@)
is

WHILE CLEANING out some
sid files the other day we ran across
few packets of newspaper clippings
arefully stowed away in a cobweb
illed vault. Snatching a few mom-
nts from our regular duties we took
, peek into the torrid events of 37
rears ago. Not long ago you say?
ja, that depends on how old you
re.

Well, times have changed, but
rood old human nature is just the
ame. It’s only what we say, how
ve say it, and how fast we get around
hat have varied.

The following gem was taken
rom the January 19, 1912, issue
of the Victoria Times. It appears
hat a chap named Clayton, a ‘‘man
with a past,’’ had just been released
rom the provincial jail at Victoria,
where he had been “‘doing time’’ for
1 series of robberies in the area sur-
‘ounding Victoria. He had been, we
gather, a ‘phantom thief,’ darting
with lightning rapidity from one
lepradation to another thus foiling
he best efforts of the law to lay him
oy the heels. Finally, his luck ran
Sut, and tossed into the clink, his
nethods were unmasked. This elus-
ve individual had used a “‘horse and
yan’ to get around, thus affording
uimself transport, and a quick (?)
means of removing the “‘swag.”’

Well anyway, it seems that this
1otorious character was again ‘‘inside
ooking out.”” He had been caught
n the early morning hours at the St.
Seorges Hotel, but wait, let us see

10w the matter was reported in the
ress:

“The inmates of the St. George’s
inn were disturbed in their sleep last
light by a disturbance on the bed-
‘oom floor. Henry Thomas Marsh
who occupied a room there, said, as
witness for the prosecution, that he
neard someone in the next room say-
ng “Hands up, or I'll shoot you.”
Two men slept in the room and the
witness did not take the matter seri-

usly, so he had told them to ‘dry
ip.. He was answered by the same
voice that threatened the shooting.
The voice called through the wall:
I'll shoot you,’ and followed the
hreat with a string of oaths. The
witness’ curiosity was aroused and
ne got up and lit his light. Making
nls Way to the next room he found
the accused was not there but dis-
-overed him in the room of another

NINETEENTH EDITION

Changing erly ‘

boarder, where the accused man was
hitting the occupant.

“I punched him until someone
else came,’ said the witness.

“The accused: ‘How could I shoot
you if I had no gun?’ ‘How did you
fix me?’

“Witness: ‘I beat your head off,
that’s how I fixed you.’

“Accused: “Yes, when ten of you
had me down and were kicking the
stuffing out of me. You're dreaming,
can you pound me?’

“Witness: ‘Couldn’t I, I'll pound
you now if you like.’

“Accused: ‘You will?’
“Witness: “You bet I will.’

“The magistrate, having stopped
this lively interlude, the accused said
he was drinking in the St. George’s
Inn after hours but James Anderson,
the licencee, immediately denied it.
He took the witness box and said
that after locking up last night with
his partner he went to bed and was
awakened in the night. Downstairs
he found one of the front windows
broken open, with the top panes all
gone and one below smashed with a
stone. The bar was a mass of ruins.
The cash register had been smashed

YOUR

and thrown on the ground, ten whis-
key bottles were smashed on the floor
and cigars were thrown all over the
room

“Cornelius O'Regan, a_ black-
smith’s helper, who referred to the
accused as ‘the hero,’ told how he
was awakened and coming down
stairs had found the bar as described
by the landlord. He was asked by
the magistrate if the broken glass was
sufficiently large to allow a man to
enter, and replied it was large enough
for a horse to get in through.”

We regretfully have to leave the
“Adventures of Clayton’ because
the newspaper clipping ends with the
fact that he elected trial before a
higher court, but that further evi-

dence would be heard the following
day. We don’t have that clipping.

“Who knows? Perhaps Clayton was

a follower of the celebrated Anti-
Saloon Leaguer, Carrie Nation and
her militant mob of saloon smashing
spinsters.

INTEMPERATES LEAD in the
number of prisoners committed to
B.C. jails with a total of 2,803.
Those with a rating of temperate
totaled 1,770 and there were 285
abstainers.

TAXI

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Page One Hundred and Fifteen