Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1873-05-29
The Tell-Tale Diamond,
LEAF FROM A DErEGTfFRs; DIARY.

lefe0 Dy burglars, WHO mdQe tneiF
escape with $4,000 in their, pos
session. AS soon as the robbery
became known | repaired to the
bank and sought the president, to
whom | presented nay credentials
and made known my intentions
of commencing work at once -
The old gentleman readily ac-
guessed, and together we passed
into the main office. where sever
al spruce, looking young men were
scratching away as unconcerhedly
as if they had not been engaged
in an animated discussion of the
robbery only minute before, l
glanced at them sharply butJsaw
nothing suspicious in their+ooks,
and concluded that it would be a
waste of time to question them.
I examined the lock of the
door opening upon the street, and
found that it had not been tam
pered with, although the first ar
rival had found the door ajar. /
next turned my attention to a
door opening upon the rear, and
found it securely locked, in which
conditions it had been, so the Pres
ident assured me, since the the
night before.
"Who has charge Of the key
of this door,; I enquired.
"Mr. N -, the cashier, has
one, and our .janitor the other"
"Can either of these gentlemen
be summoneG?"
Eyes, both if needs be. Here,
Warren, run around to Mr.. Ms
and tell him that L wish to see
him Immediately"
The clerk addressed was about
to obey when a sudden thought
struck me and / called him back.
"You need not trouble Mr..
NJ; but if toe janitor can be
found ask him to step down for a
minute or two"
In less than two minutes the
clerk returned with the janitor-
ahroad-shouIdered lrishman, whose
answers to my questions were
given in such a straightforward
manner that | at once eXonerated
him from all blame.
"You lock up after the clerks
have gone home, do your | en-
Iquired, looking the man in the
eyes.
eyes, sometimes | does an
sometimes | doesn't" was the la
comic answer.
"When do you not?"
"When Mr.. N worruks late
O nights, which has teen the case
much O late" "
"Did you lock up last night"
eyes, sur, twats more, tried
every dure afterward."
"At what time did you lock
that door?'' and | pointed to the
front entrance.
"Well, as near as | can recol-
lect, half,past siven."
care you sure you shot The bolt
into its socket 2"
"Aye! could swear that locked
that dure an left it locked"
"How about the windowS-did
you fasten them as well ?"
"Yis, livery one of them" J"
Every good, sir; you may &c
now, if you like" and l turned
to the president.
Now then, Mr.. j, with
your permission, | will investi'
gate matters below stairs.
The old gentleman conducted
me to the vault below. The heavy
iron door of the large vault in
which the bank funds were stored,
stood wide open, afording view
of the interior, which presented a
scene OF confusion not unfamiliar
to my eyes. Books and papers
lay upon the floor in every direc-
ton, where they had been tIfT6mn
after having gratified the curiosity
of the burglars.
Istooped to pick up crumbled
document that lay at my feet, and
as | did so, the sparkle of a gem,
heretofore concealed by the paper,
caught my eye. With a quick
motion of tie hand l picked the
stone from the floor, aud held II
concealed in the palm of my hand
) while perused the document
more for the purpose of cuncealing
the exultation | felt at having
gained SO important u clue, thar
for any other reason.
Having glanced at several Other
papers similar to the one / haC
6rst picked up, began thorough
search of the vault, which provet
frnitless: but the diamond ip ny