The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 332: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARTBALDI®S YOUNG CAPTAIN. nothing, for whatever yousay, may be used against you,” “ Yes, I know, Mr, Gale,I know ; but it’s no use playing ‘the innocent any longer, for I find I have been betrayed.” “ Betrayed 2”? | « Yes, Mr. Gale. You could never have found me out if some villain had riot ‘rounded’ on me,” ‘Do you suspect any one?” « Yes—Barney the Pug, or else the cabman.” ‘‘ Barney did not ; and, as to the cabman, Tam cn the Jook+out’ for him, and have been’ for the last month.” « You do not mean that?” said old Hautwig, with glittering eyes. ‘ After him, eh! What for?” ‘‘ Fordhe robbery down in the country, which you, Barney, Bandy Bob, and Alf Green are con- cerned in.’ Old Hautwig turned pale. He swore until almost’ black in the face that he knew nothing about it; but Gale detailed so many circumstances revarding it, that the old man could not refute him. “ You might ‘as well make'a clean breast of ib.” “And do you intend to arrest the cabman ?”’ “The first moment [see him.” * And prosecute him ?” * Yes, have the old villain transported if I can.” ‘Ah, Mr. Gale,’ whined old Hautwie; ‘I fear our game is up.” = 4} ‘“] know it is. I have been a long time jaiter first one and then another of you, but I hope shortly to have every ‘one of you hung or lagged, Hautwig.” “You won't'press it very hard against me-if I tells you all, will you, Mr. Gale ?” “T can promise nothing.” “But you'll try and poke ina good word for me, now wont you ?”’ Gale did not answer, This was always the cry of those who had satcyed a long career in crime, and were accidentally cap- tured. And Mr, Gale found out from long experience, | despite whatever may be said about * honor among thieves,” that nine out of every ten convicted rogues would willitgly tuim qieen’s évidence, if by so doing they could lessen their own punishment, It was with this knowledge and conviction that Gale stood outside the cell door conversing with old Hautwig, whom he called the prince of rogues and humbugs. | He knew very well that the old man’was dying to disclose everythin? that he knew about his com- panions if only to ease hisown mind. Hence, after a time, he begged that Mr, Gale would procure pen, ink, and paper, and take notes of all he said. This the detective willingly acceded to, and old Hautwig detailed to him such a catalogue of crime, in which he had taken’ part, or of which he had been from time to time cognizant, that it made Gale fairly unwell. The officer did not much care to hear anything about Barney ; but when old Hautwig began to speak of the old cabman and his doings at night, it fairly startled him, detective as ‘he was. J CHAPTER CX, THE DARK DOINGS, OF A NIGHT GABMAN. “You have no notion, Mr. Gale, what a villain that old cabby is,” “T have suspected he wasn’t altogether on the square for years,” said Gale, “And many others besides you, Mr. Gale; but he has been too clever all along for all of you officers, and even now I very much doubt you could Prove any case against him, he is so deep and cunnin “ T know he is, and have heard that he glories 4 in defying all the police. a5 “So he does; and I have heard him tell some strange siories, There has been more than one dead body which has ridden inside his cab.” Gale looked up in surprise and horror as! he ‘said, “You don’t mean that, Hautwig: ad “T do, though. It has been used several times by the body- snatchers and others.” “Horrible! and do you know the names of any of the bodies which they have removed ?” ‘‘ Only one.’ “ And who was that?” “Old Ford, the gentleman who was murdered in the Red House.” ” ** Was that removed from the cemetery iby! “It was.” “By whom ?” “ Barney, and another person named Warner.” “You are sure of this?” ‘“‘ And sure also that the body was conveyed back- wards and forwards in the cab.” “Horrible! but tell me, Hautwig, did they sell you any trifles which belonged to the dead man faa Yeu. “What were they ?” “Two gold rings, set with diamonds. them with the fingers still in them.” “What !” Barney and _ his friend cut off the fingers to ‘save time and trouble, “Thad to saw them off the joints afterwards,’ said Hautwig, ‘* Monsters !” said Gale. “The body was. afterwards sold for twenty pounds to some medical students.; When they had done with it various parts were placed in brown paper parcels, and thrown into the sewers or rivers at night time.” “What barbarism |” , “Oh! Barney, to my knowledge, has been a capital hand at body snatching for years.” ‘“ The villain !” * ‘He first finds out what rich people are dead, where they are going to be buried, and ‘such like; in fact, he often attends, or rather follows, the fineral, and then, having laid all his plans, he and cabby do the trick very nicely, for your real gentle- folk are always buried with their rings on,’ “Hautwig, you astonish me |” “Tt would astonish you much more if you knew as much as I do about him,” I Suppose 80 5 but then, perhaps, he may have told you lies.” “Oh, I have heard it from Barney as well. One night he was called off the cab rank by an elderly gentleman Who had a young woman with him, «Drive to Hampstead,’ said the stranger, wink- ing at cabby. c Cabby winks back, and drives them to Hamp- stead. ‘When they got there the gentleman orders him to drive five miles farther on. ““He does so; but when he stops, the gentleman has disappered, ‘and the young girl inside is stone dead | “ Gabby finds a purse on the seat and that’s all. ‘ Where or how the gentleman had got out was a mystery which cabby didn’t care about solving.” ‘What did he do with the body? Was the girl's throat cut or anything of that sort ?” ‘““No; it must have been done by poison of some T bought CEOMMKElOOOKS. eC)