TRACKING A THIEF.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 447, 14 February 1857, Page 4

TRACKING A THIEF.

(From Di^kens^ Household Words )

* "Tally-ho Thompson," says Sergeant Witehem, aft<sr merely wetting liTs lips witK "Kis brandy-and-water, " Tally-h© Thomp >on was a famous liorse ptealer, couper, and magsmanThompson, in conjunction with a pal that occasionally worked with him, gamra<Mi od a country man out of -a good round sum of money,1 under pretence of getting him a situation —the regular ■old dodge—and was afterward-; in the * Hue and Cry' for a horse—a horse that he stole, do vn in Hertfordshire. I had to look after Thompson, and I applied myself, of course, in tiie first instance, to discovering where he was. Now, Thompson's wife lived along with a little.elaugh- , ter, at Chelsea. Knowing that Thompson was somewhere in the couutry, I wafc -hed fh«3 "house —especially at post time in <the morning—thinking TJio-mpsou was pretty ]ikely to write to her.Sure enough one morning the postman cones ■up, and delwers a letter at Mr*. Tlcsupsra's door- Little girl opens fclie door, and takss it

in. We're not always sure of postmen, though the people at the post offices- are always ver obliging. A postman may help us, or he may not.-rrjust.as it happens. .However, Igo acrosl the road, and I say to the postman, after he has left the letter, ' Good morning! how are you ?' ' How are you ?' .says he., 'You've just delivered a letter for Mrs. Thompson. «Yes I have.' 'You did'rit happen r'io remark v;h'at the,.'post-mark' was, perhaps >?' ' No, 7 says he ' I did'nt.' ' Come,' says I,' ' 111 be plain with you. I'm in a small way of business, and I have given Thompson credit, and I can't aiford to lose, what he owes me. I know he's got money, and I know he's in the country, and if you could tell me what the. post, mark was I should be very much obliged to you, and you'd .do a service to a tradesman in a small way of .business that can't afford a loss.' 'Well,' h e I said, 'I do assure you that I did not observe what the' post mark was ; all I know is, that there was money- in the letter —I should say a sovereign.' This was enough for me, because J knew that Thompson having sent his wife money, it was probable she'd write to Thompson by return of post to acknowledge the receipt. So I said * Thankee' to the postman, and I kept on the watch.- In- the afternoon * I saw the little girl come out. Of course" I followed her; she -wentinto a stationer's shop, .and I need'nt say to you that I looked in at the window. She bought some writing paper and envelopes, and a pen. I think to myself, ' That'll do!'—watch her come home again, and don't go away, you may be sure, knowing that Mrs. Thompson was writing her letter, to Tally-ho, and that the letter would be posted presently. In about an hour or so, out came the little girl again, with -the letter in her hand. I went up and said something to the child, whatever it might have been; but I could 'nt see the direction of the letter, because she held it with the seal upwards. However, I observed that on the back of the letter there was what we call a kiss—a drop of wax by the side of the seal —and again, you understand, that was enough for me. I saw her post the letter, waited till she was gone, then went into the shop, and asked to see the master. When he.came' out, I told ihim,.* Now I'm an officer in the Detective Force; there's a letter with" a kiss been posted here just now, for a man that I'm in search'of; and-what I have to ask of youjs, that you-will let me look at the direction ,of that letter. He was very civil —took a i lot of letters from the box in the window —shook > 'em out on the counter with the faces downwards—and there among 'em was the identical ' letter -with the' kiss. ■ It was directed ' Mr. Thomas Pigeon, Post Office, B- ,to be left till called for.-' Down I went to B (a hundred and twenty miles or so) that night. Early next morning I weut to the post-office ; saw the gentleman in charge of that department; told him who I was; and that my object was to see and track the party that should come for the letter for Mr. Thomas Pigeon. - He was very polite, and said, ' You shall have every assistance we can give you ; you. can wait inside the office; and we'll take care to let you know when anybody comes for the letter.' Well I waited there three days, and began to think that nobody ever would come. At last the clerk whispered to me, '• Here ! Dectective J Somebody's come for the letter P Keep him a minute,' said J, and I ran round to the outside of the office. There I saw a young chap with the appearance of an ostler holding ahorse by the bridle,stretching the - bridle across the pavement while he waited at the post-office window for the letter I began to pat the horse, and that; and I said to the boy, ' Why, this is Mr. JonesVinaw!' VNo, it atit: "~v:NoP said I- 'she's very"like Mr. Jones's mare !' She ant Mr. Jones's mare anyhow,' says he^ 'it's Mr. So-and-So's, of the Warwick Arms.' And up he jumped, and oil he went—letter and aIL I got a cab, followed on the box, and was so quick after him, that I came into the stable-yard of the Warwick Arm* by one gate just as he came in by another. 1 went into the bar, where there was a young woman serving, and called for a glass of bi«indy-and-water, lie came iv directly, ami lianilwher the letter. She casually looked at it without, saying anything and stuck it up behind the glass over the chimney -pieoe. What was to bo done next? " I turned it over in my mind while I drank my forandy-and-water (looking pretty sharp at the letter the while), but I couldn't see my way out of it all. I tried to get lodgings in the house, but there had been a horse fair, or some-

7 ll[ns , o f that sort, and it was full. I was 3ei to put up somewhere else, but I came Sards -and forwards to the -bar for a couple f tils and there was the letter, always behind SvlSs At last I thought I'd write a letter' f Mr P^eon myself, and see what that would Z So fwrote one, and posted it, but I.purZselv addressed it, Mr. John Pigeon,- instead f Mr Thomas Pigeon, to^ee what Mat would L In the morning (a very wet morning it \, s \ I watched the postman down the street, Ind cut into the bar, just before ho reached "the Warwick Arms. In he came presently with' letter. *Is there a Mr. John Pigeon stayin* here ?' No!—stop a bit though,' -says the barmaid-, -and she took down the letter behind tiie'dass. 'No, 1 says she, 'it's Thomas, and he I°not staying here. Would you do me a f, vo r and-post this for me, as it is so wet'P The postman said Yes-, she folded it in another envelope, directed it, and gave it him. He put ■ il, in his Ih4 and away c wei}'fc- " I had no difficulty in finding out the direction of that''letter. It was addressed, -'Mr. Thomas Pigeon, Post Office, R , Nortbamptmishiro. to be left till called for.' Off' I started directly for R • I said same at the Post Oilice there" as I* had said at !B ■; and again 1 waited three days before anybody came. At ■ last another chap on horseback came. * Any letters "for Mi" Thomas Pigeon?' " Where do ' you come from f' ' New Inn, near R .' He <>ot the lctber, and away lie went —at a canter. ° " I made my enquiries about the New Inn, ]ISiU . jj 1 and hearing it was a solitary sort •o"? house, a little in'-the horse line, about a couple dl" miles from the station, I thought I'd go and have a look at it. :I 'found it what it had been described, and sauntered in to look about me. •" The' landlady vras in the bar, and I was trying to get into conversation with her; asked her how "business was, and spoke about the wet ■weather.'and so on ; when I saw, through an open door, three - men sitting by the fire in a sort of parlor or kitchen, and one of those men, ai-cording to the description I had of him, was Tally-ho Thompson 1 ■-' I went and sat down among 'em, and tried td make myself agreeable ; 'but they were very shy—wouldn't talk at- all—looked at me and at one another, in a way quite the reverse of' sociable. I reckoned ""em up, and finding they vcre all bigger men than me, and considering that their looks were ugly—tliatt it was a lonely place —railroad station two miles off—and night comingl on—thought I couldn't do better than have a drop of brandy-and-water; and as I was sitting 'drinking it by the fire, Thompson got up and went out. "Now the difficulty of it was that I wasn't sure it was Thompson, "because I had never set eyes on him before ; and what I had -wanted was to be quite certain of him. However, there was nothing for it now but to follow, and put a bold face upon it. I found him talking outside in the yard witJh the landlady. It turned out afterwards that 'he was -wanted 'by a Northampton officer for something cisc, and that, I. nowing that officer to be pock-marked (as I am myself), he mistook-me for him. As I have observe:!, I found him talking to the landlady outside. I put my hand upon 'his shoulder— this way—and said, -"Tally-ho Thompson, it's no use. I know you. I'm an -officer from London, and I take you into custody for felony." 'That be d—dl" says Tally-ho Thompson. "' We went back into the house, and -the two fviends began' to cat up rough, and their looks ■didn't please meat all, I assure you. 'Let the man go. What are you going to dp with him?' 'I'll tell you what I'm going to flo v/ith him. I'm going to take him to London .to-night, as sure as I'm alive. I'm liot alone li ere, whatever you may think. You -mind your own business, and keep yourselves to yourselves. ', It 11 be better for you, for I know you 'both very well.' I'd never seen or heard of 'em in ' ■all my life, 'but my bouncing cowed 'em a bit, and they kept off, while Thompson was making riiady to .go. I .thought to myself, however, that they might be coming after me on the dark load to rescue Thompson; so I said to the landlady, 'What men have you got in the house, JHssis?' •'We haven't got no men here,'she s-iys^sulkily. ' You have got an ostler, I sup■pose?' 'Yes, we've got an ostler." ''Let me see him.'' Presently 'he came, and a shaggyheaded young fellow he was. ' Now, attend" t© wo, young man, says I; ' I'm'a Detective Officer from London. This man's name is Thompson. > have taken him into Custody for felony, I'm

going to take him to-the railroad station. I call upon you, in the Queen's name t© assist me; and mind you, my friend, you'll get yourself, into more trouble than you know of, if you don t!' You never saw a person open his eyes so wide. * Now, Thompson, come along!' says L But when I took out the handcuffs, Thompson cries < No! None of 'that! I wont stand them!. I'll go .along with you quiet, but ] won't bear none of that!' ■* Taily-ho Thompson,' I said,' I'm willing to behave as a man to you, if you are willing to behave -as a man to me. Give me your hand that yomwill come peaceably along, and I don't want to handcuff you.' * I Avill,' says Thompson) -• but I'll have a glass of brandy first.' < I .don't care if I've another,' • said I. ' We'll have two more, Missis.' said the friends; and oori-found you, Constable, you'll give your man a drop, won't you ?'' I was ■ agreeable to that, so we had it all round, and then, any man and I took Tally-ho Thompson safe to the raiboacl, and I carried him to London that night. , He was -afterwards acquitted -on account of a defect in the evidence; and I understand he always praises me up to the skies, and says I'm one of the 'best of mea."