The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-07-12
A Peculiar Casa Detectives Story.

THERE is case that call to mind now
that is rather peculiar one, and that
never was published yet. One day when
l was in the office a fine lOOking woman
came in and said that her house had been
robbed. Hername. she said, was McLoud,
and she lived somewhere near Letferts
Park-MacOn street or Monroe street,
don't know which-anyway, it was in the
locality of Lcfferts Park, and she, her
husband and two children, lived there in
pretty good style. She reported that her
bedrooms had been visited by a thief, and
that the bureau had been robbed of nearly
$4,000 worth of jewelry. This iewelry
was all her owh-pfesents that she had
received from her husband and when she
was married-and the jewels were kept in
a little Japanese cabinet, which was also
present, and which for safety she locked
in one of the upper bureau drawers. Well,
l went to work on it, and supposed some
second.stOry thief had been at work there,
and, obtaining full description of the
jewelry, started of to New York aud
Brooklyn pawn-oflices trying to search up
the goods; but it was no use. Mrs. Nc
Loud was so anxious after the property
that l did really make extraordinary eff
forts to secure the goods, but l cOuldn't
AHu uUCC WI Az lSlSt L SUSkcClCU
this Mrs. McLoud herself. 1 can't ex-
earnestness about her to suit me- She was
always SO anxious to find out If had re-
covered any Of the articles or if had got
on track of them, and yet observed that
she seemed to be relieved when she was
told that couldn't get trace of the Jew
| elry. thought that l had no right to
suspect her; she was pretty we'll of, lived
in good style, her husband seemed to be
in excellent circumstances, and couldn't
conceive what reason l should have to
suspect her, or, in suspecting her-what
reason l should have for her being the
thief; but somehow or other 1 could not
get it out of my head that she knew more
about it than she cared to tell; and at last
set to work to theorize the thing down.
l came TO the conclusion that she knew the
thief, and that for some reason she wanted
to hide him or her, or whoever it was.
Then l commenced to work on that idea
found out who her friends were, whom
she associated with, etc., but not the faint
est speck of light on the case did get.
She used to suggest ideas, too, such as
(after had told her l had been all over
New York and Brooklyn) Don't you
think that these thieves would he too
clever to take such property to New York !;
wouldn't they rather sell it in some other
tOwn?'
had almost given up the idea of max.
ing anything out of the case, when it
struck me that the only servant that they
had-a young girl-might have been the
thief, or had some crooked man on the
outside who had put her up to steal the
jewels. AS last resort I went for the
servant ana accused her point blank. She
denied all knowledge of the theft. said
that she never had been accused of such q
thing before, cried like the mischief. and
there was the deuce to pay generally.
had previously inquired as to the girls
character and found it to be exceptionally
good. I at last said to her, and some
good angel must have prompted me,
"When did you see these things last? You
say that you clean up Mrs. McLoud's
room, and sometimes find jewelry on the
dressing. case, where she has lett it,
The girl told me that the last time she
saw them was when Mrs. McLoud was in
the room, one afternoon, about to dress.
She had occasion to go in for something
and Mrs. McLoud was putting several
articles of jewelry in piece of chamois
leather, and there was cotton placed be-
tween the dlnerent articles. This was the
last the girl saw of them. Soon after Mrs.
McLoud went out. found out, on fur.
Their questioning, that this day was just
one day before the robbery was reported
to me, and new light struck me. was
satisfied, from the information in connec-
ton with Mrs. McLoud's action, that she
had robbed herself. What for couldn't
divine. What she had done with them I
couldn't tell. I was in a quandary and
yet l felt sure that was right. After tell.
ing the girl to say nothing of my inter-
view with her to anyone, and assuring
her that she was not under suspicion,
determined how to act. told her to tell
Mrs. McLoud l wanted to see her. In a
couple OF minutes l was sitting alone in
the back parlor with her.
Oh! hope you have brought me
good news she said, but with an &.
preston on her face that I was satisfied
meant that she hoped I had not.