HIS NEGRO SCOUT

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, Issue LIII, 14 April 1908, Page 3

HIS NEGRO SCOUT

On "Manny's" staff was a black man, said to be endowed with all the instinctive tracking skill of the Australian native. The negro, however, was sentenced to fifteeen months' imprisonment some months ago, and "Manny's" friends say that the "Boss" would never have been caught if "Darkie" had been on the look-out. This brings the narrative down to the arrest of "Manny" himself, the master burglar, whose incarceration till the year 1911 gives the Wandsworth detectives, as well as the residents of that suburb, good reason to heave a sigh of relief. For the past month they have been out of their beds at all hours to catch "Manny" red-hand 1. Recourse had even been had to '<\h device of importing new men, vr'.v.own to "Manny," in the hope of .-."twitting the wily felon. But he sop*, -"[^covered the importations, and w.r ■ -^d his gang that fresh detectives hv l been drafted into Wandsworth and Putney for their . special benefit. It added zest to "Manny's" sport, and still fresh burglaries were reported. Then in the simplest way the long arm of the law took a firm hold of the I master: It was not a plain-clothes man who ran him to earth, but PoliceSergeant 69V in uniform. Meeting "Manny" and one of his merry men in the small hours of the morning, he had a good look at the pair, knowing quite well who they were, and feeling equally sure that they were either coming from a "job" or going to one. CAUGHT AT LAST. On "Manny's" back were traces of whitening or plaster. This, added to the fact that the disciple of Charles Peace did not come up and speak, being apparently in an unusual hurry, induced the sergeant to make a dash, and,' seizing the bold burglar, he soon landed his captive at the station. He had in his pocket £8 17s 6d, contained in a linen bag. He had no jemmy, only his faithful white pocket-knife. The police insisted that "Manny" should spend the night at the station, and in the meantime his assistant, who had escaped, was tracked to his lair. It was a small piece of paper, with the name "Miss Snooke" written on it, that proved "Manny's" undoing. Mainly by this trifle was guilt brought home to him. The working up of evidence was entrusted to Detective-Ser-geant Davies, an intelligent young officer. A burglary had taken place at a large shop in Putney, near the L.S.W. station. Exactly £8 17s 6d was taken in cash. Among this money was a half-sovereign belonging to a young woman employed there. This coin was wrapped in paper, bearing the young woman's name.