The Barrel MysteryFlynn, William J. (William James)
General
The Barrel Mystery
Flynn, William J. (William James)
Detective and mystery stories; Fiction
"'One night I went with the Morello brothers and other friends into a
hall where a Jewish wedding was being celebrated. As we entered the
hall we recognized two policemen who had helped us before in our jobs.
Our idea was to steal watches. We succeeded in stealing about fifteen
watches when a Jew I was robbing got onto me. He grabbed me by the
coat and called the police. The policeman knew me and took my part. He
pushed the Jew aside and told him to go away. The policeman said he
knew me to be a fine young man for more than ten years. The policeman
told the Jew he was lying and that if he said any more about the
matter he would be put under arrest. The Jew was crest-fallen, but
went on dancing all the same. As we came outside, I gave three watches
to the policeman, two of silver and one of gold. I disposed of the
others in New Jersey. We divided the proceeds equally among us.'
"Then Giglio made the boast that the police had never been able to
arrest him. He had been in great danger, though, he said. One night in
the winter of 1906 he went to Newburgh to steal a horse and carriage.
While running away with the stolen property he was shot at twice.
Neither bullet hit him, though, he said. Two months later the same
horse and carriage were sold in Poughkeepsie for one hundred dollars.
"Bernardo had nothing to relate except the innocent amusement of
having stolen fruit in his native town. The others grinned.
"On April 26th or 27th the second lot of Calichio's two-dollar notes
were ready. They totalled fifteen thousand dollars and were wrapped up
in rags. Giglio and Sylvester took them to New York.
"Calichio and I then renewed work on the five-dollar notes, which we
figured on finishing about the middle of May, when a communication
from New York made us stop again on the five-dollar notes, and we
started on the third lot of Calichio's two-dollar notes. During the
month of May, I, Calichio, Sylvester, Giglio and Bernardo all had a
hand in the completion of this third lot of two-dollar notes, which
amounted to $10,000; then, too, we finished up by the end of May
$14,700 of the five-dollar notes. During this period Calichio received
his wages punctually, but he did not let on to me.
"When the work had been completed I called Caterina aside and told her
that I was going to New York and would not return to the stone house,
as I did not intend to continue at that sort of work. In fact, I
dismantled the press, piece by piece, took the genuine five-dollar
note that was used for comparison, it being the original from which
the plates were made, and said to Giglio:
"'Don Vincenzio, I am going to New York to seek rooms and will see
Cecala there; I am going because, counting this last batch, I have
printed about $60,000 and have received nothing for my labor.'
"'You deserve to have your head smashed on a rock,' was the cheerful
reply. 'If the money is not yet sold, who will you see to get paid?'
"'Cecala.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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