Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 May 1879 — HE WOULDN'T CONDONE. [ARTICLE]

HE WOULDN'T CONDONE.

He sat in a horse-car and howled for four bloc kg that he had been robbed of his watch. He was an old person and seemed to he Very much exercised about it; at one time he Btepped ont on the platform bareheaded and held up hie right hand and swore he wouldn’t condone it. Several yonnger persons who got on the car with him assisted in’ making a great row abont the robbery; one of them talked splearnedly abont it that the passengers couldn’t: quite make out whether he was expatiating on the outrage or describing the old gentleman as an escaped gyasoutus ; they all agreed, however, that it was what they called a “dam“shame,” and that it never should be condoned. Then a policeman came in, and the old person charged an Ohio gentleman in the car with the theft. The young fellows who bad been fumbling round tfie stranger supported the eharge, and they all went off to the station-honse together. “ Who are these parties ? and what’s all this row “ about ?” said the magistrate. “ Well, this ’ere old ’an,” said the offioer, “is “‘Sammy the Reformer’; he used to be in with “ Tweed, Sweeny and that gang. Yon may remem- ‘‘ her, some ten years ago, we came near polling )• him in with Tweed in the Seymour-Hoffioum job, ' hut he got off on an alibi; said he was only a “ dummy in it. He’s been on Hie Reform lay for a “ year or two, and claims to be connected with the “Societyfor the Suppression of Vice,though the “ company he keeps don’t look much like it.” “ Who are the rest of these fellows?” “Well, they are ail Tweed’s old pals. This ’ere “ high-shouldered fellow with loose chin always “ used to testify to Tweed’s good character when “ the old man got in trouble. The black-whiskered ' “ fellow lives up the river. He used to help the old “man in the Albany business. The other fellow is “ a kind of a nevy or something to the old party “There.” “ And the other?” “ Oh. he’s a stranger. Never saw him before. Ha “ says he’s an Ohio man. He’s the man those fal- “ lows charge with stealing Sammy’s watch.” Then Sammy said: “ I don’t care anything abont “ the watch, but 1 do want to have stealing stopped “ and thieves shown np. Don’t ask me to condone “ it, for 1 won’t do it.” Upon examination the watch whioh Sammy cl aimed to have lost was found to have the Ohio man's name on it; and so many passengers testified to seeing the young fellows crowding the Ohio man mid trying to pick his pockets, that two of than confessed it, but said they thought it was Sammy’s watch, and they wanted to get it and restore it to him. And the higb-sbonlaered man, who it apKid was making signs to the other felloWs, said ought it was Sammy’s watch, too; bat he bad no idea of getting it back in that way. He only made signs to the nevy where the waten was, and how carelessly the Ohio man was carrying it, as a sort of danger signal. Nevy said he understood the signal to mean ,r go for it.” and he went. “ Then it seems,’* said the magistrate, “that this “ was only an ‘ inchoate offence ’ attempted by “ these noisy witnesses in the interest of the person “ who claims to have been robbed. Was this done “ with your connivance, Samuel?” ::: “Not at all, I assure you, Judge. Never dreamed of “ it; never saw any signs pass between these “ young men; and when I did see them disapproved “of them. I had no idea my nevy would do any sneh “ thing, for I’ve told him I did not like it, and when “ he was caught once or twice before. 1 have shown “ considerable impatience. He did very wrong. His “ only exenso was that he thought the gentleman “ hail my watch, which is the fact.” “ Well, then, as this gentleman very plainly haa “ his own watch, and the attempt to steal it by “Sammy’s pals—or, as the high-shonlderedcalls “ them, * coparceners’—was only an inohoateoffence, “ we’ll dismiss the case.” “ Couldn’t you find, Judge.” said Sammy, softly, “that as tlie boys failed to steal thewatoh, the “ Ohio man must have stolen it ? That seems to be a “ reasonable theory.” “ We never do business here in that way.” ** What! Never ?” “ Well, hardly ever.” “ Then,” said Sammy, “ I desire on this interest- “ ing occasion to assert my entire belief, before God “ and my emintry, that he’s got my watch.” And he “stepped down, remarking that be would never “condone it. A Kentucky journalist met him on the steps and whispered to him confidentially as they walked away together: “If you only keep that a-going the “ pulilic ’ll have to give you a watch to get rid of “you.” _

j* Indiana Democrats say it is folly for Thnrman to hope for either place on the ticket in 1880, because Ohio is hopelessly Republican. This is a fact, but it is a curious time for Democrats to ho mentiouiug it, for if tho party loses Ohio this Fall it is pretty sure*o lose everything next year. ... -Senator Butler thinks his Southern associate* ought to have allowed the Northern Democrats to conditct this electiou law tight all by themselves, for it was their fight. He is right about its being a Northern light. It is nothing more nor less tbau a squabble for a stuffed ballot-box m New-Vork City, that reform might have lull course and ho glorified. The country is perceptibly agitated with a sort of epidemic of disgust with the Democratic party* Even Democrats suffer from it.