The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-12-20
CRIME IN HIGH PLACES.
An Incident IN the Life of a Detective.

In the great and busy city of New
York, not remote from 9Th Avenue, there
stands a stately mansion once owned
and occupied by Theodore j. This
elegant establishment from its locality
and appearance, ought to have been
above suspicion. OF course the genteel
neighborhood suspected nothing, but gen
teel neighborhOods are the least discern
ing IN the world. In my official capaci
ty il became necessary TO learn its exter.
nal peculiarities and familiarize myself
to some extent with the business habits
man of wealth, fine address, and high
social standing, and also knew him to
be a precious scamp, and that he was i'll
of slow consumption within his respcta.
BILE brown stone front. He was one OF
those rigidly moral, sanctimoniOus hypo-
crits who are always so successful in de-
lceptiOn, and hide their sins under the
cloak of extreme piety so efectually,
that no one, not even the nearest and
dearest, dream of their depravity. OF
| tAAAo Olehoo was MI" u lOAA Oil oPPON-A-
ance he was a model gentleman and a
veritable pillar of amiable christianity.
The staunch member and generous sup
porter of fashionable church, he was
the object of many eloquent prayers
amongst the brotherhood, and unani-
mously looked upon as q bright and
shining light to be followed by all men
who would be accounted good citizens
and conscientious christians. But facts
| in my possession made it necessary to
put this sanity being under the close
surveillance of a carnal detective. On
a pile of foam wife pillows reclined the
emaciated form of Theodore j., in the
last grasp of lingering consumption.
The faint tinkle of the door bell did not
reach his ear, it was such a very quiet,
modest ring, only just loud enough to
bring up courteous servant from below
stairs, who opened the door to find a tall,
sharp faced gentleman within the vestI-
bule, and evidently the person who had
taken the liberty of pulling the brightly
polished bell in the modest manner de-
scrlbed. This individual had scrimp
moustache of uncertain hue, cross be
tween yellow brown and a tawny red,
and chin whiskers a shade more uncer-
tain both ways; he had blue eyes, and
thin-liDped mouth that was now shut
very tight, and a step light and careful
as any cat. The servant was puzzled
and rapidly ran over in his mind the
class of professions he might belong to.
He had not the solmen aspect of a min
lister, nor the lugubriOus countenance of
cOndoling friend. He lacked the brisk
ness of Il doctor and the assurance of a
relative. Felix was forced to assign him
place among the legal profession and
at once admitted him to the bar, al
| though he was not so generous regarding
the hall. 1t only took a second for Felix
to think all this, and while he was thus
employed the strangers thoughts were
not idle, and had been mentally measur-
ing the external aspect of the unsuspect-
ing Felix, thereby judging something of
his inner arrangements of heart and
brain, and the capacity of his Uranium
for good or evil. A light in the strangers
eye, and laxity beginning to draw about
his mouth, appeared to indicate that the
knowledge of Felix was limited, and his
respect for his master great. "Please
inform Mr.. j. that gentleman is most
anxious to see him on very important
| business" 1t was a nice, mild voice.
with touch Of force in it that the OBJ
servant lackey remarked by increasing
courteousness, and the politest of bows,
to offset the denial he felt constrained to
make, and in a degree convince him that
he was really telling the truth. 81 fear,
sir, that il is quite impossible for you to
see Mr.. J. to-day. DR.. Jacobs ordered
strict quiet. He is very low, sir, and a
month may end him" Felix winked
piously, as if his eyelids were already
generating the funeral tears it would be
proper for him to shed at the end of the
final month that should make him mas
terless. But the owner of the scrimp
moustache was obdurate. Tell your
master, sir, that desire and must see
him at once" The command was so
still and stern that Felix retreated in
vague alarm, privately voting lawyers a
hard hearted set, with no more feeling
than a cabbage. But he took good care
to keep civil tongue inside his indig-
nant mouth.
"If your business Is so very important
he may grant an interview. You will
| find him shadow, sir, and as meek as
child. Take seat in the parlor, sir,
and I'll see. Your card, if you please"
Say gentleman's compliments and
that he is waiting" "a gentleman
hum! Is that all? no other message in
case he cannot see you?' mo. do not
fear but what 1 shall be readily admit
ted" Felix departed, and while his
hand was on the silver door knob, in the
act of composing his heavy features into
the necessary sick room gravity, he was
rudely knocked out of his gathering sol
emnity by the unmannerly stranger I'M
tremendously putting him aside and
blandly volunteering to announce him
self. The surprised domestic was too
amazed to demonstrate, but he remem-
bered his duty so far as TO thrust his head
in at the door and exclaim, in a waver-
ing voice, "a gentleman, who insists on
seeing you, sirr' and in much trepida-
ton he hastily retired Mr.. j. was not
altogether unprepared for such a hurried
announcement; indeed, he would have
been surprised if the day had closed
without it, but he had put his faith in
money, the only chance left, and gener-
ally pretty sure one, at least the review
of his life proved it so, and he met it
stoically. He slowly turned his bright,
shrewd, gray eyes toward the door and
coldly confronted the intruder with a
look that plainly said, ''you are an lmpu-
dent fellow to intrude yourself into my
presence in this style. Who are you, and
what do you wents' His quaking soul
answered the last question, but he as
sumed naughty air and waited for his
unpleasant visitor to speak The nice,
mild voice that had awed the astonished
Felix, made itself heard in the miIdest
possible cadence Excuse the intrusion,
but some things are imperative, you
l.