The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1876-05-13
THE DIAMOND CROSS.

Of detectives are not always successful.
We of the force are like other men,
fallible, an even the best laid plants,
sometimes wholly fail to achieve their
purpose. have been many years in
the business, and although have aidpi
in bringing large number of noted
criminals to Justice, there have been
several instances in which my better
judgment has been blinded and my
most elaborate traps pluded Ivy the rnss
Gals of whom ! was in search. It IS a
terrible aggravaton to q detective to
find his labor set at nought, but Of all
my failures | never had one that 50 ill.
ed me with chapriu and modification aS
one that | once made in New York 1t
made me appear the moro ridiculous
because the case was Il very simple one,
and the chief actor in IL was woman.
To be taken in by a male sharper is
had enough, hut to have yourself and
your profession laughed at by Il woman,
is too much for detective, proud Of
his sagacity, to bear with equanimity.
don't often care to speak of it, but as
| am not likely to be caught IN a sim,
lar trap again, don't mind telling you
the story in confidence.
The present fashionable generation
may not rene mbpr the firm of Stephens
& Marley, jewellers, who formerly
transacted a large business on Broad
way, not far from Duane Street. Their
store was one day entered by very
beautiful and richly dressed lady, who
had lett her carriage waiting at the
door, and who aske to he shown some
diamond crosses. The salesman eXhi-
bited q tray containing large number
of very valuable trinkets of that de-
scrption, stud led with gems Of exceed
INC richnesS and purity. After con
siderable hesitation she finally chose
one and inquired the price.
"It is worth thirteen hundred dol
lars" replied the salesman.
4" will'take it," said the lady. "Be
good enough to do 1t up nicely"
"Shall we send it ?" asked the sales
man, politely,
'fNo, thank you. will take it with
me-"
She rendered in payment two crisp
new bills, one Of thousand dollars aud
one of five hundred. The salesman
took them to the cashier, who examined
them to see that they were genuine, and
opened his drawer to return the neces-
sary change. To his annoyance, he
found himself short of sTJall bills and
rather than pay out all his small change
he sent the two bills back to the cuStO-
mer to ask if she had not the exact
amount. The lady examined her pro-
temOnnaie, but was unable to find any
thing but three bills of five hundred
each. These would not help the mat
ter and the cashier paid out his change
with reluctance, dashed tire two new
bills into | Is drawer, and slammed it
too in no very good hum"r. The lady
took the diamonds, swept gracefully
out of the store, entered her carriage
and was driven rapidly away. In fif-
teen minutes afterward The cashier,
having occasion to open his drawer, was
attracted by a peculiar line on the
thousand dollar note. He examined it
closely, and at once pronounced both
bills to be counterfeit The lady had
cleverly changed the notes when they
had been returned to her.
1t was then too late to trace the fair
swindler. / was sent for by the firm.
but an inquiry into the facts of the case
did not permit me to offer any strong
hope of recovering the diamonds or the
two hundred dollars. The salesman
was sure that he would know the face
again, and he remembered tnat the lady
was dressed in blue silk with lace
shawl. He could recOllect nothing
more, except that he thought that the
carriage had wheels with gilded hubs
and spokes. This was slight material,
hut made the necessary notes in my
memorandum book, and left the store.
For several days after | had kept a
sharp lookout in the streets for a car.
riage with gold wheels. | visited all
the livery stables and hackney coach
stands that | could think Of, but my
search was in vain. At last passing
one day through Bleecker st. met Il
carriage driving rapidly toward Broad
way. Its description answered very
we'll to that Stephens q Martley's
salesman had given me, but glance
inside showed ue that it was empty.
stopped it, however. and cross ques-
toned the driver. The carriage was
puDlC one, anu Nllt hilfNi iNhNhoNlNu
taking a lady in blue silk, fonr or five
days previous, to Stephens & Martley's.
So far, / was on the right track. but
the trail was soon lost again. In an
swer to my questioning, the man said
that the lady mad taken his carriage at
Union Square, where it was then stand
ing, and after visiting the jewelry sore
had been driven 10 q dry goods store on
Chatham Square, where she dismissed
him. lie did not notice whether she
entered the store OF. not. and he had
never seen her since.
/ took the mans number and looked
we'll at his carriage and horses. Hav-
ing thus mentally photographed his es-
tablishment, gave him a quarter and
let him go. There was nothing more
to be done for the present except to
telegraph a general description of the
woman and the diamond cross. to the
principle cities OF the country, and to
keep an eye on the outward bound
steamers for Europe and elsewhere.
This managed TO do without much
difficulty while attending to other bust
ness. More important cases soon en-
crossed my attention, and the affair OF
the cross gradually fell into the back