River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-07-28
STOLEN-S3OO.

''This seems to re a queer case, in
Grand street." said our chief "You
may go down there, Thompson, and
see what you can make Of it."
/ was new in the Secret service at
that time, and it was feathe in my
cap to have a matter like this put en-
tirely into my hands, for it was aqueer-
case and no mistake
The place was a French fiat, and the
victim of the robbery, Mr.. Myron ia
cObs, occupied a suit of rooms on the
second floor. A roll OF bills containing
three hundred dollars had been taken
from the bureau-drawer, where he had
dropped it loosely the night before.
The facts which Mr.. Jacobs related,
and which were corroborated by MEM
bers of the family, were mainly as fol
lows:
Being an early riser, he had started
out of bed that morning and gone into
the kitchen for the purpose of applying
match to the marerials for a fire al
ready laid in the range, but finding the
hands of the clock there only pointing
to three, and the half-light which had
deceived him into thinking it morning,
proceeding from the waning moon, he
returned to his bed and slumbers, that
were all the deeper, prehaps, for his
unusual waking.
When he reused himself again, to see
unmistakable daylight in his chamber,
he had to struggle against feeling Of las
situde, and dull, heavy head before
he could stir. His wife, still sleeping
quietly by his side, was also very hard
to arouse, and was little indignant at
finding her hands tied together, and
the bed-clOthes fastened down in such
manner that she could not release
herself.
81 think, Myron, you might find
some better time for playing your prac-
tical jokes" said she
Pm afraid there's no joke about it, !"
returned Mr.. Jacobs, plunging his
hand into his trowsers' pocket, and
finding the loose silver he habitually
carried there among the missing.
A glance into the bureau-drawer
showed the magnitude Of his loss.
His gold watch and some pieces of
lewelry were also missing, but these
were afterward found in odd corners
about the premises.
The maid-ofall-work,M adalena, was
discovered face downward upon the
kitchen floor, securely bound with
strong cords and quite unconscious;
but when revived she said that she had
Just reached the kitchen, after leaving
her room, when she was sliced from
behind, and a hand pressed a damp
cloth over her face, which was all she
knew Of what had happened. Her sill
yer ear drops, which Carl Braun, her
lover, gave her at Christmas, had been
taken out of her ears, and no amount
of searching placed them among the
articles found.
1t all resolved itself down to this
that these three persons had been chic
reformed, and the two women bound,
while the thief secured his booty, and
afterward dropped the watch and Jew
elry, doubtless impelled by the fear
that they might lead to his subsequent
detection.
The queer part was in Mr.. Jacobs
having been left at liberty, and the
comparatively worthless trinkets of the
domestic being retained by the thief.
That's the strangeness of the thing"
said Mr.. Jacobs, with considerable
warmth. 'It really looks as if the job
were put up to turn suspicion against
me, and the money wasn't really mine,
either"
He had recently withdrawn from q
partnership in a tobacco store, and had
taken charge of the establishment, ON
the previous day, in the absence of his
late partner.
The money, which he had brought
home for safe keeping, was due him on
a balance which his partner owed him,
but as it had not been formerly paid
over, Mr.. Jacobs declined to pocket the
loss.
Being so lately in the business, of
course you'll set up the cigars ~ | sug-
gested
had read Mr.. Myron Jacobs pretty
thoroughly in the tine ! was question
ing him. and did not for moment
connect him with the robbery. He
was one of those penurious but strictly
honest men, who would split a penny
where there was a halfcent due either
way, and hadn't any hesltancy in de
manding the perquisites which he new
er thought of offering.
Don't smoke myself, but if you'll
just drop into the shop any time
through the day, and tell Gale to give
you a good cigar. he can charge It to
me. That's the handkerchiefmy wife's
wrists were bound wlth-yes, sir. But
It's ner own-one of Il pair | gave her
myself. | saw it ON the bureau when /
put in my money; lest night.
1t was certainly a very mysterious
y - - ,.-oS ,,aansSarV n dO some
thing To sustain my reputation, | took
the girl Madaleua in charge.
''Oh, you are never going to arrest
her" cried Mrs Jacobs, an extremely
pretty little woman, considerable
younger than her spouse.
had to explain that it was reasona-
bly, clear that somebody in the apart
ments had been in collision with the
robber.
There were no marks of a forced
entrance and no time had been wasted
in aimless searching for yaluables, as
would have been the case with one
not well posted regarding the habits OF
the household.
And then. Madalena had been tied
with such surprising tightness, compar-
ed 10 the bonds which had been lmpos-
ed upon Mrs. Jacobs. Wasn't II pos
sible that our burglar had been just a
little to anxious to prove her innocence
of completely in the crime2
Two or three points which | had
made out did not care to publish just
then, but fixed them in my own mind
for future use.
First, the thief was man of short
stature: for, in putting a match to a
gas-iet over the bareau-it has been
found burning in the morning-he had
stepped upon a stool. The position of
the latter demonstrated this fact.
Second. he had supple and ingenious
fingers, as witness the def slip-knots in
the interlacing cords which had bound
Madalena
Third, if Mrs. Jacobs pink silk
handkerchief had not been in close jux-
Imposition with very good cigar long