THIEF-CATCHING EXTRAORDINARY.

North Otago Times, Volume XXV, Issue 979, 21 June 1902, Page 1 (Supplement)

THIEF-CATCHING EXTRAORDINARY.

The well-known legend of the apothecary who, when called out to light a duel dcclinod to meet his adversary in the field, but oflered him the choice of two pills one deadly and the other innocuous, both of which were politely declined, has found some thing approaching to an equivalent in the dental profession, according to the report in the " Chemist and Druggist' A thief was in question on this occasion. Dr. Rousseau, dentist, Rue des Martyrs, Paris, was walking with his wife one day, recently, when a youth snatched a bag Mde. Rousseau was carrying, and made off with it. The dentist's only satisfaction was to say " That young man was too quick for me, but I should recognise him again' To his surprise, the thief called on him to have a tooth stopped the next day. When he was fairly installed in the operating-chair and the usual inspection ol the tooth had been made, the dentist said, "I find it necessary to lake an impression of your mouth, but it will not take long, and there will be no pain." Dr. Rousseau prepared some plaster, and applied it to the roof of the thief's mouth. In stead of removing it immediately he let it dry, and when it was solidly formed he added, " Now my friend there is just a little formality, but you must remain quite calm. You stole my wife's handbag in the street a few days ago. Suppose we go round to the police-station together." The patient startled nearly out of his wits, jumped up and made various inarticulate noises, accompanied by violent , gesticulations, but finding his mouth so full and wide open, he consented to accompany the dentist to the police-station.