The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1868-12-11
Mystery Solved A Fly Leaf FROM Detectives Note
Book
From the ST. Louis Times

| From the ST. Louis Times.
Buttonholeing one of our reporters or
his customary rounds yesterday morning, q
well-known detective, whose name it will
not be necessary to mention, narrated q
cnapter fIom his personal history which
borders closely on the romantic. His story
as told In his own language, was in sub.
stance as follows
DO you remember the mystery I was
engaged in solving when we last met " he
asked, and without waiting for an answer
continued Well, will tell you the Sc.
quel. Mrs A., you recollect, lost the ring.
aad Nellie - was suspected of stealing
It, Inc morning after the ball. while
sleeping in her Own chamber, the ring was
removed from her finger without arrousing
Its owner. No one but Nellie had access
to the apartment and she must have taken
/ 1t. So thought Mrs. A, so thought her
husband, and so thought |, when [ was
sent tor and given the Points in the case,
before being employed to work it up. The
ring was set in diamonds, cluster of ex.
ceeding brlliancy and richness. Its value
could not have been less than $500. Nellie
was employed as Mrs. A $ waiting maid.
at wages which in four years would scarcely
have aggregated the value of the diamonds.
Every stone in the set was worth year of
Nellie's life and labor, albeit neither nor all
of them could have dropped single drop
OF water on a parched tongue, or stroked
'fevered brow when it was racked with pain
AT the instance Of Mrs. A., Nellie was ar
rested, upon the accusation of stealing the
ring. She protested her innocence in tears,
but all the circumstances looked so strongly
toward her guilt, her tears were unavaiing.
| followed her to the Jail, and at my sug'
gestion she was assigned cell to herself
The next day | visited her, and by every
means | dared to employ sought to gain a
confession from her. At length | at
tempted to intinidate her, and harshly
hel with the theft. Again she
burst into tears, and hiding her face in her
hands. wept as though her heart would
break. Here the matter ended, for I could
go no further. | had forgotten to tell you
before that Nellie was handsome, aud she
never seemed SO beautiful in my eyes as
when the tears were falling from her own
n shower of diamonds, every one of them
more precious than those was after. | left
he cell completely baflled. Although |
never told as much to Mrs. A., or intmated
Is much to Nellie, | was satisfied OF her in.
locence, and forthwith turned my efforts in
mother direction. | continued my visits
o Nellie in hercell day after day, but never
afterwards. alluded to the ling. A week
,ad passed, and | had all but given up the
OBJ in despair. Finally one morning early,
Thile lettering down, certain street in the
direction Of the river, | instinctiveiy paused
lnder three balls and began closely scruti.
lizing display of the pledges in my
lncle's shop. In an instant my quick eye
ingled out of whole case of rings one
Which thought might be, ana which. as
ortune would have it, proved to be identi-
ally that stolen from Mrs AS finger. |
ad but little difficulty in tracing out the
hief. 1t was Mrs. As own son. To
atisfy debt contracted during debauch,
e had taken it from his mothers finger
'hilc she was sleeping and pawned it.
But bow about Nellie you ask Sne
20 was guilty of theft, but l forgave
er. She is now my wife,"