Detective Bob Bridger — page 106: what you’re looking at

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

DETECTIVE BOB BRIDGER. : 99 might appear reason for their tasting lightly of the mugs of beer they everywhere ordered. The regular detectives of the New York force are well known to the resident criminal classes, but the Scotch de- tective and Bridger, being strangers, passed unsuspected. Many attempts were made during the day to entice the tipsy wharfmen where they might be robbed, and they learned much of special interest to the New York force. _ Nothing transpired, however, until late in the afternoon, upon which the detectives could hang the shadow of a hope that they had found a clew to the whereabouts of “Silly” Billy, Meg, and Annette. Late in the afernoon, as they sauntered carelessly along in the Bowery, gaping in countrified ignorance at every thing and everybody, a tall, handsomely formed man of forty passed them. His clothing was after the English type, and rather flashy, and the man seemed to be intoxicated. Upon his shirt-front he sported a diamond, and a watch chain dangled from the fob pocket of his trousers. His features were decidedly those of a shrewd, vicious sport. His eyes were full, leering, sensuous, his mouth shapen for the flowing bowl, and his beard neatly rounded about his bloated face after the manner of an Hnglish turfman. ‘‘His lordship surely hails from England,” said Bridger, as the man passed. “Surely,” returned the Scotch detective, ‘‘and I have certainly seen his features before—where, I can’t say. Sup- pose we stroll with him ?” Half a block distant, upon the corner, stood two young men. Both were fashionably dressed. One was a short, compactly built human bull-dog, who sported a very high shirt-collar and a shoe-brush mustache. - The second was a slender, wiry human rat. That both had worn striped clothing, and were thieves, the detectives believed without further introduction, but they afterward learned that the gentleman first mentioned was “Tom, the Frog,” a well-known burglar, and_ that the sharp- eyed young man, his companion, was “Jack, the Fork,” an equally well- known pickpocket. They had, however, ‘‘tied up prigging” in their respec- tive lines, and were now working a new ‘‘racket.” This game, from its peculiar nature, and a judicial ap- plication of knowledge concerning police patronage, which _ Gomicboo <S €oO