who proved easy
talkers and kept nothing back. He now concluded it was a good time to
find out about Cox. He discovered in the course of the evening that
Josh. had a clock that needed repairs but did not care to go to the
expense of getting it fixed. So he said: "Josh., you are a pretty good
sort of a man, and I'll tell you what I will do for you; I am not going
to work in the morning, and so I will come down to your house in the
course of the forenoon and fix up your clock for you and not charge you
a cent for the job." Cox was so much pleased at this liberal offer that
he took another drink at Fox's expense and went home highly delighted.
In the morning Cox called for Fox, and again drinking at his expense,
conducted him to his house and gave him the clock to repair. Fox now saw
Mrs. Cox for the first time. She seemed a very civil woman and a great
talker. She was of middle stature, with black hair and eyes, and dark
complexion. When I received this description, I immediately said she
must be a relative of Mrs. Maroney's, and so she eventually proved. In
the course of the conversation Fox gleaned that Mrs. Cox had some
relatives living in Philadelphia, which was nothing astonishing, and he
got very little information from her. Cox was out of employment, but
expected work soon; his house was commodious and very neatly kept, and
Mrs. Cox seemed a good housekeeper. Having finished the repairs to the
clock, Fox returned to the tavern, where he found Barclay and Horton,
and soon had the glasses circulating. The pleasant liquor caused all the
parties to grow familiar, and Fox was regaled with many a rare bit of
scandal. He finally spoke of the Coxes from whom he had just returned,
and was at once given their history so far as it was known in
Jenkintown. The family had been in the town about four years, and had
moved there from Morrisville, N. J. Josh. was not inclined to work, and
just managed to scrape enough money together to live on. They had three
children, and Mrs. Cox was a native of Philadelphia. Fox concluded, from
all he saw and heard, that the people of Morrisville would be able to
give him full information of the antecedents of the Coxes, and came into
Philadelphia on the following day to get instructions. I was perfectly
satisfied with what he had done so far, and on the next day sent him to
Morrisville. Fox plied his trade in Morrisville with great success, and
soon got acquainted with many of its inhabitants. Hi