The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1873-08-19


and knowledge Of physiognomy have gone,
or else the clerks in this place are the most
honest set Of men in the world"
Presently Mr.. Redding called his con-
fldential clerk, Mr.. Phillips, into his office
and we talked the matter over together.
AT Mr.. Redding's request Mr.. Phillips
laid before me a list of the goods that had
been missed SO far as could be made out,
and it was indeed a formidable catalogue
but there was nothing in it which would be
easily recognized, nothing to which there
were not goods exactly similar in other
shops Lastly l expressed a wish to see
some silks belonging to the same parcel as
those which had been stolen, and having
tolerable good eye for form and color, my
attention was at once attracted by piece
of goods such as had never seen before,
and which had such remarkable pattern
that it was Immediately impressed upon
my mind. But other stores also kept this
same kind of goods and so, even if should
find anything like them in either of the re-
tail sh ops, or at pawnbrokers, still / should
not be in a position to identify them as
having been stolen from Mr.. Redding's.
At the same time thought that possibly
this piece of silk might be the key with
which to lay open the secret of the robber-
les.
now entertained no longer any doubt
that the thefts must be perpetrated by one
or other of the clerks, and / determined to
watch them all. Eor this purpose l de-
puted some of my people, while under
| took the supervision of few, to look after
them when they left business and so to
find out whether any of them frequented
gaming houses, brothels, or other houses
of ill-rerute. Many evenings passed away
but without any result. One of the clerks,
who lived in Brooklyn, came over to the
city one Sunday evening and went to a
house of assignation. That certainly threw
faint shadow upon his character, but it
gave us no hold upon which we could rest
for considering him as the thief before all
the other clerks. Two other clerks, older
than he, had also taken some acquaintances
who had come from the country "to see
the lions" to places which more solid
people do not usually care to visit. But
this should even less be laid to the charge
Of the clerks as an evil, for in many houses
| it is customary even in accordance with
the wish of the principals that the assist
ants should pay such little attentions to
acquaintances from the country.
|
Thus then had SO far taken great
deal of trouble without arriving at any
result Almost every day held consulta-
and each day liked the latter better for
he showed the greatest zeal in the interest
of his principal, and was untiring in his en-
deavors to assist me in my inquiries. Many
times Mr.. Redding was On the point of
giving up, but it was always Mr.. Phillips
who encouraged him to persevere, because
he was sure that sooner or later the thief
must be discovered, and in his position as
chief clerk in the establishment, and as an
honest man he felt it his moral duty to
press forward towards the discovery of the
thief. But the robberies still went on !;
and whoever believes in ghosts might well
think that some invisible hand was en-
gagged in the business. And at last Mr..
ReddiDg determined himself to pass the
nights for some time in the warehouse,
with watchman and trustworthy dog,
whilst another watchman did duty on the
outside. But this, too, led to no discovery,
and the most surprising part of the bust
ness was that even during that time goods
disappeared. At length the continued
misfortune, and the danger consequent
upon these repeated losses in the business,
made Mr.. Redding nervous and i'll, so that
he had to give up these nightly visits to
the warehouse.
One day after this Mr.. Redding called
me to him and told me that as all other
measures had failed, he thought that his
only safety depended upon his dismissing
the whole of his thirty-seven clerks, in
nocent or guilty, and engaging others in
their places he showed me an advertise
ment in the "Herald" which he had caused
to be inserted for the purpose, and in con-
sequence of which he had great number
of applicants already before him. We dis
cussed the proposition, and whilst was
giving many reasons against such sudden
and sweeping change, Mr.. Phillips Co
incided with me, chiefly on the ground that
they could not be more certain of the f.
deity of the new, than they were of the
old clerks; and that it would be unjust to
punish the innocent with the guilty. That