Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1886-06-17

I
selves or some deeply involved con-
nection.
Meanwhile. made inquiries con-
corning robbery No. g. This was at
Colonel C's. There, the only. thing
missed was a bracelet. There had
been a dance at the house. During
the evening Mrs. C. had slipped and
sPrained her ankle so severely that a
doctor had 10 be summoned, and the
party was somewhat prematurely
brought to a close. Mrs. C. distinct
ly remembered wearing the bracelet,
but whether she had it .en at the mo-
nsnt Of falling ahsconla 9et t.ssaa.s.,-
Der. There had been naturally some
confusion in the ballroom, aud the
lady had been carried to her own
room. it was not for some hours that
the loss Of the bracelet was noticed.
Then search was made, but altoeeth-
er without success.
In the first and third Of these cases
suspicion seemed to point at once to
some member of the household, but all
my inquiries failed TO find any trace
OF the missing property. The servants
all willingly consented, nay, even Of
fered, to have their boxes searched,
and for some weeks | confessed my
self batiled. The missing property
had disappeared as completely as
though it had never existed.
Again and again l went over the
whole circumstances as they had been
related to me. There was, | rehec-
ted, one circumstance common to all
three OF the robberies, ifrobheries they
were. There had been at the time
some unusual amount of confusion, all
lending opportunity for a theft to
take place without immediate detec-
tion. The Dowager Lady AS dia-
monds had been stolen during her H.
ness, or about the time of her death.
The Countess of L. had lost her dia-
monds during the excitement of a
wedding breakfast at hotel. At
Colonel C's house, there had been
ball on the night when the bracelet
was lost. Was there any one, asked
myself, who, by chance or intention,
had been present at each place at the
time of the robbery Any occasional
waiter, for example, or servant of any
kind? | could not find that there had
been. Yet, if the thief were not of
the household, how was it that a
stranger should, in three separate in
stances, fix on an establishment where
the circumstances where favorable to
robbery Of valuable property? In
two cases there had been illness and
hasty summoEing OF doctors. That
led to another thought. Was it pos
sible that some experienced thief or
gang of thieves had laid themselves
out to track the broughams of fashion
able West End physicians on the
chance Of finding hall doors left open
and property somewhat loosely guard
ed
had not thought Of such thing
seriously before, but it seemed now to
be an idea worth followingup. Once
more | resumed inquiries. Who was
the doctor summoned in the case Of
Dowager Lady A.? l easily ascer-
tanned. 1t was one of the best known
men, at that time, in London. He
and his brougham would be familiar
to every thief who frequented West
End thoroughtares. next inquired
at Colonel C.'s. To my satisfaction, l
learned that the same doctor had at.
tended in this case.
Here" | said to myself, II begin
to see daylight" Shortly afterward,
l made a further discovery. The
coachman who drove the famous phys
ician to Lady A. on the night of the
accident. and to Colonel C.'s on the
night of the ball. had only been in his
employ few weeks, and, on the date
OF the Earl OF B.s wedding, the man
had driven the carriage Of one of the
guests at the breakfast.
The clue, felt, was becoming strong.
The thief ! grew convinced, was the
confederate of the grave faced man in
spotless black, who drove tie fashion
able doctor from one house Of sickness.
to another. | resolved to obtain an
interview with the doctor, and, after
explaining my suspicious, plan some
mode of detecting so consummate a
rascal. Circumstances occurred to
make me resolve TO carry out my pur-
pose without delay.
Ny journey took me TO one Of the
somewhat somber-looking streets that
run down TO the Thames from the
Chelsea side, between Chelsea Bridge