The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-01-27
A Story of Detection.

AVI yer In stone. Many years ago,
soon after had learnt my business, the
firm In whose employ was undertook
the erection of gentleman's mansion,
and was sent to execute the ornamen-
tsl work. The village near to where
the mansion was built was on the shore
of an estuary In the bay of Morecame,
not far from q market town whose name
need not give. AS my work would
keep me from home several weeks,
good lodging was most desirable thing;
but although tried to get accommoda-
tion in private house, failed, and was
forced to lodge In the village inn, the
Lord Admiral.
Among those who were in the habit
of frequenting the aforesaid holstery
was man of singular habits and odd
temper. His home was about mile
from the village, on the side of u lane
leading to couple of farms. His house
like himself, was queer one Origin
ally 1t had been built for the storage of
corn, the produce of fields at distance
from the farmstead Somehow, it had
ceased to be needed for that purpose; so
its owner turned IL into dwelling house
and as such it was now occupied by the
aforesaid strange man. 1t was divided
into three apartments on the ground
floor, one of which, a very large one,
was set apart and used as kind of mu-
scum, its occupant being stuffer of
birds and small quadrupeds. When he
had no work of this sort for other per-
sons, he worked for stock, and this large
room was his warehouse.
He was man of i'll temper and loose
habits, and for some time had borne
dubious character. When people were
asked why he was suspected they could
not give satisfactory reply. HE
lives" they said, "without doing work
equal to his expenditure, which looks
bad" AS got to know him l found
that he had an unamiable temper; was
morose, sour and at times passionate.
He was also fond of display, given to
betting, and, like all such, led loose,
uneven life, oftener lettering about than
at work. So did not wonder that well
meaning people did not like him.
He mostly came on wet nights to the
Lord Admiral. AS we became acquaint-
ed he invited me to look over his collec-
ton of birds and quadrupeds. was
pleased with what saw. He had, in
deed, a good collection, and, as well as l
could judge, had done his work well.
He had also good assortment of butter
flies and moths, and in a corner, close to
the ceiling, he bad what he called but
terfy breeding box, which, he said, be-
longed to his son, a young man of my
own age, also given to bird stuffing
amusements.
But was most taken up with two an
imals which differed from the rest. One
was beautiful dog, and the other a
lusus natur@-a lamb with the rudi-
ments of fifth leg, and some other
characteristics which have forgotten.
The old man said he had stuffed both for
their original owners, who had somehow
failed to take them away. They were
placed at one end of the room, one in
each corner, away from the window,
and close to the wall, where, except in
strong daylight, they could not be easily
seen. The connection of these particu-
lars with my story will be seen in the
sequel.
had been in the village about six
weeks when the neighborhood was
aroused and alarmed one morning by the
report of the robbery of a jewelers. shop
in the market town already referred to,
that had been effected during the pre-
oeeding night. Much valuable property
had been taken. This robbery had been
effected in such way as led to the be-
lief that gang of practiced thieves had
done it. The prevailing question was,
"Do the robbers live among us, or have
they come from distancep" This query
was still going from mouth to mouth
when we We're startled, astounded in.
deed, by the report of second robbery
of the same premises, and on the night
following, by the breaking into and pur
loining of provision warehouse in oul
village. Were l writing fiction, would
not have made the robbers pay so soon 6
second visit to the jewelers., as such al
act would have been deemed preposter
GUS; but l am reiterating what really
occurred, and SO am forced to say wha
have said.
The jeweler had been so taken up will
efforts to find out the thieves, and regain
his first loss, that he had not placed ad
ditional guard over what was left, be