The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1881-06-04
NOT STOLEN.

lVOI OIOLLIV,
II have got somewhat unusual case for
you. Mr.. Detective )" said tall, gentleman
ly-looking man, as he entered my room one
August evening some fifteen years ago.
"You know me, daresay, l am Mr.. Med.
win, the picturedealer."
"What is your case, sir ?" replied, Civ
ing my new patron chair.
"The fact is have lost very valuable
painting"
81 have heard of that-the whole town is
talking about it. The night you bought it
some one entered the gallery and cut il
from the frame"
eyes, and although I have offered q
large reward, no trace of my painting has
been found. Lord Berkshire advised me to
try you"
81 am much obliged to his loriship
Have you any suspicions?"
ono, it is puzzling in the extreme. A
picture of that immense value is not so cas-
lily salable as a stolen Bank of England
note. don't know who would dare to buy
it. The painting is known throughout the
whole world"
at is little perplexing must own, but
something may occur to me. Leave the
matter in my hands for day or two."
"You know the reward, two thousand
pounds, and will, Of course, pay all your
expenses"
"Havc the police discovered nothing?" l
asked.
"Nothing whateveri see what you can
do"
Hereditary families, like nations, have
their rise and fall, their period of prosperi-
ty, and their time of poverty.
Sometimes this decadence is the evil work
of a series of members Of the family, and at
others chains of unfortunate circumstances
have brought about the downfall 1t is a
world of continual movement, there is no
remaining stationary.
volume as interesting as any romance
could be written about the vicisstudes of
the Burke family. The present lord has a
great name to keep up, but no money, ex-
cept works in art, his private collection of
which is, or rather was, unsurpassed. He
is poorer than some of his own tenants.
They all had one peculiar trait in their
character. They devoted much time, when
money was plentiful, to the gathering to-
gether, in the ancestral mansion, rare works
Of art. They were all born with the artis-
tic eye. Their gallery became one OF the
most renowned in Europe, and until the ac-
cessiou of the present peer they never
thought of seeing what the works would
fetch in an aucton-room.
Scandal had often whispered that some
scarce specimens of the foreign schools
which sdorn the gallery came to the iami.
ly by the right of might, when certain
Gen. Burke was leading the armies of hi;
country IN Dutch and Belgian provinces,
The present peer is as devoted to art a,
his predecessors, but he has less money thar
any Of them. His father ruined himself
1t was the family lawyer who suggested
the disposal of portion Of the pictures, anC
he almost got kicked out for ventila ting tn,
idea.
But afterwards, when his lordship recon
sidered the matter, and thought Of his des
perate financial position, he entertained th,
proposal, but with great reluctance. In hi
eyes, what he was doing mounted to sac
rilege.
The sale attracted to the well knowr
rooms all tho fne-art buyers in the world
and lasted for several days.
Many of the works fetched sensationa
prices, but one picture in particular dis
tanced ell the others.
The Times and lesser lights had leader
on the subject.
The painting was the masterpiece Of {
master, This was the picture about whicl
Mr.. Medwn came to see me. On the nigh
it was sold ii was carefully cut from th,
frame, and nothing had since been heard o
il.
It was difficult to say where this inquir,
should begin. After much hesitation, | de
cided to go to the gallery where the pictur,
had hung. The auetioneers knew me, an,
placed all the information they could beiou
me. saw tho empty frame, but nothing
was to be cleaned from that. A sharl
knife had done its work we'll.
Who had access to the gallery at night
No onei the keys were deposited in a safe.
asked who had been last in the CALLER,
and after some trouble, ascertained with
out doubt that the last persons in the gal
lery were Lord Burke and the custodian 0
the room, whose duty it was To see tha
everything was secure, aud hand over th
keys to be placed in the safe.
saw the custodian and questioned him
He seemed an honest man, and had but III
tie to tell
Lord Burke had asked to pay last visi
to his favorites before they were disperse
to the four quarters Of the world, and IN
custodian had accompanied him. The yisl
did not occupy more than ten minutes al
together He had not the slightest ide
what had become Of the work. The thls
had not left any trace whateYer behind.
As rule the favored rsss. the Jews, Z,