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A LONDON CRIMINAL.
THE FOG THIEF AND HOW HE PLIES
HIS PECULIAR TRADE.
Hje Operate* Boldly Both In the City
and on the Thame*—Carries Oil HI*
Plunder From "Van* and Cabs
Shrouded In the Dense Gloom.
Thousands of thieves long for fog
rwith a great longing. Incredible as it
may seem, property worth tens of thou
sands of pounds is every year stolen
from vans and lorries alone in London
streets. Quite nine-tenths of this prop
erty disappears during fogs.
The leaders of the fog thief gangs
usually have some liSle capital to
start with. One of them affects to be
a cartage contractor on a small scale.
He takes very quiet premises that have
a high boarding round and that are
not overlooked. If he has plenty of
cellarage, all the better. He has at
least one smart trap and horse and
two and sometimes three rogues to go
with it.
It is during the late foggy afternoons
and early evenings of winter that the
hauls are made. Streets with ware
houses—and not shops that are lighted
brilliantly and early—on each side and
that are often congested with traffic
are mostly chosen. The small and
smart though dingy and inconspicuous
looking trap plunges Into the thick of
the traffic. It soon, in the gloom and
murk, places itself immediately behind
a van or lorry piled with packages of
various kinds.
The men in the quick trap are all on
the alert. One of them, a man chosen
for his immense physical strength, goes
to the head of the pony on some pre
text. He soon has a package down
from the van in front. He is provided
with sharp cutting instruments, and he
has a powerful piece of strap with a
hook at one end. If there is a boy sit
ting behind th& van, the men in the
trap contrive to get him down by di
verting his attention. Even with a
view to distracting the possible atten
tion of carters, the thieves generally
get up an altercation, or ‘‘barney,”
among themselves ©r with others. They
are men of colosskl impudence and
powers of abuse, and all attention be
comes riveted upon them. In one case
not far from Farringdon street last De
cember they carried off one parcel of
furs worth £700, the wan boy being
temporarily blinded, as alleged, by a
lad with the thieves blowing some
snuff into his face from a pea shooter
and then disappearing.
One of the most notorious of these
fog thieves was a lithe young fellow
who crept along the back of a pony to
its head. American jockey fashion, and
hooked what he could from out of the
van in front.
The great hauls of these men are
when they follow cabs and private car
riages from a railway station. In such
cases they generally use two traps and
horses. A cab Is marked that has ap
parently valuable luggage on the top.
This' is followed till some dark street
is reached where the way is narrow or
congested; then the driver of one of
the traps, that has a very swift pony
harnessed to it. deliberately drives
across the head of the cab or carriage
horse.
Of course there is an angry alterca
tion. and while this is going on the
thieves on the other trap have got Into
/the immediate rear of the luggage la
den vehicle. One of the thieves goes
along his horse’s back and lifts the lug
gage down.
One of the hauls effected last winter
In this way was worth £8,000 and was
the property of Mr. de Silva, an Argen
tina millionaire. The robbery took place
not far from St Pancras’ church just
before the shops were lighted up.
As the summer sun brings forth
myriads of living creatures, so does a
Thames fog bring out upon the dark
and apparently deserted river a vast
horde of thieves. At least a dozen of
the wharf and lighter owners complain
of losing from their respective wharves
as much as from one to six hundred
pounds’ worth of coal alone every year.
The reader can learn at any river
side house frequented by tugboat men
that there are scores, literally scores, of
tugs on the river that have never
bought a pennyworth of coal for great
numbers of years. The Thames police
would tell that same reader that men
have retired on competences who have
been reported to have made their tvhole
fortune out of coal stolen with im
punity on the river.
The police are helpless over the vast
expanse of river and in the labyrinth
ine backwashes. If they raid one of
the pirate boats in the gloom and dark
ness,, the spoil is turned out to the
bottom of the river in a trice. If this
sort of thing can be done to such an
extent with a commodity like coal, it
may be imagined what befalls other,
-valuable property on wharves or in
lighters.
The fraudulent picker up of the
river blesses the fog. The picker up
Is a man who notices that certain
barges with valuable cargoes are moor
ed in such a way that, if they broke
loose, they would entail vast expense.
The picker up sees that these barges
do break loose. That part of his work
be does in dead secret And then, mak
ing plenty of noise about it at this
stage, he rescues from danger the
very barges that he has set adrift and
sends, in a heavy salvage claim.—Lon
don Answers.
HOUSES ON “MADE” GROUND
The Reason They Teem With Mala
ria and Noxious Gases.
Good gravel has so largely come Into
request that many suburban lands
with that valuable substratum are
quarried to a considerable depth be
fore being sold on building leases. But
it is essential to restore a level surface,
as even the most speculative builder
would hesitate to run up “neat villa
residences” In deep holes. The owner
frequently gets over this difficulty by
allowing urban refuse to be shot into
the excavation; in many cases he even
exacts a small sum for every load tilted
on his ground. The surface being thus
leveled, a year or two are allowed for
the soil to sink and become compact
Occasionally grass is sown to give a
natural appearance to the spot
All is now In readiness for the build
er, who proceeds to lay the foundation
for his “terraces,” “avenues” and “gar
dens,” which he subsequently adver
tises as “on gravel soil.” So they are,
but between their ground floors and the
gravel lies a thick stratum of partially
decomposed rubbish, teaming with
malaria, and not for many years will
the deposits cease to give off noxious
gases.
But the tenant coming from a dif
ferent locality, knows nothing of the
“making” process to which the plot
has been subjected. When, therefore,
ill health dogs his family, he puts it
down to defective drainage or some
other structural deficiency and spends
money freely on remedial measures
without the least benefit. All this
misery might be prevented if it were
legally prohibited to build human habi
tations on decomposed refuse until the
soil had acquired a wholesome char
acter.—London Globe.
Hew They Treated Washington.
"As an example of the progress of
medicine during the last century The
Medical Record cites the case of Wash
ington’s last illness. He died of laryn
geal diphtheria, and the treatment was,
it would seem, for an old man sick
with a disease, very exhausting to the
vitality. It consisted in the abstrac
tion of between two and three quarts
of blood, the administration of about
20 grains of calomel and 6 grains of
tartar emetic and an injection, with ex
ternal application of blister. And yet
so strong was Washington’s constitu
tion that he survived this treatment for
24 hours.
One Comlngr.
“Could you tell me the meaning of
the word ‘cataclysm? ” he asked of the
street car passenger who was folding
up his newspaper.
“Are you going to ride two or three
blocks farther?” was queried In reply.
“Yes, sir.”
“Then you’ll see one; The conductor
has carried that sharp nosed woman
two streets past where she wanted
to get off already, and she’ll wake up
soon and start a cataclysm that’ll prob
ably jump the car off the track!”—
Washington Post.
Called to an Faster Field.
We wonder if any men with white
skins are called to the ministry after
the fashion described by Booker T.
Washington in his autobiography. He
says; “A colored man in Alabama, one
hot day in July, while he was at work
in a cotton field, suddenly stopped and
looking toward the skies said, “O lawd,
de cotton am so grassy, de work am so
herd, and de sun am not so hot dat I
h’lieve dis darky am called to preach!’ ”
—Chicago Standard.
Reversed.
Blackburn — Judge Snyder made a
rule some time ago that all women
should remove their hats in his court,
but I see that the order is not enforced.
Whitehead—No. The women folks ap
pealed to the judge’s wife, and she ren
dered a dissenting opinion. — Denver
News.
Regular Course. '
“What course will you take?” inquir
ed the senior.
The new freshman from Boston
spoke timidly. * “I’ll take bean soup,
sir,” he said, imagining for the mo
ment that he was at the dinner table.—
Philadelphia Record.
Poverty’s Penalty.
‘'‘Poverty’s no crime,” said the Job’s
comforter.
“Maybe not,” replied the poor man,
‘"’but it seems to be punishable by hard
|bor for life.”—Philadelphia Record.
Acids That Are Death to Cholera.
The acid of lemons and oranges is
fatal to the cholera bacillus. Even if
placed upon the rinds of the fruit the
gerins will not survive longer than a
day.—Ladies’ Home Journal.
In the Georgian language, spoken in
the mountains between the Caspian
and Black seas, dada means mother
and mama father.
THE KING OF HANDCUFFS.
How Harry Houdini, American, Sur
prised the British.
When Harry Houdini, the American
king of handcuffs, arrived in England,
he tried to arrange for an exhibit of
his skill at Scotland Yard, but the
authorities refused to allow him an
opportunity of putting on or taking off
official handcuffs, says London M. A.
P. So, accompanied by a skeptical
London manager, he paid an ordinary
call as an American visitor to the
police headquarters. Mr. Houdini,
after making the usual remarks on
everything he saw and beard, casually
asked a question about a pair of hand
cuffs. The guide took them down and
answered:
“Oh. these are handcuffs impossible
to remove.”
Houdini was greatly interested, and
the incident closed by the American
visitor requesting his guide to lock the
handcuffs ou his wrists. Then he
turned his back and succeeded in get
ting them off in a couple of minutes.
One of Houdini’s strangest adven
tures happened at a big hotel in St.
Paul, Minn., where he was very well
known. To bis surprise, he found that
a couple of men occupying the rooms
on either side of his own appeared to
be mounting guard over him. At first
he only suspected this, but after a few
days he was perfectly sure that one
or the other of his neighbors shadowed
his every movement One afternoon,
when Houdini was sitting in his own
room, he heard the sound of scuffling
outside the door. Flinging it open, he
discovered his two unknown friends
grasping a third man, who had evi
dently been, wearing a long dark cape
that was dragged on one side, showing
that be was heavily handcuffed.
“We’re a couple of detectives, Mr.
Houdini,” panted one of the men.
“This fellow made his escape from jail
some days ago. We knew that be
wouldn’t dare to go to a locksmith to
get his handcuffs removed, and we
suspected that he might come to you.”
Mediaeval knights often took a volun
tary oath that they would never spare
the life of an enemy.
CURES BLOOD POISON.
| Scrofula, Ulcers, Old Sores, Bone Pains-
Trial Treatment Free,
! First, second or third .stages positively
i cured by taking B.B. B. (Botanic Blood
j Balm). Blood Balm kills or destroys the
I Syphilitic Poison in the Blood and ex
pels it from the system. At the same
time {Botanic Blood Balm builds up the
shattered constitution. Have you sore
throat, pimples, copper-colored spots,
old sores, ulcers, swellings, scrofula,
itching skin, aches and pains to bones or
joints, sore monnth, or falling hair?
Then Botanic Blood Balm will heal ev
ery sore, stop the aches and make the
blood Pure and Bich and give the rich
glc «v of health to the skin. Over 3.000
testimonials of cures. Botanic Blood
Balm thoroughly tested for 30 years.
Sold at Drugstores, SI, including com
plete directions. Trial treatment of B.
B. B. free by addressing Blood Balm Co.,
Atlanta, Ga. Describe trouble and free
medical advice given, jjon’t despair of
a cure, as Biood Balm cures when all
else fails At Holtzclaw’s Drug-store.
Two hundred bushels of po
tatoes remove eighty pounds
of ‘ ‘actual * ’ Potash from the
soil. Unless this quantity
is returned to the soil,
the following crop will
materially decrease.
We have "books telling about
composition, use and value of
fertilizers for various crops.
They are sent free.
A powerful engine cannot be run with
a weak boiler, and we can’t keep up the
strain of an active life with a weak stom
ach; neither can we stop the human ma
chine to make repairs. If the stomach
cannot digest enough food to keep the
body Btrong, such a preparation as Ko-
dol Dyspepsia Cure should be used. It
digests what you eat and it simply can’t
help but do you good. Holtzclaw’s Drug
store,
This signature is on every box of tbe genuine
Laxative Bromo^Quiuine Tablets
tbe remedy that enres a cold in one day
T t t
TTT T-T-T TTTTT, T r •>
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ADVICE AS TO PATENTABILITY
Notice in “Inventive Age ”
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WINE OF CAROL'I
has brought permanent relief to a mil
lion suffering women who were on their
way to premature graves. Mrs. Mitchell
waS fast declining in health, when Wine
of Cardui performed a “wonderful cure”
in her case. She suffered with the ago
nies of falling of the womb, leucorrhcea
and profuse menstruation. The weekly
appearance of the mensesfortwo months
sapped her vitality until she was a phys
ical wreck. Her'nervous system gave
way. Then came the trial of Wine of
Cardui and the cure. Mrs. Mitchell’s
experience ought to commend Wine of
Cardui to suffering women in words of
burning eloquence.
|WDrc«CAKM
is within the reach of all. Women who
try it are relieved. Ask your druggist
for a $1 bottle of Wine of Cardui, and do
not take a substitute if tendered you.
Mrs. Willie Mitchell, South Gaston, N. C.:
“Wine of Cardui aiid Tbedford’s Bleck-
Draugbt have performed a miraculous cure
in my Case. I had been a great sufferer
with falling of tbe womb and leucorrhcea,
and my menses came every week for two
months and were very painful. My hus
band induced me to try Wine of Cardui
and Black-Draught, and now the leucor
rhcea has disappeared, and 1 am restored t >
perfect health.”
symptoms,
visory Department.” The
Chattanooga Medicine Co.,
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Letters strictly confidential. A<
.-. j. 5
U A A. A,
nctly coi
E. G. SIGGERS, Patent Lawyer, Washington,
Restore Vitality, Lost Vigor and Manhood
Corelmpotency, Night Emissions, Loss of Mem
ory, ail wasting diseases,
all effects of self-abuse or
excess and indiscretion.
A nerve tonic and
.blood builder. Brings
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150c per box. 0 boxes for
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NerahTabtete”"™”
PENNSYLVANIA PURE RYE,
EIGHT YEARS OLE.
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Four ful Quarts of this Fine Old, Fnre
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BRING US YOUR JOB WORK. SATIS
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money paid. Address
If ERVITA MEDICAL CO.
Clinton & Jackson Sts., CHICAGO, IUU
For sale-fiy H. M.Holtzclaw, Druggist, Perry,Ga
Kodol
Dyspepsia Cure
Digests what you eat*
It-artificially digests the food and aids
Nature in strengthening and recon*
structing the exhausted digestive ox*
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Dyspepsia, Indigestion, Heartburn,
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Sick Headache, Gastralgia-,Cramps and
all other results of imperfect digestion*
Price50c.andfL Large sire contains 2)4 tlmeyi [
small size* Book all about dyspepsia mailedfres
Prepared by E. C. OeWlTT A CO., Chicago.
PATENT Good !i.„~
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Subscriptions to The Patent Record #L00 per annum.
We ship on approval in plain, sealed boxes,
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receive it and test it, if it is not satisfactory,
return it at our expense and we wil return your
§3.50. We guarantee this brand to he
EIGHT YEARS ODD.
Eight bottles for §6 50, express prepaid;
12 hottfes for §9 50 express preoaid.
One gallon jug, express prepaid, $3 00;
2 gallon jug, express prepaid, §5 50.
No charge for boxing.
We handle all the leading brands of Rye and
Bourbon Whiskies and wiU save you
50 Per Gent, on Your Purchases:
Quart,
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Elkridge Bourbon... I
Coon HoUow Bourbon.....
Melwood Pure Bye. 50
Monogram Bye
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O. O. P. (Old Oscar Pepper)
Old Crow ....
Fincher’s Golden Wedding
Hoffman House Rye
Mount Vernon, 8 years old 100
Old Dillinger Rye, 10 years old, 125
The above are only a few*brands.
Send for a catalogue.
All other goods by tha gallon, such as Com
Whiskey, Peach and Apple Brandies, etc., sold
equally as low, from $125 a gallon and upward.
We make a speeiasty of the Jug Trade,-
and all orders by Mail or Telgeraph will
have our prompt attention: Special
inducements offered.
Mail Orders shipped same day of the
receipt of order.
The Altmayer & Flateau
Liquor Company,
606, 508, 510, 512 Fourth Street, near
Union PassengerHepot.
MACON, GEORGIA.
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