SECOND SIGHT.

Press, Volume XLVIL, Issue 7725, 3 December 1890, Page 2

SECOND SIGHT.

By HBNHJy MtmBAY.

Mrnasae Is John Bloxham, aud I jw a retted superintendent ot the Metropolitan Detective force. As anybody who reads hie dally paper must know, a man In my former way of life sees many carious things, and mixes in many odd adventnres. I have had my share of queer experlentfee—some a Rood deal Queerer than the one I am now about to relate, perhaps, though I hope that this may prove fairly interesting. If it does not, then ttie fault will be In the way of my telling it on paper. I am none too bandy with pen and ink, being tools I have Had very little practice in uampc, beyond keeping my report-book straight when on office* duty, or writing an odd letter now and then. But I have told It by word or mouth to a good many people, and it has never failed to interest them. The events I now take my pen in hand to narrate occurred more than thirty years ago, and I atn the only person who will be mentioned in this story who is nowi alive. JChnfc, however, is nothing against my truthfulness, as anybody who witt turn to the criminal cases reported in the papers of the end of July, 1857, will find the facts given there by witnesses on oath in the box—myself and my friend and brother officer,* Charles Freeman, being the chief of said witnesses, and not the only ones. The case created great Interest at the time, and was as much commented on as any oase (not one of m ur'der) that 1 remember in my experience. It was worked up into a stage play by a I gentleman I bad the honour to know, and was played at ta«i Elephant and Castle theatre. The actor who played mc " made up," as It is called In the profession, to look like mc, and succeeded wonderfully, though quite.a different-looking person oft tfee stage. He succeeded so well, in. deed, that I thought it best to see him and persaade him to make the resemblance not quite so perfect; for I was on duty in the Elephant and Oastle neighbourhood at that lime, and I never dirt care much for publicity—especl&lly when it took the form of all the idle vagabonds in the neighbourhood following mc round and asking mc to tip them a second sight performance in my uniform in the public street, for the story I have to tell turns on second sight, which is a power 1 possess, if anybody ever did possess it in this world, which 1 take leave to doubt. You know the story of the American who wouldn't believe a fairy tale somebody pitched him, " because he was a liar him* self! That's mc, so ftw as second sight is concerned. I know all about It, and it's a fake—a clever fake enough; well done, bat nothing more than that. Charles Freeman, the brother officer alluded to abova, was the one that taught mc second eight. He had picked it up from a travelling snowman in America, and he was a dab at it. Wβ had the second and first floor* in the same house, and we used to practise the code together. It was a mixed code—half signs and attitudes and half forms of words. For Instance, "What is tibie cola?" meant that it was a sovereign ; " What coin Is this ?" meant half a sovereign, and so on. If I used any form of words and scratched my chin, it meant jewellery ; if I rubbed my nose, it was a penknife; if I asked the question twice and snapped my fingers the second time, it meant v a purse. And so on. All codes are - the earn* at bottom,' and by practising hard a couple of men with a good memory, used to each other's styles, can make the code cover almost any article you could name. Wβ used to make our, fellow officers wonder, I tell you. When it's well done W& like maecic. One chap brought a book of Watts , Hymns to the station one night, and hid it in a cupboard before Cnarley came,. I made hied guess it in three tries. ■. ■ WelL by and by Charley left the force. He was a clever chap, but very unsettled and restless, as clever cbaps often are, and he never stuck long at anything he tried. Wor a time he wrote to me' from different place* • out after a year I lost sight of him altogether, and when next I met him was in *ne very thick of the story Vm telling. One day, over a<year after he d gone, I was put on a ease. It was a common sort of thing enough, a robbery by a traveller for ■ a jewellery firm—Stanton and Co., Pall Mall Eaet—narue of James Burdock. He'd travelled for the same house tor years, and they had great confidence in him. Stanton and Co. had invented some new patterns in jewellery, and Burdock was to go round the principal provincial towns with a set of paste bracelets and pendant* ia the new fashions to solicit orders. Ten minates after he'd left' the shop with his. samples it was l eund that be had taken areal set of the newjewellery, value £5000, instead of the paste lot, valaed at something like £100. They cent a clerk to his lodgings, where he bad lived for ten years. He had paid up, and left the night before, leaving no address to write to. Birmingham was the first town he was to visit, and it was understood be was to .start from St. Pancras. The clerk—he ha d bis bead well screwed os, that straight there. A Birmingham train had Just started* with BuTdock aboard. Well, the flrra wasn't much frightened, yet. He'd been their servant x goodish time, and had sever been oat a saflling in his dealing*. So they wired a telegram to him at the hotel he used in Birmingham, teuing him of the mistake, and they wired to the police in Birmingham, as a precautionary measure, asking them to keep their eyes on him when he got there, ana stating the time of the train he'd gone by.; Two hours later they got s wire to say that Burdock had not eonae by that train. Then they saw the hole they were in, called lathe help of Scotland-yard, and I was. put oh the Job. - . Now, it so happened that I knew a bit aboutMr Burdock. 1 knew him personally, for one thing, foe I'd seen him at a low called itself a. dub, on which I and other officers had made a raid oae night. The matter had been hashed up, lor there were three baronets and alord in the place; and their families brought pressure to bear, and the case gssledont and the public forgot tt. . That. was a yearor two before this -time, but I never forget a face, aud. when I heard the name—James Bordock—l remembered my friend at the niffht house. •■■";■ Now, I want to make a remark about mr profession. There is nothing in the world' ,—»t least, nothing I know anything about ~>£nto which luck doesn't enter, more or less. I claim nq more credit in this affair than is due to mc. I may say that I was a pretty smart officer. I knew my business, • and I knew my way about; but luck helped mc herei as it bee of tea dove, and as it very often hasn't, in other cases I've had to'o<l with. When any successful man want* to claim all the credit of his success to his own cheek, yoa may be sure that he deserves a lot lese credit that he claims. Lack helped, mc all fcorough this business. I had the brains to use it when it cvne, but tfcw«»»3Wica by luok as. judgment that I pulled it offi •■ jfcjjl got from the firm about Burdock— ! except ■ his personal sppeor&neev which i (thwMigh laok) I knew; perfectly well already—was that he always carried his samples and money in a hat-box, to* avoid suspicion; aad that he was a very h-oood amateur actor—so good that he" bad had offers from regular managers to play-'ln thUlr fcoeatrm.. Out of these -tacts jL«aftd»«y theory; aad that theory

was that he had got the gaard at Sfc. Peneras to pat him loto » carriage alone,, and had, IB*the carrto, "madeup. actor* say to look different from hie real celL and bad gone on, past; Birmingham toLi?eroool. A boat for New York left SS*enSi the following Jay, which strengthened that part of my tbtoiT. .. Acting on my theoty, I went &» Huston, and caSght fee express to Liverpool. There I lounged round «»e notels-not the «ood houses Burdock would have need, but the second-rate SSI half-a-doaen, and badgered the folks there a good deal about the sort of people that had come to Btay there during the day. At last, in a rather seedy place down by the docks, as I was talking to the landlord in, hie bar, a man passed through, ■anth a hat-box in his hand. I only caught a Tiew of his side face. It was a good get-up; he was wonderfully altered, he looked sixty rather than his real age, five and thirty. But it was Burdock/l was sore, even at the moment. I kept up my patter \ to the landlord tor a minute or two, thinking all the while what I should do. It j wouldn't answer to make a mistake. I had to be certain of my man. Plenty of people carry hat-boxes, and the make-up was so perfect that after the first second or two I began to wonder if it was my man after all. And while I was trying to fix a plan, he came Into the bar again without the hat-box, and asked for the landlord. What he said to him I didn't catch. Hβ took no mire than a passing «lance at mc. The only, time-he had ever seen mc before—at the nighthouae when I'd made the raid—l'd been cleaned shaved, and now I had a full beard and moustache. Hβ spoke to the landlord for a minute or two, and then went out into the street. I followed him, to keep him in sight, and made sure before I committed myself. H walked about for an hour or so, looking into shop windows, and once he went into a bar and had a drink, while I stood outside, watching him through the half-open swing door. It was quite dark by now, and the street lamps were lit. By-and-oy he came to the variety theatre, and after reading the bill at the door, went in. I saw him take a ticket, and when he had gone upstairs I followed him, and saw him, through a glass door In the dress circle, take his seat there. It was not ray cue to let him see mc a bit more than I could help, so I stayed at the back of the circle. I took my eyes off him for a second, to look round, and the first person they fell on was my old pal in the force-Charley Freeman I Luck? Why, there's nothing but luck in this world, except the brains to make use of It when it comes. , „ , ~ , I found an attendant after a bit, and pointed out; Charley to him, telling him to «ay that a gentleman would be very glad to have two words with him on important business. The attendant took his time about delivering the message, and when at last Charley got it he shook his head and sent the chap back alone. "Mr Freeman says, sir," said the man, "that if any gentleman wants him, he can go to him. ' Then I saw that Charley was sitting along with a young lady, and a very pretty bit of muslin she was, too ; and, naturally, he didn't want to leave her to see a stranger about he didn't know what. "Go to him again," I eaid, " and say that I must see him. Tell him these two words—'Second sight. ,,. That fetched Charley. I "caw him whisper a word in the young lady's ear, and he came out. Fortunately, I kept my eye on Burdock, too, and just as Charley got up he got up, too, and came out. I caught Charley's eye, and gave him a signal not to know mc all at once. He caught itquick as lightning, Charley was, and the man passed between us without a look. "Queen's business," I whispered to Charley. " Follow that chap. I'm going to the Queen's Head, Staple-street, where ne'e putting up "—the house where I had seen Burdock an hour before. Charley was after him like a flash, and I made straight for the Queen's Head. I got hold of the landlord again, and told him my business or at least, as much as I chose to tell him. It doesn't do to be too communicative in this kind of business. "Well," he said; "what do you wantf "I want you to let mc into that mane room, to examine his luggage." ' "Why should I?" said the landlord. "Whyf I said. " Because Tm a Queen's officer, on Queen's business, and I summon you in the name of the law to aid mc in the execution of my duty." And I showed him my pocket staff. "Ah!" says he; "I've had that dodge tried on mc before."

"Wh*t dodge f" "Why, that staffi There was a chap who robbed a customer of mine, last year —a merchant captain, he was—under pretence of looking for stolen goods. It give the house a bad name, and did mc a heap of damage." I found out after* wards that this was true, and that the . landlord had really been imposed upon by a sham detective. " Once bib, twice shy," cays the landlord. " You prove to mc as you're what you say, and get a search warrant, and I'll let you into the room." It would have taken hours to get a search warrant, and I should have had a wire to London to prove my identity, and.there , was no time to lose. I wasted gve minutes more arguing with the landlord before a boy came in. " What do you want!" says the landlord to the boy. ' ~ " I've got a message for a gentleman as is here," said the boy. •'What gentleman f" " Second Sight," says the boy. The land-, lord stared at him, thinking it was cheek. " Ail right," cays I to the boy; taking him by the arm into the street. "I'm your man. What's the message r He said I was to foils whim, and I did. Hβ led mc ■ along the docks for pretty nearly half a mile, I should think, and' stopped outside a public-house, with a great flaming transparency, in front of it, representing Old King Cole sitting on a beer barrel with his three fiddlers round him. It's in here," cried the boy, without stopping or turning bis head. "Go right through to the room at the back." ■ He went on and I entered the place, and pushed my way through the crowds in the outer bar to the door of the farther room. A lot of men and women of a rather better class that the outer customers, were sitting about the place, and Anion? them I iaw Charley and Burdock. A man was singing a song, and looking sheepishly' at the ceiling the .while. Just as I had seated myself he finished, and everybody applauded. rt Now, then, sir," said a chap, who seemed to be a sort of chairman,to Charley, " Your turn—no shirking. You've got to do something to amuse the company. Everybody has as comes into the room. Its the rule on Wednesday nights."

Charley piped tip, and while Mc sang I thought and an idea come into my head. When Charley's eong was over the chairman called on Burdock, and, after a bit of humming and ha'lng, he sang too, and sans; uncommon well, to give him hie due, with » bit of a quaver in his, voice that -fitted the powder. in hie hair and the wrinkles in his face. When he'd finished the chairman called on mc.

"Well, gentlemen," said I. "Im no dab atr sinking, but I should be glad to entertain each stood company. Did you ever see'ft second-sight exhibition t" Most of them hadn't, I could see in their faces. " It's yery interesting, but I want somebody else to help mc, and he's got to be what's called a medium. Let mc look round and see if there's one here to-night. I can mostly tell 'em by their faces." I looked round, and signalled out Charley, and got him. near the door at the end of the room—there was only one door. Hβ looked silly—acted his part real well, like a chap taken by surprise. " When I raiee my voice, say 'flatbox,'" I whispered to him. I borrowed a few articles about the room, a bunch of keys, a knife or two, a bent sixpence, a handkerchief, and that sort o< thing, and the show began. Of course it was child's play to Charley and mc, bat it took In the crowd wonderful: for every time he guessed and I showed them the article in my hand he was always right." r Totrre a good Medium," I said to Charley," I wonder If I could mesmerise you I You could do a lot more mesmerised."

Everybody in the room called oat to him to be mesmerised: He objected, of course, and acted the frightened yokel to the lite; but at last he seemed to give in. I sat him in a chair* and made a loft of passes before his face, and after the proper time, say a minute and a-balf, he dropped back, with bis eyes closed, looking as fast asleep as any man could be. I could see Burdock was as interested ac the rest. What a lot more he would have been interested, to be sure, if he'd only known what was coming out of all this precious hocus-pocus t "Now," I said: "now that this young man's asleep, I want to ask if there's anybody in the room who knows him." Everybody looked at everybody else, and they all shook their heads. " I want everybody to be rare," said I, " that there's no kind of deception or gammon in tJbis performance. Tkls trick depends on my being sure that this young -man, now in a condition of mesmeric 'trance"—Oh, Lord I how funny it Is to look hack on B0Wr:"doe«n*l!. know anybody here." -. ■ , "Nobody knows him," said Burdock,

getting a bit Impatient "Get along and do your trick." * : " Fou don't know him, for Instance, alrT I said, looking mighty knowing myseUL " Never dappedeyes on him in my life befort," *aid Burdock. "You hear the gentleman, I Bald to too other*. " Very well, eir, as you say he doesn't know anything about yon, 111 ask him a question or two about yon, and y °Burdocic changed colour a bit, and took a gulp of brandy from hie glass. ft I'm agreeable," he eatd, with a try at a, laugh. There's a line in one of Shafcepere c plays about conscience making men cowards. He didn't like it. " Very well. Now," save Ito Charley, "where does this gentleman live in Liverpooll" "Queen's Head, says Charley, speaking in a sleep-walking, hollow kind of voice, to keep the game nodded when I looked at him, and took another gulp of brandy, and I could see his hand snaking. "Has he got any property there—any luggage, for instance t" /^Yes,, , said Charley. "Well, now," I said, raising my voice a bit, " tell us one of the articles." "There's a hat-box," said Charley. Burdock started as if he'd been shot, and his jaw began to work. Just for a second he was like a man struck by paralysis, bat he was a bold devil at bottom, and his funk was over as soon as begun. He sprang right from his seat over the table in front ol him. " Look out, Charley I" I yelled, and Charley was out of his chair like a flash, and we went for him (together, and took him on different sides just inside the door. He was strong as well as game, and he fought like a wildcat, but in less than a minute we had him down and gofe the irons on him. Stanton and Co. behaved very handsome over the affair, and it did mc a lot of good at the "Sard; for within six months after Burdock's conviction I was promoted. He got seven yearn, and died in gaol. I silt the reward I got with Charley. Wβ never lost sight of each ocber again, and we did many a second sight show together till he died too, poor chap. That's the whole story, and I hope you're found it interesting.—Lloyd's,