13 TIT 13 OMAHA DAILY 11212 : TTtUDAY , NOVEMBER 5 , T897.
ROMANY'S ' WINTER FLITTING
Cold Weather Driving Gypsies from Tholr
Summer Damping Grouuas ,
FACTS ABOUT A LITTLE KNOWN PEOPLE
dill n > ot Tilt-til MUM- Trillion lo Kollou ,
Oilier * Hliuplj' Me Around mill
Sllth for Crccn KIclilN 1'itck-
Ul > unit 3liMlnu. |
"The gypsy's winter Is nt hand. All the
country over the scattered bands of the
Tngrant Romany arc turning their horses'
liends toward that particular spot which Is
to bo their place of hibernation. He loves
warmth and sunshine and blrdsong , docs the
llomany ; but the frcsts of wintertime affright
Mm. So ho hies him to the far couth ; or ,
Hutting his van away , takes shelter beneath
n uncongenial rcof In some kaulo-sav or
gloomy city. "
In this wise spoke Paul Kestcr , the best
Interpreter whom the Gypsy race has found
In our own tlnuo , and author of "Tho Real
Gypsy" a kbonly sympathctlc'collectlon of
talcs descriptive of the Romany. Mr. Kcstcr
has devoted many long years to the study
of thcie nomads from the east , and he maybe
bo said to know them as well as any Gorglo
or gentile can ever know. He has Just re
turned from a visit to the famous summer
camp of the patriarch , Chenodlnc Love ! , near
Newark , one of the largest of Its kind In
America , and has made n careful study of
the preparations now In progress for the
annual southern migration of old Level and
his tribe.
"Some of the families , " said Mr. Kcstcr ,
"will remain a llttlo longer following the
CHENODINE LOVRLL'S GYPSY CAMP ON THE WAY SOUTH.
pattrln trail. Those are the ones In whost
natures a .deeper love of nature and open-
air life happens to be planted. The Gyps }
hates cold , heartily , but I have known him
to brayn the twinges of premature frost In
order to snatch a few more days In the
country , among the changing leaves' . How
ever , the great majority are already getting
ready io move.
"Where docs the Romany spend his |
winter ? Well , mostly he goes Into city
quarters. Nearly every gypsy has some
avocation which he can ply In. town. Many
indeed have prosperous businesses of their
own ; which are left to take care of themselves - '
solves , or to be taken care of by Gorglos
Ourlng the summer months. Livery stable
keeping IP a favorite branch of tradp with
them , and scores of gypsy stable proprietors ,
some ot them quite rich , may be met with
throughout the cities , and especially In New-
England. The women , of course , practice
fortune telling whatever the 'police ' will let
them * and peddling where fortune telling Is
"tabooed. In numerous cases cozy little shops
uro waiting for them to start the winter
occupations again.
CHENODINE LOVEL'S OPINIONS.
"Old Chcnodlne Level and his tribe are
going s nth , and will probably continue their
open-air life all through the winter , wlillo
camping through Florida and Louisiana.
'Don't > ou talk to mu of the gay , ' said old
Level , n few weeks ago. 'TIu ; gay s just llko
n church yard , rye ; and when I goes Into
n big city and sees the Gorglos a-llvlng in
. their whltu houses , all alike and all sldei by
Bide , I thinks to myself that I'll be laid
nway In the ground scon enough under a
llttlo house- Just like ono of them. My people
ple were iiiado for the fresh , alr , rye , and
the fresh air , and the roads , and the trees
and fluids are our only real homo. ' Old
Level meant every word ho said , I don't
believe you could get him to live In a city
unr'.er any circumstances. Tha Levels have
Eoveral vans , and honietimes as many is :
thirty or even thirty-five , no plu travel with
the tribe. It Is qulto a formidable caravan ,
nnd In the da > s when 'drabblng thu baulo'
( stealing the pig ) and similar devices for
Illicitly swelling the Romany larder wuro
In vogue , tin ) touthein formers used to io
around \ylth guns while 1-ovel'n trlbo was
passing , Now thu old man nnd his family
ore ) better known In thu south , and they nro
seldom or nuver molest til.
" ! > 'or weeks boforu the actual striking of
the tents there Is pocking going on In the
camp. " Everything not In actual uee Is
stowed away. Moreover , the trade In hoiHC'S
( every traveling Romany Is a horto dealer
to a greater or less extent ) becomes moro
brisk. Animals aie bought , sold or
swapped , ' Until n goodly string of likely
caltlo U hobbled at the back of thu encamp
ment. You can pretty nearly always tell ,
liy tint look of those horses , Jiow their gypsy
owners are going to spend the winter. If
tha beasts me heavy , stoutly built buupts
they are Intended for farm use , nnd you
can feel certain that the caravan Is about
to drift southward. If , en the other hand ,
they consist of hacks and tha llko. suitable
( or the city , It U reasonable to suppose
that their possessors propose to make for
foino largo town ,
TOLD THEIR TENTS LIKE THE ARABS.
"The truo' gn > sy has the oriental knack of
folding bis tent llko thn Arab and silently
stealing nway. Once the lomu Impedimenta
of tlio camp has been ( towed away , the
lienvy packing Is flnlxhoi with a will and
frciUi | > ntly finished between two suns. I ro-
xnember one evening visiting a gypsy ramp
an unusually largo camp , too and noticing
no sign of an approaching divarture. The
tents were all up , the tires were lit , and
jrts were swung above the blazing logs ,
Children and dogs playe > \ among the vans ,
and horses grazed us they h'Jd done through
out the summer. Men lay smoking under
the tiees and women moved hither and
thither , or gathered In little groups for a
chat. In this state I left the encampment ,
promising myself to return next day , when
I milit | bo able to InciVako my friendship
with the Romany. Next day , accordingly , I
returned to the spot , but saw no sign of
vans , tents or gyialcs. At first I fancied
that I bad made a mistake It ) the locality ,
bit : an Investigation showed mo that I was
quite right. There were the charred remains
of the campflres and tlicvo , too , ran the
wheel marks left by the vans as they were
being driven toward the nearby roaJ. Truly
the gypsies had startid for winter quarters
between sunset and sunrise. In such way
ho old patriarchs of the bible must have
moved from pasture land to pasture land ,
bringing with them their tribes and driving
before them their flocks nnd hcrJs. WhIU I
was ttlll In 'tho tend of drowslbrad' my
Ilomany friends hntl , without doubt , put
many miles between Ibclr iiimmer rcstlns
place and Iho winter homo frr which they
were bound.
1'iuvATH TKL-noiiApn SYSTK.M.
"Such cahl\aM fever great distances.
Ilat-ely docs a gypsy go Into winter quarters
nt a place n6ar which ho has spent the sum
mer. When -changes ho desires a com
plete change , and hcnco he generally goes
as far away ns ho possibly can. I have
known gypsies who summered near St. Paul
to winter In Denver or further south. They
still keep up the romantic custom of sprink
ling tufts of grass and similar tokens along
the reads by which ( hey vass , to that other
gjprtlcs may lie guided by these pattrlns
nlciiR the right trail. Uut , as I have elsewhere -
where pointed out , they arc getting to use
the telegraph mere and moro every day.
Poetically Inclined porsont , may agree with
tlio old-school Homany that this Innovation
Is a regrettable one ; but the convenience of
the wire anicals to the young gypsy , who Is
often moil orientally Imloltnt and prefers to
send a moas.igo in the Oorgio fashion than
to strain hla eyes. , looking for the pattrlns
along dusty , rdadsi ,
"Where go the.vans and appurtenances of
the summer camp , when the Homany f.rjiP.lcs
return to the cities ? to the livery utftblo
for the most part. , . 'In fivcrV' big eastern
town thcro Is surojp be at least one livery
stable owned bv a man who Is cither himself
a gypsy , or who has affiliations with the
Koni'iny. J ook through his sheds during
the wlntefinonths and you will find , I'll
warrant , a van or two , packed ready for
the next campaign. In nearby stalls the van
horses may bo found comfortably bedded.
, A true Hoiiia'ih- hesitates long before he
works his summer horse during the cold
reason spent In the city ; and PO the horse
lies In Tils box and drnims , probably , like
his master , of warm weather and the ver
dant country.
QYPSIE3 IN HIGH LIPI3.
"You would be surprised , and BO would
the matter-of-fact , work-a-day world were
It not made plain how many of the Romany1
blood there are In the upper strati of so
ciety. Your lawyer , your doctor or your
g o er ahj > cf these may be a gjp-y , wl'hout
you knowing It. There are scares of ml 11 n
alre gypsls , Two of these I have the pleas
ure of knowing per&omliy. They are highly
. espucted clflzens , and go regularly to church
( I must frankly own that I regard the
gypsy's religion as merely iissumed for busi
ness reasons. The gypsy Is a born pagan ) ,
while their srclal and business associates
never dream for a moment that a single
drop of Romany blood flows In veins so sin
gularly respectable. But , bless you ! If
those wealthy gypsies did not have their An
nual month or two of inherited vagrancy
they would pine and' die of ennui. So they
Just slip quietly out of town , have It noised
abroad that they are going to some fashion
able waterlngi-place and then make a dish
for liberty anjl the nearest g > psy camp. QJC
of them _ secrf.tly owns a van and travels in
it when he tunidd so without attracting at
tention.
A GYPSY CLERGYMAN.
"I have it on the authority of William
Dean Howells and other eminent Dcstonlans
that there Is ) n the capital of Massachusetts
a certain clergyman of widespread fame ,
who , unknown to the world at largo , Is n
Romany. Every summer this reverend gen
Human cannot resist Joining somu gypsy
band and roaming from ploce to place as
his kindred have done since within the
memory of man. Little do the good man'f
congregation dream that , while they picture
him as sedately Journeying abroad , he Is
sitting beside1 gypsy campfires and chatter
ing the wild Romany toiiguo , to all latentc
and purposes a vagrant. But , as Mr. Hnw-
ells pointed out , none ever heard it said that
this preacher preached any the worse for his
wild , free life over road and prairie. In
deed , the Increased vigor and eloquence of
his sermons , Immediately after each rucees-
slvo annual 'vacation , ' have long been mat
ters of comment in Boston.
"Obedient to the unwritten law which
vhelr sires have handed down , the Romany
dial and the Romany chl arc leaving the
wampum-dyed woodlands of the north and
flocking to the cities , or over the hills toward
the southward In rrurtmlt of the fleeting sun.
And so , during the winter months , when
treading some busy street , If you suddenly
encounter a swarthy stranger , with great
dark eyes and a quaint , roughh lo k In them
with the lithe oriental figure and grace
ful carriage of ils race , you may safely
t.ajto him , 'Saro-shan ? ' for he Is llko to be
a gynsv. PAUL KBSTER.
Kor rheumatism and neuralgia you cannot
get a better remedy than Salvatlca Oil.
< li inc ACTIO.V.
Scinp * .
Flatby You know that tli'ni ' ? yotx
persuaded mo to Invest In. You said
It wap u "Bujjm concern , " If you re
member , . * v t >
His Cimfl lfriend Ycth , my
boy , yetli.
Flatby Well. , It's gun" '
SiilliirM Kllli'il mi Tiliuroii Jfcinl. ,
SAN niEdO , Cul. Nov. 4.-A private dls-
imtch fropi JU-nupfclllo , Sli-x , says ; Cap
tain George Porter and a tailor named
Johnson at Ban Wlejso were killed about
October Si \ > y the Horl Indian. * on Tlburon
Island They left the junk to kill bit OH and
on.Jiclr return fpliiui the boat In charge
of Indians The white men fired twelve
allots before they wore killed.
Am rlc 'u Lady Corscti are the licit ,
TRYING TO " 1)0" ) UNCLE SAM
A Batch of Interesting Oatcs Htm Down by
Postoffice Inspectors ,
YOUR UNCLE A HARD MAN TO BAT
VnrliniH .MollmiU iinilo > ml by CruolCH
of Illuh mill I.otv Dritrcc A Xcw
.M.-xliMiH < ) lllcI ill Who \ViiH u
"Frit-nil of ( Mil Alie. "
Tlio report of the fourth atslstant postmas-
Icr Rcneral calls attention to the work ilotvj
jy the division of poatofTlco Inspection. Ono
of the old Inspectors In nil slice ; tlio St. Louis
Hcpitbllc a few sketches of his operations In
different parts of the country. He wys that
the names and facts arc given accurately ,
and his story Is Interesting an a Blowing of
tlio actual duties and experiences of these
officers , Till * Inspector says :
" 'As a rule. It seems to be a great relief
to tlio unprofessional criminal who has long
evaded pursuit to be taken Into custody.
From that tlmo he seems to breathe easier
and to be less miserable. The dread of de
tection Is a strain on the untrained rogue
and Rcrtemlly lie begins to fatten up as ooon
aa put In jail.
"It Is a mistake to suppose that rogues
are unusually shrewd peopleOf many of
fenders uhum I have observed' ' on trial the
majority have been of unsound and weak In
tellects. Very few of them have Mil oven
iriodcmtely strong and clear heads. A close
observer would detect their deficiency In their
taccs and deportment ; and to tlio officers U
manifested by the shambling manner In
which they try to evade punishment.
"Tho cases I speak of are not of current
work ; It would hardly be proper to talk about
operations that are yet to bo finished , but
they show something of the scope of the work
of t'ao Inspector.
"One cl the commonest abuses of thu
malls and the hardest to detect Is the as
sertion that one has sent' or lias not re
cclvcd articles alleged to have been nullpd.
This Is done not only by professional
swindlers , but by and between friends and
acquaintances. For Instance , at Colorado
Springs complaint was received fiom tlio
postmaster at Keainuy , Xeb. , that a small
box , mallc.l ah.rtly before from the Springs ,
accompanied by a letter saying that the
box contained a gold watch , was received
empty at Kearney. The sender and ad
dressee were cousins and presumably uo
fraud was Intended.
WATCH WAS NOT MAILED.
"I telegraphed to Kearney for the box ,
which I received the next day. J put in >
own \\atph , an ordinary gold one. In the
box , and upon weighing the package then
found It was deficient In postage and upon
weighing the box empty found there wu.
Just postage enough to carry It. This was
gco.l evidence that the box was mallcil
empty and especially so as the package was
registered , because postmasters must ucc
extra care to see that reglsterer pack
ages are prepaid fully. Thcie would nat
uially bo doubt about a. man sending n gold
watch by mall , cither registered or unrcg
Istcred , though It Is too often done. Wlun
I1 ylslted the sender of the watch he
strongly protested that ho had Inclosed tht
watch and his wife declared that she saw
him do It and wanted to call In several
neighbors to corroborate her. They pro
tested so much that I knew the watch was
withheld Intentionally. Then I told the mai
that the postage was Just enough to covci
the mailing of an empty box. He replied :
" 'That may be , but some of the stampr
fell off on the way. I remember very well
of putting on more stamps. '
" .I asked him what amount and he an
swered , after figuring mentally a mlnuto :
" 'Se\enteen cents. '
" 'Yes , ' added his wife , ' 1 remember Char
ley put on 17 cents , because he came
home and told me that the postmaster gave
him 8 cents change for a quarter. I got
thu quarter out of my bureau see , in there
and I've got the 8 cents now somewhere
If vou want to see 'em , I'll get 'em for
you. ' *
" 'But , ' I suggested , 'was your watch c
very heavy , extra-thick silver case watch
like railroad men carry , or like mine ? '
" 'Oh. that's all right , because , now I come
to 'think ' of It , I had a long talk with the
clerk and told him to put on 3 cents extra
so it would go all right. That's the waj
it was. ' I
" 'Well , then , come with Me and well see
this clerk about It , ' I said.
"He held oft a while , but went down. None
of the clerks was 'the clerk. ' While he was
talking with the postmaster I drew up a
letter to the district attorney , purporting
to Inclose the box and letter as evidence
for him to prosecute the sender for fraudu
lent use of the mall , but the man held out
doggedly. I was engaged on some other
matters until late that evening , but when
I went to dinner 'Charley' was anxlouslj
axvaltlng me , watch In hand. I had It sent
forward duly to the owner at Kearney.
. " ,1 wide dlffcrc-nco between the
exposure of such apparent tricks as that
and the burglary of anolflce , which ge./-
crally Is done by experts , whos ; plans arc
well laid and the evidence destroyed. The
postmaster at Albuquerque , N. M. , was
robbed in a methodical way. When tht
postal clerks had registered In from their
runs and gone to bed , at about 3 o'clock In
the morning , three burglars entered the rear
door of the postofllce , seized the night clerk
a boy of 10 , bound and gagged hlmr and pro
ceeded very deliberately to their worki The
postofllce room formerly had been used for
a national bank , and had In Us rear a large ,
vault , the doors of which customarily were
clohcd and locked with a key. In the real
of this large vault was a strong safe , which
contained the postoffice funds , while the
sacks of registered letters awaiting outgoing
trains were put In tha vault. By closing
thu front doors of this vault the burglars
worked without nolso upon the safe and by
C o'clock they bad opened It , abstracted its
contents , taken the registered letters from
the sacks by cutting them open and hac
gone on their way. Early In the morning
the jiostmastur engaged the local officers
and was assisted by detectives of the express
companies , but very little could bo done.
"When I reached the placu the only trace
discovered was a blacksmith's sledge which
lay among the weeda In the rear of the build
ing , and the owner of this was found after
a diligent tiearch to bo a blacksmith half a
rnllo away. Ho remembered , too , thii the
day before the robbery a stranger had been
In Ills shop aeklng questions and that the
next morning ho found his shop door forcec
open and some of his tools missing. Wo nex
learned that the stranger was the son of a
ranchman living live miles away , and tha :
hn had gone from Albuquerque to a sinal
town In Kunsja. Them wo had him arrcstei
and ho and his baggaga were searched ; bu
iis ho gave a straight account of his proceed
ings , and as no stamps or money were foiiiu
upon him , ho was ro'easedl , The adjoining
offices u'ert ) advised of the details of the robbery
bory and of the kinds and quality of the
plunder.
"A month afterward word came from the
marshal of western Texas that a clew hat
been found there. I was | n that way put In
communication with a prisoner awaiting trial
for a murder In El Paso , Ho told a fairly
straight story , to the effect that he was hid
ing In a lionr.o on the Hlo Grande , about five
ml'us below El Paso , the night of the rob
bery ; uud one night his friends , who were
outlaws , canio In with a lot pf stamps and
pwtul supplies which they hid In their gar
den ti fnw rods from the rlv T. Before he
would glvo their names he wanted the gov
eminent to pay him enough" to enable him
to defend hlinerlf on the ( rial for murder
Jllh figures were too sloop and before nego
tlatlon were completed with him ho was
tried and sentenced to be hanged. lint
wrnt with a guard to thu "place lip describes
and found a deserted house which talllei
r.'llh his description , and wo dug up sot
enough looking for oumps to make a big
garden hut although the mep had gone awaj
later on two of thi'iuwere eeQured and fion
nected with tlio burglary. Hut- they were
wauled for a dozen Ilka onYrifieK that had
the prior attention of the court ,
"An experienced "thief seldom will cover
up hid in Ud red a or his whereabouts If ho
runs away. I recall -tha matter of the post
master at Lebanon , N. C. Some unpatt
draftx upon him for balances due to the
government were returned , and the Inspec
tor went there. The transcript of his ac
counts as rendered to the department Indl
ctited BO large an amount of business tran * <
acted at bo ! office that I expected to find
jclmnon quite a thriving town. Thcro was"
no settlement there at all , and U vnt , with
difficulty that I couU locate the postoffico. !
finally found It In , a small frame. bulltllnt ?
at a cross road In the turpentine wooda ,
wenty mllw from Wilmington. The only
other building nwr the pcstmoe was a tic-
crted 'still. ' The trees had dried up , so
no turpentine could be got , and the only
nan to be found near by was the partner of
he abMomllng postmaster , who w > is very
rluctant to tell me anything at alt about
he office or the missing postmaster. I found
hat the latter , sutpnctlng my coming , had
got as far away at posilblc. as ho was unable
o raise the funds to meet his balance. This
Inancler had credited hlmcelf with about
SOO a jcar for wlsat wns actually about $20
a yesr , and his totali eflclt was about $2,000.
Its' sureties were ifmfnd to bo penniless , and
ho only recourse' < Ieft was to prosecute the
0 get htm. I wag told he had left the place
n a buggy several irtajs before my arrival ,
but no one knew \rht > re he was going.
"After windingUp his office affairs I
watched the malls Kftitgolng for n while to
sco If I could find a letter addressed to him.
1 failed In this tttcf- became somewhat dis
couraged , when , ulttlrtg one night In the pest-
office at Wllmlnijtortiand watching the clerk
assort some letters for the country near
Lebanon , my eye fell upon an envelope ad-
drcs ed to a man iln Hosewater , not for dis
tant. U was postmarked In Texas. From
much experience i In handwritings I have
been able to tell rrtuHly If a har.1 Is dis
guised , and I cdUhlibee very well that this
address was , I hnd'illi ' the office records scv *
oral samples of thld man's writing , and the
"L as It appeared- Lebanon had a long ,
flourishing tall , which had lla facsimile In
this address , although written backhanded ,
Making a note of the postmark. I at once
telegraphed to the United States marshal a
description of the wanted pcattrasler , with
full particulars of the tlmo he left North
Carolina and the name of the pcstoffice where
he was supposed to be getting his mall.
Being a new arrival ut the place. I thought
ho could bo found readily , and In a week's
tlmo I was notified that the marshal had se
cured him. He was then living twenty mllcc
from the postofflce where ho mailed his let
ters , under on assumed name , but when he
came up to the office again ho was Identified
and arrested. Ho Is serving a long term In
Columbus.
THE SAD-PACED POSTMISTRESS.
"On a star route running out of Salisbury ,
N. C. , taere had been many thefts of money
from registered letters , and the department
and the people thereabouts were Impatient
to catch the thief. There was much trouble
In doing It. A number of the Inspectors tried
their hands at It , but It Invariably would hap
pen that as soon as an officer came upon the
ground pllforlngs would cease. The post
masters upon the route , about a dozen of
them In all , bore excellent rAp-aUtlons , and
all professed anxiety to have the guilty per
son punished.
"I hid worked on the case once without
success and tried It again , taking every pos-
alble precaution the second tlmo to conceal
my doings. With a good assistant I put up
at a farm house entirely off from the route.
There at oui leisure wo comp'eted our plans
for testing the different offices. The weather
was very stormy ; thus wo were able to get
around without letting thu Inquisitive dis
cover that strangers were In their neighbor
hood , which wcs very thinly settled. It was
dllllcult to decide with which pcatmaster we
should begin , for generally the adjoining
olllco has to co-operate and be In the officers'
confidence , and If the guilty one himself Is
one of the two PO trusted , of course ho Is
put on guard. Then , perhaps , the carrier
may have a key and bo opening the pouches.
rEut In this ca < 50 the general reputation of all
the postmasters was excellent. All were
respectable , well-to-do people. The last one
to bo thought of naturally would have been
thn postmistress at Bilcsvlllc. She had been
a school teacher , was of a good family and
had not only the respect but the confidence
and sympathy of the people because her hus-
biml was a worthless fellow , who was serv
ing a term In prison for larceny. Slid WOR a
delicate-looking young woman with a very
sad face.
"On my first trip I rode over the route as
a pretended book agent. I sat In the old
stage , conspicuously holding In my "hand a
flashily bound book , when we reached her
office , and oho came to the door and looked
outi ati roes > I was watching her covertly , and
did .not fall to notfr'that ' when she turned , to
go Into the office Bhc throw a quick look
backward at mo and spoke In a low voice to
the carrier who 'wns coming out with the
mall sacks. Half ah hour later I said to the
driver :
that pretty postmistress at Bllesvllle. Wish
I had shown het-'iny book. '
" 'Yes , ' he said , Zftnd she asked me If you
weren't a poatofllceiilnspcctor. '
" 'What is thattf 'I asked.
" 'Oh , ono of them fellers that go around
catchln' up with the larao ducks. There's
been a lot o' stehllrt" on this road , and I wish
they'd do sometiilh' about It. I'm gcttin'
blamed 'or It 1113 self. '
"I dec ded at once that unless the driver
was a good deal smarter than he looked and
acted ho was not to bo suspected , and from
the quick suspicion ! of the postmistress that
I was an officer ( that she WES to be looked
out for. So when I related this fact to my
friend he agreed that wo should first test
the school ma'am's office. The last theft re
ported had been about ten days before our
visit , so that another wss about due. Wo
fixed our lines In the usual way , sending our
registered letters through the school ma'am's
'lands. The carrier made a very brief stop.
Nobody else had touched the letters. They
came out to our hands so clean and neat that
wo thought It Impossible that they could have
been tampered with , Wo opened them at
nnco and were astonished to find that all four
letters had been rifled. Returning to the
office , we found the stolen bills In the young
woman's purse. Though her unusually sort
face weK kindled up a little with the success
of her day's work , the thoughtful expression
returned to It when we explained our bus
iness. But she maintained perfect com
posure. She was placed upon trial a few
months later. Her health meantime , had
failed rapidly , and In spite of the damaging
evidence against her , I secretly hoped the
Jury would bo able to acquit her , ns It did.
She died wretchedly a short time afterward ,
and upon her death bed confessed to having
stolen the money for which her husband was
Imprisoned. Many of her friends believed
that the Inspectors had persecuted an Inno
cent woman , and I received several letters
saying that I was not smart enough to catch
a real thief. The woman undoubtedly was
Insane.
A FRIEND OF OLD AT3E.
"Some of the Inspectors' work Is not of
such a aoir.ber and saddening character. Much
of It has a ludicrous phase which softens
the hardships and relieves the strain which
too constant mingling with the frail Is apt
to brlr'3 upon a man. Such on Instance was
the matter of the Gallup N. M. , postofflro ,
a berth that paid the Incumbent $1 000 a sear ,
'stealln's out,1 where the work was easy and
the social position fairly good , the rest of
the citizens of Gallup being mainly miners
and gamblers. Swan was a pioneer In New
Mexico , and knew everyone In the territory.
Ho was recommended for postmaster by the
governor and all the ex-governors , by all
the railroad and mining authorities , as well
us by all thu ranchmen and army officers ;
and , moreover ho had In his possession let
ters from Abraham Lincoln , attesting the
writer's friendship qnd admiration for Swan.
Naturally Swan was appointed.
"He made an excellent postmaster so far
ns taking In mpncj fop stamps ami money
orders -went ; but he failed to make reports
of the flBcal operations of his office. A long
llfo In n arid country nnd frequent recourse
to the common cure for a dry climate had
made Swj n Us * efficient than formerly. So
In duo time an Inspector was sent to make
ho ! acquaintance.
"Delng near Gallup , the necessary pipers
were sent to me nnd I went down to sco If
anything was duo to the government. I
icached Gallup about 3 o'clock In the morn
ing. It was cold , raw , and gloomy In , every
way. At sight 1 pronounced the town the
least picturesque mining settlement In the
territory , If not In the world The only vlsl-
blo light came from a small frame building
near the station , to which I hastened to
got warm. It was not flic hotel , but n bar
room , with a dozen or more professional customers -
tomers on handv more or less nwako and
busy. Three men were snoring on the bar ,
nnd the others were playing faro or watching
the game- They were Till \ery groggy , and
all but the proprietor'were hard-1 oklng citi
zens. The most besotted was an old man.
He was thick-sot wore a greasy slouch hat
mil a blue flannel shirt , had n big pistol In
bin belt and generally n very bad look. Ho
was a clumsy , stupid gambler , and was los
ing money fast. About 4 o'clock ho got up ,
stretched himself , and said : "Good even n
boys ; reckon I'll have ta turn In a lectio
early How , as long as I've got the postoffico
to 'tend to. ' . . . , . . .
"When he said this I conjectured that this
mutt bo Mr. Swan , with whom I had busl-
llCSS *
"After a short uai > In the 'hotel' 1 walked
up to the pnstofflcc the poorest frame bU Id-
Ing In town. A poorly-equipped drug store
occupied a. part of the room , and In a rear
corner was a rough case containing a half-
dozen boxes for holding letters. Swan sat
on a packing box near the front door , look
ing out at the beauties of nature , while
the drug clerk v , s tying up the letters for
him. Swan called out lazily :
" 'Got her done yet , Jimmy ? '
" ' captain. '
'Protty near ,
" 'Wall ; hurry up a lectio today ; wo
missed It-yesterday , nnd I got to go on an
Inquest this morning , too. '
"I presented myself to Mr. Swan , ns ho
wns going out of the office.
" 'So you nro a postolllco inspector , nro
yo ? AVnll , you'll find they ain't nothing
wiong with this office not since I had U.
Can't say much for it before that. ' I hinted
that some of his reports were a little overdue -
duo , nnd we might look into that.
" 'Yes. that's right. Sny , Jimmy , how
about them money orders bills ; they been
paid yet ) "
" 'Oh , no , captain. You remember I've
been trying a long time to get you to flx
them uii , '
" 'Yes , that's so. Jimmy. ' Hi aflded turn
ing to me , 'You sco , I been so busy. '
" 'Now. Mr. Swan , ' said I , let's count the
funds and sou your receipts for money de
posited ; then wo will have the balance very
soon. '
" 'Yes , I see ! that's the idea. Jimmy , you
got a head for figures ; you and the colonel
go over the- books , and I'l look In again
pretty soon. '
" 'But how about the funds ? The money
you have taken In since you took charge ;
where Is that ? "
" 'Let me see , ' he said vncnnMy , 'what did
I do with It ? Oh , yes ; I see ; why , you see ,
I've paid out a good deal one way or another ;
but you'll find it's all right. '
" 'Tho books' referred to was a small
paBH b ok. It had n few straggling entries
of stamps , money paid on a hoase Swan was
building , whisky accounts , pall and unpaid ,
and private memoranda of various kinds. II
took n week to approximate his accounts , and
ho owed the government over $2,000. A
gambler was surety on his bond , and ho
handed me the full amount on demand. 1
c-uld get so little out of Swan that I
thought ho might bo more communicative
to a commissioner , nnd had him taken be
fore one for hearing ; but Instead of becom
ing more coherent , Swan broke down com
pletely and fobbed pitifully that so great a
man should come to trouble.
" Mcdgo , ' he sobbed , 'It's too bad. Iwas
the first friend Abe Lincoln had when he
began practlcln' law. and If ho was alive
today I wouldn't bo slavln' out my llfo In
a postoffice. Abe knew I was an honest
man. He wouldn't send no Inspectors
'round my office. He'd ast me once in a
whijo If t wag runnln' my office O. K. and
that would settle It. '
"In duu tlmo Swan went to Sauia Fo for
a visit. He got a very short sentence , partlj
because It wasplain , that no work could be
got out of him In the 'pen' or anywhere elro.
The people of Gallup were sorry for Swan ,
and I had great difficulty in finding any one
' who would make application for the post
offlce.
JUST QUIT.
"I had a rather queer experience at Price ,
Utah. The postal service Is universal : when
It Is not slipping a cog In ono place It Is In
another ; but it seldom happens that a post
master will willfully close his office and let
things 'go to smash. ' At Price the postmas
ter tendered his resignation repeatedly and ,
being unable to get re lef , purposely closed
h's ' office. No doubt the department could
not conceive the possibility of a government
employe struggling to get out of a position
that paid $ COO a year. Uut this postmaster
paid his clerk $75 a month , and then had to
glvo h's ' own time to the work. Having a
flue trade to look after , he got out of prac
tice and locked his doors against all coiners.
"Then went up a howl of rage. That office
separated mall for a large military post sev
eral miles away and telegrams were show
ered upon the War department for authority
to kill the civilian who had cut off communi
cation. When I reached Pr.lee , 1C9 large
sacks of mall were piled up In the station ,
and the angriest men I ever faced were the
soldiers looking at them wlatfu'ly ' , but un
able to open them and get their long-expected
lettcro from the east. I swore In a number
of assistants and we worked day and night
upon the pile , and finally got the letters Into
, their proper channels. Declining to hang the
i postmaster , as most of the people desired , I
laid the facts befor'o the United States at-
I torney ; but there they rested. There Is no
' law to punish such an offense , Ucfore I loft
I the postmaster , who was a shrewd , bright
i young Swede , asked me : 'What Is this going
j to cost me , Mr. Inspector ? '
"Having Just finished the l&9th sack of
mall , I said :
" 'Fifty thousand dollars , If I have the
fixing of the sum my friend. '
"He said that was tco much , but If It wasn't
more than. $500 , or evun $1,000 , ho would
rather pay It than neglect Ills business any
longer. "
TO CURE A COLD IN ONE DAY
Take Laxative Brome Quinine Tablets. All
druggists refund the money If It falls to
cure. 25c.
Read "Simon Dale" in The Sunday Bee.
If you donjt take It , subsc'lbp now.
Hn vi'inr VIM- HUM Aiiiic
NB\V YOHK , Nov. 4. Thcro wua a brenk
In the price of Sugar HtockH on the Stoclf
exc'hangu on a story that Hiivcmeyer was
very 111. The treanurer of the company ,
John K. Scarlos , makes the following state
ment : "Air. Hiivemcypr was taken 111 at
Ills residence on Monday la.sj. There was a
continuation of physicians , who pronounced
his trouble uppandlcltls , An operation was
performed on Monday nlplit. It WIIB en-
tlruly successful and Mr Havemeycr Is
now dolmr splendidly. The report from
hlx physicians this morning Is that nothing
merci favorable could bo dislre < l , " ,
GOLD DUST
The Road to Klondike
- is a long and hard one.
It'-a much easier to get
GOLD
DUST
from youn grocer. Sold every
where aiidleaus everything.
* MADE ONLY BY
THE N.1K. FAinBANK COMPANY ,
Now York. Uostoo ,
HERE IS AN
Extraordinary Offer
A chance to secure a valuable
addition to your library at Very
small expense.
D
IN PiervRes
Prepa'red in anticipation of the ,
Centennial demonstrations to )
occur throughout Ireland dur-
" " " 15
ing 'next year. This work will ;
be-\welcomed by all who con4 !
tern.plate a visit to the Emerald *
Isle Muring 1898 , and by tour
ists who have visited the islander
or who anticipate a journey to
its beautiful and picturesque'
sections. To those who are
familiar with the
scenes embraced -
braced in this splendid series
ot photographs the views will
possess particular interest. . .
MORE
,
m p
p"I /
Llv _ \v ;
The descriptive sketches ac
companying these views were
prepared by .
Hon. John F. Finerty
OF CHICAGO.
These illustrations are not con-
fiqed to any one locality in Ire
land , but. include every section
of the Emerald Isle from Lit"
' fo'rd to Bantry and from
Dublin to CaEway.
vl Or1 .
The Round Towers , Vine Cov-
'ered1 Abbeys , Crumbling Mon-
"astcrip" Qhrines , Churches and
" Cemetto. . , js , the Battle Fields
; and * Eviction Scenes are all
"fattiifully portrayed in this great
PART V.
NOW READY FOR DISTRIBUTION
Bring 10 cents to The Bee of
fice , either in Omaha or Coun
cil Bluffs.
Mailed to any address on receipt
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