Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1869-11-18
Miscellaneous.
The First Case.

! could not help admiring the Doc
tot. lie was one of the handsomcst
mrn ] ever saw-tall. compact. clear
,Ii. with a mild and amiable face. aud
perfect Tres. always looking as though
he had-to use very original phrase
just stepped out OF n bandbox. lie
sat with has legs dndcr INV mahogany,
or black OAK. and slipped Amontlllado
and ate boiled ~oodcock. precisely A.
thon-h they were his daih fare. The
doctor would not, perhaps. have been
cunsid red exactly the n ,ociate for a
man IN my position. the head of a iirst
ass commercial no is,-barring all
eyotis.n--but | wou,i have dett d any
o.ic. by his looks, to have named his
profession.
Ia two words. the doctor was a pro-
fcssional detective. and. in the line OF
IN business. had just doie me "a service
which the amount of money lhad gwen
him did not pay for, and had extend
cd the ci,Iliiv OF an invitation 10 din
ucr. at my own house. for several
reasons. one being that | thought him
quiet and entertaining gentleman.
q 4 another. that hc had. 10y his pen
etration and good management. un-
ravcllcd mystery that had troubled
me very seriously for some weeks-not
- much bt the loss OF money involved.
as for the fear least the discovery
should inculpate some of my couiidcn-
tial employees i'll the couniing-ho
not one OF whom, when the affair first
occurred. could look on with suspi-
'tf6h. or think OF as guilty, without a
feeling Of intense pam. all Of them
having been many years with me, aud
endeared by faithful service. Before
20 on with my main narrative. perhaps
II would be well TO tell how came 10
employ the doctor on NY own behalf.
Although having no connection with
the tale, il will show how wise heads
as they think themsel,es--caa be
bothered with 4 simple thing when un-
used 10 the business.
From the day that ! first came into
our house, as a partner. l have always
attended Ia the cash and banking busi-
ness myself all moneys. checks, drafts,
etc. passing through my hands or &C
counted for 10 me. In three-and-
twenty wears experience, never had
an error but which ON careful revision.
could be rcciifed, nor had any money
ever been lost or stolen.
You may pld.e. therefore, Of my sur
prise when. one day-it had been
very heavy cash day-on making up
nv account. found myself two thou
sand three hundred and fifty-seven
dollars short. There was no such
amour, entered in any way that !
could possibly have made an error in.
and nothing in all my transactions up
on which TO base my deficit. had but
one place in which 10 put my money
during the day, and that was In .
drawer OF my desk, solid, oid-fash-
ioned structure. attached 10 the build
inc. and put up when the Office Was
built. forty years before. Had the
desk been one OF the modern, hlmsy
affairs. | might have thought that
somebody could have espirited the mon
ey out in some way, but even the idea
OF false KEY did not harinonize with
the old-fashioned lock and solid wood.
| always locked the drawer, and car
ried the key in nv pocket, and was
.R.elx-eut OF the Office during tae day,
except half an hour for lunch. and then
there we're never fewer than three or
four persons in the same room. At
night, invariably removed every dol
lar 10 the safe, So that any appropria-
ton Of funds must be made in tn. day
time.
This was the state Of the case the
day that | was two thousand three
hundred aud tifty-seven dollars short.
went through every pocket and
available place on my person. though
knew that | never put any money
about me, and then closet my account
with the deficit, making up my mind
not to speak of it that day, but to con-
slider. il until the morrow. before
asked advice. The morrow came, and,
utterly discomposed, l admitted to my
self my inability to straighten it, and
called in for advice Mr.. Conway, our
old and confidential book-keeper, in
whose judgement had great reliance.
Mr.. Conway did rot, like the famous
Dutch square, weigh the two accounts.
and give judgement in favor Of the
heavie It. but he did almost as well.
He footed up the column Of figures
three or four times, counted the cash
balance as often, looked at me over his
spectacles, and told me the account
vas wrong-two thousand three hum
dred and fifty-seven dollars short
That's all the satisfaction there was
from Mr.. Conway. After this, pledg'
ing him to secrecy, Thought it better
TO consult nobody else, but watchfuliy
wait events, charging the amount, as
was bound to do, to myself personally.
How much, for days. this matter
.,hlod mo I cannot relate but ike