The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-04-24

Then, producing a notebook, he
opened it at weIl-worn leaves.
'There have been" ;" he began, look
ing at me with a sort of smile, "five
| great robberies within the last six
months, and each one has these special
features, characterizing it as the work
of the same hands as the other four
g First, the combination of seven to
eleven masked men, all adroit burg
| lars; second, an isolated house is at
tackled, sure to contain ample provision
for a successful robbery third, the
thieves know the premises fourth, the
leader of the gang Is a small man, of
active habits, with clear, shrill voice. %
| He stopped and looked at me.
g did not know there was a recog-
nized leader" I remarked.
He drew a large book from his desk.
&c Here, " said he, els the full testimony
| in all five cases. Run your eye over it,
and you will see that the general facts
all coincide. The small man gives di-
rections and leads everybody"
" Probably some London cracksman." :"
Belts nodded, winked, then leaned
forward, and whispered in my ear, ''I
suspect it is a woman.
g Impossible no woman has the
nerve"
g A she devil, something in a
woman's form, at all events. The rest
of the gang are as free and easy with
! each other as you please, yet no one ev-
or lays a finger on this little one, but
all draw back to let him pass. He gives
orders, exerts himself when ingenuity
| is required, but when strength is needed
he looks on while the others fall to
work. ..
"You have to Jump at conclusions
sometimes, and find facts to suit. As
soon as had mastered the details l was
impressed by the conviction that one Of
the thieves had been on the premises
before. At Mr.. Stewards, for instance,
the safe is built into the wall, and a
false panel in the wainscot is the only
opening to it yet the first place the
burglars approached was that panel,
which the little fellow slid aside at once.
So I set to work looking for a suspicious
character in the house, and found all
satisfactory till I came to a French
gOverness who staid with them six weeks
last spring. Now, sir, in each house
entered by these masked devils there
has been during the past twelve months
some similar transient inmate. At
Warkwell's it was a French cook, IN
white cap and apron at the Lewises',
the young lady's page, clever Buttons;
at the Pratts', a protege of the children,
a handsome vagrant italian boy, with a
violin. And now, Mr.. Powers" con-
tinued Belts, bringing his hand down
heavily upon my knee, 81 am ready to
swear that you have this dangerous in
mate under your own roof, in the charac-
| ter of your wife's maid.
[ started as if 1 had been shot.
&C Impossible - I gasped; FImpossi-
BILE p
"But truly, sir, impossible ?'' ''The
idea is monstrous. Marie is a sweet lit
lie girl, playful as a kitten.
.F"But, Mr.. Powers, you are a man of
the world, and know that a woman is
not proved honest because she bewitches
you"
So But, Belts, admit that though am
an old fool my wife is a thorough wo-
man, and, as a rule, suspects all her own
sex, yet she is positively fond of Marie.
s. Marie is a clever little puss. Wher-
| ever she has lived, as a man or woman,
the whole family have adored her.
Has Marie shown an interest in these
! burglaries % .r-
There could be no doubt of her haP-
ing questioned me concerning them with
intense eagerness, and if I spoke to my
wife about any apprehensiOns while she
was present Marie never lost word.
| -'f Does she know about your silver
Has she any charge of your wife's dia-
monds ?"
I started. That very morning I
| had shown her my safes behind a
| false bookcase in my study, and. asked
her opinion whether any one could mis-
| trust those innocent looking encyclOpe-
- I, ,f al ~
| six feet square between my room and
| the library. was ashamed of my own
| greenness, but made clean breast of it
| to Belts, who was good enough
| to refrain from expression of his Opin-
ion of my discretion. .--s
"My word for it." he cried, " she has
| been waiting to find out that secret, and
Row she viii leave your house within
| forty y-eight hours. Her preEext Will be
| a reasonable one, and she will promise
| to return, but when she does return she
will bring her gang at her heels to rob
your house for you"
The idea of connecting our Mary
with such outrages filed me with hor-
ror. Ireiected it strenuously.
90 Believe or not, as you like, he re-
| turned, with shrug, so long as you
only follow my advice. just out of Gu
riosity, take home a little dog with you
and see if Marie does not set to work
| to bewitch 1t at once. Then the mo-
ment she speaks of leaving your house
telegraph to me.
Our interview lasted another hour.
When I left him I went to a dog-fan-
cier's and bought little yelping black
| and-tan spaniel, and carried him home
with me.
"Whom did you see in town ?" in
| quired my wife.
"Don't speak of it, ," said I, looking
| fearfully about, as if the walls had ears,
"but 1 was with Belts, the detective.
| You must not repeat what I say, Marie. F."
| I" Never, monsieur p cried Marie.
q The fact is, I proceeded, sinking
my voice. into a sspulchral whisper,
| "that gang of masked burglars have
/ been traced to New Orleans, and may
be arrested by this time -
| Then I hope, DEAR" said my wife,
| Laughing, " that you will again sleep
soundly In your bed. After you got up
| last night for the fourth time to prone
made about, pistols In hand, decided
| it might be better to eat off pewter and
wear French gilt jewelry than to lead
/ such a life"
I too laughed, and stretched my legs
| comfortably. g Yes, mean to sleep
like Christian hereafter; besides, I
have brought home a dog"
8" A dogP exclaimed Marie, startled.
| t Yes" I turned and looked at her
attentively. "Don't you like dogs %
! She protested vehemently that she
loved dogs better than anything IN the
world.
That very day she received a letter
| from Madame De Sturges, her former
/ mistress, asking her to come IN and
pass q few hours with her before she
I laE+ for Eav- Or1aowu Ha-fa narrind