Old Specie, the Treasury Detective; or, The Harbor Lights of New York — page 159: what you’re looking at

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

OLD SPECIE. 151 he no sooner felt that peculiar numbness come over his arm than he became actually frightened. His sole thought then was escape. So he had rushed into the room, locked the door, and instead of standing upon the defensive, as matiy men would have done, brave to the last, his one thought was flight. Possibly he had rushed to the window and put his head outside. Seeing the police officer hurrying to the spot, he had quickly changed his mind. Then the generous flue of the chimney seen itself to his notice. Perhaps he had previously considered such a situation as~this. At any rate he made sood time in se nactaine it far enough to take his feet from observation below. It was a good hiding-place. Had there been another door to the room, through which it seemed possible he might have gone, no one would have dreamed of seeking him in such a place. As luck would have it, however, he had disturbed the soot and dust of ages. This, falling below, had filled the room, and caused Old Specie to sneeze. He had a clew at once. We have seen how successfully he followed it up and found his man. He had no compassion for the fellow. Snyder was a bold rogue who had long defied the government officers. His operations were mainly against the govern- ment, and yet upon closer investigation it will be Comicboo cS €o =|