, ia the name of God, I warn
yea to beware bow you 1st a bad man talk
f.ituiliarly with you. If such an one slap
you on the shoulder familiarly turn
around and give him a withering look un
til the wretch crouches ia your presence.
There is no monstrosity of wickedness
that can stand unabashed under the
glance of purity and honor. God keeps
the lightnings of Heaven in bi own scab
bard and no buman'arm can wield fcjhexn;
but God gives to every young man a light
ning that he may use and that is the light
ning of an honest eye. Those who have
been close observers will not wonder why
I give warning to young men, and say,
"Beware of bad company."
First, I warn you to shun the skeptic
the young man who puts his Angers in his
est and laughs at your old fashioned re
Jigion and turns over to some mystery of
the Bible and says: "Explain that, my
pious ffien'd; explain that." And who
says: "Nobody shall scare me; I am not
afraid of the fu ure; I ued to believe in
such things, and so did my father and
mother, but I have got over it" Yes, he
has got over it; and it you sit in his
company a little longer you will get over
it too. Without presenting one argu
ment against the Christian religion such
men will, by their jeers and scoffs
and caricatures, destroy your respect for
that religion which was the strength of
your father in his declining years and the
pillow of your old mother when she lay
dying. Alas I a time will come wheu that
blustering young infidel will have to die,
and then his diamond ring will flash no
splendor in the eyes of Death, as he stands
over the couch waiting for his soul. Those
beautiful locks will be uncombed upon the
pillow, and the dying man will say: "I
can not die I can not die." Death, stand
ing ready, beside the couch, says: "You
must die; you have only half a minute to
live; let me have it right away your
soul." "No," says the young infidel,
"here are my gold rings, and these pict-
ares; take them alL" "No," aays Death.
"what do I care for picturesyour soaL"
-'-Stand back," says the dying infidel. "I
will not stand back," says Death," "for
foa have only tea seconds aow to live; I
want your soul." The dying man says:
"Don't breathe that cold air into my face.
Yoa crowd me too hard. It is getting
dark lathe room. OGodl" 'Hush," says
Death, "you said there was no God."
'Fray for me," exclaims the expiring in
fideL "Too late to pray," says Death;
bat three more secoads to live, and I will
count them off one two three." He
has geael Where? Where? Carry him
ut out and bury him beside his father
and mother, who died while holding fast
to the Christian religion. They died sing
ing; bat the yoang infidel only said:
"Don't breathe that cold air into my face.
Yoa crowd me toe hard. It is gettiag
jdaxkm the room."
Again, I urge yoa te skua the cemaan
'ionship of idlers. There are men hanging
around every store, and office, and shop
who have nothing to do, or act as if they
had not. They are apt to come ia whea
the firm are away, aad wish to eagage
yoa ia couveriaiioa while yoa are en
gaged ia yoar regular employment. Fo-
litely saggest to rack persons that yoa
have no time to give them daring business
hours. Nothing would please them so
wall as to have yoa reaoaace your occu
pation and associate with them. Muck of
the. time they loaago around the club
rooms or the doors of eaglae kouses. or
after the dining hear saaasea the steps
of a fash enable hotel or aa etegait res
taurant, wishiag ta tiro yoa ike idea that
that is the p son where they dine. Bat
they do aot diao there. They are slaking
down lower aad lower, day by day.
Neither by day aor by aigbt kave aay
tkiag to do w.th the idlers. Before yoa
admit a man late your aceaalatauce ask
kirn politely: 'What do yoa do for a liv
ing?" If ho says. "No'hing; I am a gen
tleman." leek out for him. Bo nay kavo
a vary soft hand and Tory faultless apt a
rel, and have a klgk-soaating family
name, but k s touch Is death. Before you
know it yoa will ia kit presence bo
ashamed of yoar work drees. Business
will become to yoa drudgery, and after
awhile yoa will lose yoar place, and after
ward your respectability, and ait or all
your souL Idleness is next door to vil
lainy. Thieves, gamblers, burglars,
snop lifters and assaisias are
made from the class who have nothing
to da When the police go to hunt up and
arrest a culprit they seldom go to look in
among busy clerks or ia the busy carriage
factory, tat they go among the idler'.
The play is going on at the theater, when
suddenly there is a scuffle in the top
gallery. What is it? A pjlicemaa has
come in, and, leaning over, has tapped o i
the shoulder of a young man, saying: "I
want you, sir." He has not worked dur
ing the day. but somehow- has raked to
gether a shilling or two to get into the top
gallery. He is an Idler. The man on his
right hand is aa idler aad the man on his
left hand is an idler.
Shrink back from idleness in yourself
and in others if yoa wouM maintain a
right position. Good old Ashbel Green at
more than eighty years of age was foand
bay writing and some young man said to
him: ''Why do you keep busy? It is time
for you to rest." "I keep bu y to keep
out of mischief." No man is stioug enough
to be idle.
Are you .fond of pictures? If so I will
show you the works of an old master.
Here it is: (I went by the field of the
slothful and by the vineyard of the man
void of understanding; and lot it was all
grown over with thorns, and nettles had
covered tae zace taereor. ana tne stone
wall was broken down. Then I saw and
considered welL I looked upon it and re
ceived instruction. Yet a little sleep, a
little slumber, a little folding of the hands
to sleep. 80 shall thy poverty come as one
that traveletb and thy want as an armed
man." I don't know of another sentence
in the Bible more explosive than that. It
first hisses softly like the fuse of a can
non and at last Lursts like a fifty-four
pounder. The old proverb was right:
"The devil tempts most men, but idlers
tempt the deviL"
A young man came to a man of ninety
years of aga and said to him: "How hava
you made out to live so long and be so
well?" The old man took the youngster
to an orchard, and, pointing to some large
trees full of apples, said: "I planted these
trees when I was a boy, aad do you
wonder that now I am permitted to gather
the fruit of them?" We gather in old age
what we planted in our youth. Sow to the
wind an J we reap the whirlwind. Plant
in early life the right kind of a Christian
character, and you will eat luscious fruit
in old age, and gather these harvest apples
in eternity.
Again: I urge. you to avoid the per
petual pleasure seeker. I believe in rec
rea'ion and amusement I need it as
much as I need bread, and go to my daily
exerciie with as conscientious a purpose
as 1 go to the Lord's 8upper; and all per
sons of sanguine temperament must have
amusement and recrea ion. God wou'd
not have made us with the capacity to
laugh if he had aot intended us sometimes
to indulge it God bath bung in sky and
set ia wave and printed on grass many a
rounde'ay; but be who chooses plea ure
seeking for his life work does not under
stand for what God made him. Our
amusement 1 are intended to help us in
some arnet mission. The thunder cloud
lm h a'i edge exquisitely purpled, but
with voice that jars the earth, it declares:
ul go to water the green fields." The
wild flowers under the f-nce are gay, but
they say: 'We stand hire to make a
beautiful edge for the wheat field and re
fresh the husfca'idmen in their nooning."
The s ream sparkles aid foams and frolic
a id says: i go to laptize the moss. I
lave the sools on the trout I s'ake the
thirst of the bird. I turn the whel of
ihe mill. I rock in my crys'al cradle
murksbaw and water lily." And bj,
while th9 world pays, it works. Look
out for ths man wh alwavs Dlavs and
never works.
Vim will do well to avoid tho'e whose
regular business it is to play ball, skate or
go a-boating. All these sports are grand
in their places. I never derived so much
advantage from any ministerial associa
tion as from a ministerial clab that went
out to play ball every Saturday afternoon
in the outskirts of Philadelphia These
recreations are grand to give us muscle
and spirits for our regu'ar toil. I believe
in mucular Christianity. A man is often
not so near God with a weak stomach as
when he has a strong digestion. But
shun those who make it the;r life occupa
tion to sport There are young men whose
indutry and usefulness have fallen over
board from the yacht oa the Hodon or
the Schuylkill. There are mea whoie bad
ness fell through the ice of the skating
pond aad has never since been beard of.
There is a beauty ia the gliding of a boat
ia the song of skates, ia the soaring of a
well-stiuck ball, and I aever see oaefiy
bat I involuntarily' throw up my hands
aad catch it; and, so far from laying aa
injunction apoa ball playing, or aay otber
innocent sport; I claim them all as belong
ing of right to those of us who toil ia the
grand industries of church and state.
Bat the life business of pleasure seeking
always makei ia tae. end a criminal or a
sot George Brammel was smiled apoa
by all England, and bis life was g.vea to
pleasure He daaosd with peeresses aad
swung a reaad of mirth aad wealth and
applaase aatil exhansted af parse aad
wore oat of body aad bankrupt of reputa
tion aad ruined, of soul ke begged a
biscait from a grocer and deelared that he
thought a dog's life was better thaa a
man's.
Bach men will crowd around yoar desk
or couater or work beach or seek to decoy
yoa off. They will waat yoa to break out
ia the midst of, yoar busy day to take a
ride witk them te Coaey Island or to Oea
ami aark, They wiH tell yoa of some peo
ple yea must see; of some excursion skat
yoa must take; of seme sabbath day.tkat
you ought to dishonor. They will tell you
of exquisite wiaes that yoa must take; of
costly operas that yoa must hear; of won
derfal daaeers that yoa must see; hut be
fore yoa accept their convoy or their com
panionship remember that while at the end
of a asefal life yoa may be able to look
back to the kindness done, to honorable
work accomplished, to poverty helped, to
a good name earned, to Christina infiasnee
exerted, to a Saviour's cause advanced
these pleasure seekers oa their deathbed
have nothing better te review Una a
playbill, a ticket for the races, ai
tankard aad the cast out rinds" of
roaal; aad as ia the delirium of their
awful death they dutch the tablet aad
press it to their lips, the dregs of the cup
filling upon their tongue will begia to hiss
and aacoii with the adders of aa eternal
poison.
Cast these mea oat from year eompaay.
Do aot be intimate with them. Always be
po I lie. There is no demand that yoa ever
sacrifice politeness. A young man ac
costed a Christian Quaker with: "O d
chap, bow did you make all your money?"
The Quaker replied: "By dealing in aa
article that thoa mayest deal ia if tboa
wilt civility." Always be courteous, bat
at the same time firm. Say no as if yoa
meant it Have it understood .ia store aad
shop aad street that yoa will not stand ia
the companionship of the skeptic, the idler.
the pleasure seeker.
Rather than enter the companionship of
such, accept the invitation to a better
feast The promises of God are the f raits.
The harps of Heaven are the music.
Clusters from the vineyards of God have
been pressed into the tankards. The sons
and daughters of the Lord Almighty are
tne guests. While, standing at the ban
quet, to fill the cups and divide the clus
ters and' command the harp and welcome
the guests, is a daughter of God on whose
brow are the blossoms of paradise, and In
whose cheek is the flush of celestial sum
mer. Her name is Religion.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
Aad all her paths awTsesie.
Decide toon, young' man, .on what
direction you will take. T. are comes
such 'a moment of final' decision why net
this3v.9H5' vel"e tsaw-a man at the
streer corner evidently' "doubting as to
what direction he had better take, his bat
lifted hig.'i enough so you could see he had
an ihtelligant forehead, and he had a stout
chest and a robust development Splendid
young man. ..Cultured young man. Hon
ored young man. Why did he stop there
while eo many were going up and dowa?
The fact is that every man has a good
angel and a bad angel contending for the
mastery of his spirit, an 1 tbtra was a
gojd angel and a bad angel struggling
with that young man's soul at the corner
of the street. "Come with me," said the
gool angi-1; "I w 11 take you home; I
will spread my wine over your pillow:
I will lovingly escoityou all through lift
under supernatural protection; Iwiil bless
every cup you drink out of, every couch
you rest on, every doorway you enter; 1
will consecrate your tears when you weep,
vour sweat when you toil and at the last
I will hand over your grave to the bright
angel of a Christian resurrection. Iu an
swer to your father's petition and youi
mother's prayer I have been seat of the
Lord out of Heaven to be your guardian
spirit "Come with me," said the good
angel in a voice of unearthly symphony.
It was music like that which drops from a
lute of Heaven when a seraph breathes
on it.
"No, no." said the bad angel, "come
with me; I have something better to offer.
The wines I pour are Irom chalices of be
witching carousal. The dance I lead it
over floor tessellated witk unrestrained
indulgences. There is no God to frown
on the temples of sin where I worship.
The skies are Italian. The paths I tread
are through meadows daisied and prim-
rosed. Come with me." The young man
hesitated at a time when hesitation was
ruin aad the bad angel smote the good
angel until it d parted, spreading wings
through the starlight upward and away,
until a door flashed opea ia the sky aad
forever the wings vanished. That was
the turning point in that young man's
history; for, the good aagel flows,
he hesitated no longer, but started
on a pathway which is beautiful
at the opening, but blasted at the
last The bad angel, leading the
way, opened ga'e af ergate, and at each
gate the tea i becam rougher aad the sky
more lurid, and, what was more peculiar,
as the gate slammed shut it came to with
a jar that indica ed that it would never
open. Passed ah porta', there wan a
grinding of locks and a shaving of bolts:
and the scenery on either side ths read
changed from gardens to deserts, aad ike
June a'r became a cutting December b ast,
and the brirhn wings of ths bal angel
turned to sackcloth, and the eyes of light
became hollow with hopeless grief, and
:b ouniain, that a' he s art bad tossed
vi ith wine, poured forth bubbling tears aad
foaming blood, and on the right side of
the road there was a serpent end the man
said to the bad angel : "What is that ser
pent ?" and the answer was : "That in the
serpent of stinging remorse." Oa the left
side the road there was a lion, and the
man asked the bad angel: "What is that
lion?" and the answer was: "That is the
lion of all devouring despair." A. vulture
flew through the sky, and the man asked
the bad angel: "What is that vulture?"
and the answer was: 'That is the vult
ure waiting for the carcasses of the
slain."
And then ths man began to try to pull off
of him the folds of something that had
wound him round and round, and he said
to the bad angel: "What is it that twists
me in this awful convolution?" and the
answer was: "That is the worm that aever
dies I" And then the man said to the bad
angel: "What does all this mean? I
trusted in what yon said at the corner of
the street that night; I trusted it all.
and why have you thus deceived
me?" Then the last deception fell eft
of the charmer, aad it said: "I was seat
forth from the pit to destroy your soul; I
watched my chance for msay a long year;
when you hesitated that aight oa the street
I gained mv triumph, now yoa are here,
Ha! Ha! Yea are here. Come, aow, let
us fill these two chalices of fire and drink
to darkness and woe and death. Hail!
Hail!"
O, yoang man, will the good angel
seat forth by Christ or the bad angel seat
forth by sin get the victory over yosr
soul? Their wiags are interlocked this
moaunt above you, contending for your
destiny, as above the Apeaaiaes eagle aad
condor fight mid-sky. This hoar may de
cide your destiny. God help yes. Te
hesitate is to die!
"Why do you wear such a mannish
looking cloak? asked one fair damsel
of another as they strolled down State
street together this morning-. "Well,
you see," was the reply, "I ride oa
railway cars a great deal and like to
have a seat all to myself. So I sit
dowa sad ting this coat over the back
of the seat beside me. Every one
think it is a coat belonging to soma
gentleman who will soon return from
the smoking car aad act as my escort.
In consequence I am always comfort
able without having to be impolite
Albany Journal.
JANET.
Ah, my false, false-hearted Janet!
sae was false aad she bees a it.
Far she turned her eyes npsa
ward tram the school.
Lessees me sad hlashed and faltered
That I st sum a so strangely altered
Waslt any thing that she had done that
Tats was thirteen veers are,
In the aortas, sad we grew cli
Through thednadeMoa seasoa and the dalsy
seeated weeks,
Aad we two were foand together, sunny skies
or stormy weather.
Wandering through the hoary wceJtaade and
beside the crystal creeks.
We were yoang: had we beea older
Oar devotion had beea colder.
Hand tn hand we had not wandered thenVith
feet all brown sad bare :
We were ten: had we heea tweaty
Surely I should aet have pleaty
Of dead dandelion blossoms plucked from
Janet's tangled hair.
Bat ere I had learns J to whisper.
Passion moved, or she to lisp her
Soft replies of doubt or confidence.
The summer time had fled;
And whea came the winter oover
Oa the hills, another lover
Drew my false, false-hearted Jsaet oaa crimson-colored
sled.
H. a Tomer, ia N.Y.Mall and Express.
A LUCKY DETECTIVE.
Chance Enabled gm to Make
Some Important Arrests.
Going for a Shave and Catching a Mar.
dcrer Lock flays a More Import
ant Part Thaa Shrewdness Ia
Detective Work
The .uck and ill luck of detective
life is something' wonderful. The luck
we hear of every day. The ill luck is
suppressed as much as possible. In the
month of June. 1867, 1 was spending
a few days with relatives of mine on a
farm near Oberlin. Ohio. I had been in
detective business about five years.
I drove into the town ono day. On
the way in I got out of the wagon
and picked up a copy of a Cleveland
paper which was lying1 on the highway.
The first thing I saw was an account of
v murder at Peru. Indiana, several
nys before. An old man had been
mrdered and robbed of a large amount
of money. Not the slightest clue of the
murderer had been discovered. No one
could say whether he was old or yoang.
white or black, or which way he had
gone. It seemed a hopeless case, and
I felt a bit sorry for the two Chicago
officers who had been sent for to work
the case out.
The first call I made after reaching
Oberlin was at the post-office. I then
visited a barber shop, bul the two
chairs were occupied, and I had to
wait about ten minutes. Having noth
ing to occupy my mind, I looked the
two barbers over in detail, and then
turned my attention to the customer in
the nearest chair. I began at his feet
first. He wore No. 8 gaiters, and they
were a new pair; indeed, they had
never been blackened. His trousers
were frayed about the bottom, and. as
I came to look closer, I saw that, they
were old and threadbare. On the left
leg, which was nearest me. between
the knee and the ankle, were several
tains. They might have been made
by either blood or acid. When the
man sat up straight after his shave 1
saw that his coat was also old. and I
looked over to his hat on the hook to
find it very rusty. Ihe barbers were
not speaking to either of the men, so
that both must be strangers in the
town. My man had reddish hair, which
he had had clipped close before I came
in. His neck was sunburned and dirty,
and, after looking him over from toe
to crown. I said to myself:
"This chap has all the looks of a
professional tramp. That suit was
probably given him, but ten to one he
stole those gaiters. Wonder if he can
scrape up enough to pay the barber."
The bill was thirty-five cents. The
man gave me a furtive look as he got
out of the chair, and while being
brushed he felt in his pockets for
change. He had two ten-cent shin
plasters, but as these were not enough
he half turned from me and fished a
greenback out of his pocket. The bar
ber had to go out to change it, and the
man was so impatient and nervous that
he could not stand still. When the bar
ber returned he had the change for a
twenty-dollar note. He began to count
it oat, but the stranger muttered his
confidence that it was all right, and
reached out for the pile and crammed
it into his vest pocket. He was about
to go, when I rose up and said:
"My friend, 1 want to have a few
words with you, if you are not in a big
hurry.
"But I am!" he replied, trying to
push past me without looking me in
the face.
"But you'll have to wait just the
I want to know who yon are."
There was a back door to the shop.
He wheeled and sprang for it, but it
was locked. As he turned on me again
he pulled a revolver from his bosom
sad leveled it on me and fired a shot
which west over my head aad through
the window. Before he could Ire agaia
I had him jammed against the wall,
one hand hold of the weapon aad the
other oa bis throat, aad I choked him
until he sank down in a heap. Who
did, he turn out to be? The Indiana
murderer who had beea dodging about
ths country for six days, aad who had
rua the gauntlet of a hundred officers.
It was. blood oa bis trousers, theugh
we did aot have to prove it, aa he made
a full confession. It was simply my
good luck.
About fifteen years a go, while con
nected with the force in Chicago, a
jewelry house on State street was
robbed of $12,000 worth of jewelry.
Aside from this there was a package of
Government bonds amounting to over
$17,000, which had been deposited is
ths safe for security. Ths robbery was
estamittedby arofeesioeal cracksmea,
who left their tools behind but no clue.
I was at this time at Bowling Greeu.
Kentucky, after a oouaterfeiter. I got
a false stae. which lad me dowa to
Franklin, asd whea I started to return
I took aa accommodstioa train. It
wss st sight, aad. there was hut sae
coach on the traia, aad that coataised
oaly five psrrsmaffnrs beside myself.
Three of these were natives, sure
enough, while ths other two talked
about a coal mine is Tennessee, asd
seemed to own land ia that State. I
gave them little attention, being three
sess ia the rear, aad was talking with
the conductor oa general matters,
when the two mea suddealy became in
terested in something one of them held
in his hand. Their hesds were to
gether, and they were evidently deeply
interested, when the report of a pistol
was heard, followed by a cry of agony
and a yell of alarm. The object of
their curiosity was a derringer, and it
had accidentally beet, discharged, the
bullet entering the leg of one of the
men just abovo the knee. In his pain
and fright the wounded man sprang
up, and turned fiercely on the other
with the exclamation:
Curse you. but you did that on
purpose! You wanted all the swag to
yourself."
The conductor andfcl were beside
them in a minute. The wounded man
fell back on the seat, and he evidently
regretted the break he had made a
few seconds before, for he said, as we
came up:
"Tom, old fellow. I had my own
finger on the trigger, and pulled it oil.
You are not a bit to blame."
"But what about the swag? I de
manded, as I stood over them.
"He meant our coal mine." replied
the one called Tom.
"Yes; we are partners in a coal
mine." added the wounded man.
'O, that's it- Well let's see what
can be done for you?"
It was a bad wound so bod that I
knew his leg would have to come off.
as the big bullet had shattered the
bone, and I suggested to the conductor
that he make as fast time as he dared
to Bowling Green, where medical at
tendance could be had. To my sur
prise the men asked to be put off at
some highway crossing, near a farm
house, saying that a country doctor
could manage the case well enough.
and that the quietness of the country
would be best for the patient. This
satisfied me that they were suspicious
characters, and I assumed the author
ity to remove the one and handcuff
him to a seat at the rear of the coach,
and to search both. The one "bad a re
volver and the other the derringer,
and before 1 was through searching I
brought to light all the stolen bonds
aad jewelry. It was sheer luck again.
Four of our men were out on their
trail, but on false scents. They were
supposed to have gone East, while I
picked them up in the South. The
fellow who was shot not only lost his
leg but his life. The other was returned
to Chicago, and he received a long sen
tence for his crime. There was a great
deal of newspaper talk about my
shrewdness, but I didn't deserve a
word of praise. The case simply came
to me. The ripe fruit dropped into my
hands. Things fall that way to a lucky
man, no matter what business he is en
gaged in.
One of the bits of luck which fell to
me several years ago, and which was
much talked about at the time, came
about in a very singular way. I had
been sent down to Augusta, Ark., to
identify a man who had beea arrested
there, and was supposed to be a robber
wanted in Chicago. He did not prove
to be the man we hoped he was. and I
was mailing reaay to return wnen a
resident of the town, who was aa old
acquaintance of mine, put forward
a speculation. He had just purchased
a saw mill a few miles down White
river, and he believed there was big
money to bo made in buying a large
tract of timber contiguous to the milL
This tract was for sale at a low figure,
but my friend could not raise the cash.
The result of our talk was that we took
a boat next morning and were left at
the mill landing. While he was over
seeing some change of machinery
I started out to get some idea of the
value of the timber. The first thing 1
knew I was lost in the forest, and I did
just what all other people do under the
circumstances headed the wrong way.
Instead of going toward the river. I
went away from it. It was in July, and
although the mosquitoes nearly de
voured me. there was no danger of suf
fering from the inclemency of the
weather.
It was about tea o'clock ia the morn
ing when I started out, aad by mid-af t
ernooa I had walked at least tea miles,
aad knew that I was entirely bewil
dered. Icouldat keep astralght course
for the creeks sad swamps, ssd the day
was so cloudy and the forest ss dease
that there was no sighting ths saa to
guide me. It wss just five o'clock ia
the afternoon whea I reached a good
sized stream, and ths first thing I saw
was an old house boat tied to the bank.
There .was smoke coming out of a
stovepipe thrust through the roof, and
I congratulated myself that I had
reached shelter aad sosaesaiag ts est.
There wss a plank reachiag from the
boat to shore, aad I ascended it and
entered ths cabin uaaaaoanced. A
white man aad a negro were sitting ia
the rude room, aad a fire had just beea
kindled ia the cook stove. There was
a door at the other side of theTsoat.
It stood wide open, aad ths iaetaat ths
men caught sight of me bath sprang
for the door. Ia the rush they bumped
into each other aad both relied to ths
fieor. The white man was the quicker
of the two, and while I stood looking
asd wondering he scrambled up asm
lung himself into the walor and swans
to the apposite shore.
"Doan't shoot! Forde Lawd'ssaktP
doan't kill met" yelled the negro as he
rolled over aad over oa the floor.
"What does this mean?" I demanded.
"It means dat I surrenders!" he re
plied. "Very welL Now sit up and tell
who you are aad what you are doirn
sere."
"I had to come alone, boss. I didn't
want to. but dey said dey would dua
kill me."
'Who owns this bost?'
"Why. dat Harding gang, in eo'se.
"Asd what are you doing here
"Dub hklin' out. I s'pose."
I was ss stupid that I did not realize
what luck had come to me until the
negro gave it away. Then I secured
him against escape and searched the
boat, and in that old hulk I found over
$6,000 worth of dry goods, clothing,
boots and shoes, jewelry, hardware
and other stuff, the proceeds of a dozen
big robberies along the river- Thero
was a gang of four men engaged in the
work, and the negro was their cook.
The boat was hidden away in a branch
of the White River to wait for a rise of
water to get down to the Mississippi,
and three of the gang were off that day
to spot a country store some seven
miles distant.
The negro and, I stood guard all
night, for I soon found that I could
trust him. but if tho fellows returned
to the neighborhood we did not ecu
them. Next day wo got the boat down
to the mil', which was hardly four
miles away, and from thence she was
taken to Clarendon and the goods re
turned to their owners, as far as pos
sible. The robbers were all identified
by name and person by the npgro, and
within a few weeks were either cap
tured and sent to prison or run into the
swamp and shot dowu. X. Y. Sun.
WINGED SCAVENGERS.
Uow tho Crows Arm Kespeeteil la Oaaat-a
ror Thoir Uood Works.
The city of Omaha has in its service
a force of thousands of scavengers who
draw no pay. report to no official, but
are protected by law from molestation.
They are the crows who flock in town
as regularly as cold weather comes,
stay during the winter and vanish in
the spring-. Each evening as the shad
ows fall legions of crows wing their
way in a seemingly endless Sight to
the willow copses and clumps of small
cottonwood trees on the banks of the
Missouri, where they roost for ih
night. A favorite haunt is at the bend
of tho river between Cut-otT and Flor
ence Lakes, where the banks shelter
the northwest wind. The air is thick
with sable wings and resonant with,
hoarse caws there after sunset eaeu
night, as ths scavengers settle down
among the branches to dream of back;
area lunches and carrion spreads.
With the break of day the sable flock
bestirs itself. Each member hops
lops
flat
about to warm its chilled legs, stretch'
its shiny wings and heads back tow;
the city. The vast flock breaks i'
small groups and they alight here and
there on the tree-tops and survey the
back yards aad alleys until they can
pick out foraging places. Then they
descend and in short order the remains
of the breakfasts, the scraps of meat
from markets and the rats killed by
household dogs and cats are gobbled
up. Some crows do scavenger work
about the residences. Others alight
cautiously in the alleys, and others ars
attracted to the stock-yards and packing-houses
at South Omaha. They
fight shy of the business blocks. Tho
crow who inhabits the Missouri is of
the same breed with the crow who
pulls up the farmer's corn in Vermont.
In the East he is a nuisance. The
granger shoots him on sight, tries to
frighten him with scarecrows and dip
the corn into coal tar before he plants
iU in the hopes that it will spoil the
pretty raven's appetite. Two healthy
New England crows can devastate a.
twenty-acre corar field if unmolested.
But the crow who migrates to the
West becomes a respected resident,
and nobody asks. "What was your
name back East?" or asks bow he
stood with the farmers. He mates
with a chipper Dinah crow in a clump
of willows on the bottoms, and in due
time they hatch out a nest of hungry
crowlets. The father rustles for grass
hoppers, bugs and toads, while tho
youngsters are growing their pin feath
ers. As soon as they can flv their
mother leads them away from the con
taminating influences of the city into
the pure, green country, and the whole
family turns loose upon the vermin and
insects. None of them ever trouble
the corn-fields, and none of the farmers
ever trouble them. During the fall
they pick up the loose grain, and now
aad then play free-lunch fiend oa the
cors-fields. Ia the West much sf the
eorn is left standing in the fields during
the winter, while in the East it is stored
ia the barn before snow falls. Perhaps,
tbisappareat generosity oa the part of
the farmer ia Nebraska has something
to do with improved conduct of the
bird. However this may be. the bird
ia the Missouri Valley does not rely
upon the corn-field, summer or winter.
for subsistence. Nebraska, Iswa and
Missouri crows rendezvous largely a
Peru, ia this State. It is a famous
roast for them, aad has attracted the
attention of aatnrslists. Praf. Tavlor.
f the Normal School at Peru.' has
made a dees studv of th habit or
these crows, and is writing a series of
mm. v ...v: 1 -& . .,
r f low Buujvvt.
Meantime 1
wits crow continues ia saend bSSBui
aawra is us couatrv aad his winters m
the city, following the fashion whieh
his wealthiest biped patrons set for-yss.--Omaha
World.
The leeceof tea goats and the
work of several mea for half a year are
required to make a cashmere sftawi
jars sad a half wide,
V
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