Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-07-28
(Leycr from No. John Dene.)

KENPsToN, June 10, 1886.
Sir.-On leaving you after receiving your
instructions ] started for this place, the
nearest station to Lythe Court. There was
ting a foothold at the Court, but decided
to make my approaches as groom
changing his place and taking n few
days holiday in the neighborhood,
having lived as boy at Newmarket, and
knowing considerable about horses. Not to
take up too much time in the telling | may
say ! was soon at home there, and made free
| Of the servants hall, where 10y means of a
| civil tongue with the upper servants, and
a chirrupy manner with the maids, being
also able to sing lively song If called
upon. | became friendly with the lot, so
| could consider who was likely to be useful
and learn the ways of the visitors. |
| found Mrs. Walcot didn't have any maid
| with her; the housckeeper's niece, who
was visiting her aunt, ladies' -maidcd her;
but she was no good, nervous, and no
| spirit about her. There was mlddling
lot Of servants. what with the visitors, but
at last fixed on one. sir, as you might not
think. She was an Indian woman. a nurse
ayah, they call them-tO the nieces
of the mistress, Mrs. Hamilton, as
had come from India in the spring.
She was uncommon, dark, rather
small. but had a finnish look about her
mouth and her beady black eyes missed
nothing | guessed she would not stick at
trihes, and would know as well as most our
common language, which was 5. d., and
il seemed best to lubricate the machinery
freely. When we had come TO an under
standing. how | wanted something done
particularly quiet, | told her who / was
and what was after, and how this couple
was supposed TO be in possession OF the
stones known to have been changed.
! wanted her to find out if they had
the stones with them, and if SO to get
them into her hands, changing them If
possible for the false ones, but anyhow
getting the real ones. And promised
sovereign down on the nail for every
stone. big or little, and there was known
to be 49, You should have seen her eyes
glisten when | told her how much it was
in their money, rupees, and when ! showed
her the bag Of sinners ! proposed we
should pretend to be keeping company,
and then we should have nothing TO bother
us but the others chat. She caught on
directly.
That same night she told me in the
shrubbery she had discovered that Mrs.
Walcot dressed early for dinner and always
locked her trunks before coming down and
carried the keys in her pocket; the little
dog Venus slept in their rOom they locked
the room door regularly every night, and
there was "a small revolver IN her dressing
bag
The first supposition was that the stones.
if they had them at all, werein their trunks.
This | much doubted, still the search had
TO be made, and 10 do this either the locks
must be picked or Mrs. WalcOt's keys be
got hold of. The former alternative seem
ed harder, as the locks would probably be
well made, but it would take less time than
waiting to secure the keys. and time was
an object. Accordingly ! put INTO the
ayah's hands bunch of skeleton keys to
try her luck with the locks. and If they
offered no resistance to overhaul the trunks
that night while they were at dinner. i his
venture was successful IN one way, but not
in another. The woman's skiltul fingers
mastered the locks, but there were no dla-
monds. "Plenny of pretty things" she
said. but no diamonds: " she had the wit
to see if the trunks had any secret recepta-
Gle. told her 10 examine the high heels
of her shoes. the thick ivory hair brushes,
and all coils Of hair. but il was no use.
Then he or she carried them about?
Which? She for choice, because If found
on her il could be attributed 10 her kleptO-
mania. which wouldn't apply TO him. Be
sides. the complications of w0man's dress
afford hiding-places which the secretlye-
ness of her character delights IN.
Concluding then that she had them about
her. we had these difficulties TO counter
act
]. The presence OF lcr husband.
2. The little dog.
3. The locked door.
A. The revolver
s. Finding the whereabouts of the
stones.
6. Getting them.
An hours quiet walk in the lanes settled !
my plans. ! concluded that the business
must be done at night, if 1t was TO be
done without resOrting TO violent measures, |
and
l. The husband must be got away for one
night.
2. Venus must be dosed with a soporifc !
land her mistress too, if necessary.
3. / knew how to overcome this.
4. The mechanism must be disarranged |
or the cartridges damped.
and depended on the skill and nerve |
of the ayah.
And the steps decided TO take with re-
gard to each particular were these:
/. To get the husband of the grounds |
he must be summoned away elsewhitherto |
by telegram; but from whom so that he |
would believe il genuine and act on IL? / |
set Satiyah. that was her name, to watch |
the letter-b ag-not that he was very likely |
to intrust anything important to that,
which any one might see-and then stroll
ed down to pick up what scraps of in
formation / could. by hook or crook.
at the post-ofice. And here / had
a fine piece of luck. As ] entered the
Office whom should I see but Mr.. Wal
cot himself inst handing in telegram.
" What's this name? Barrett, is il ?" asked
the official. Yes, it's plain enough"
was the reply in sharp tone of annoy
ance. "B, a, r, r, e, double t." slowly
spelt the unmoyed operator, " and are these
letters T.. G. z" Yes can't you read ?" re-
piled Mr.. Walcot very wrathfully. "E c."
repeated the man in the same monotonous
way rs before; "afix the stamp, please"
This was the last straw. - YOU" said
ming the door. The telegraph man had to
lick the stamps himself: that wasn't my
business, though I'd have licked a hundred
stamps for the information l had got. Re
turning at once TO my rooms, l wrote to "a
friend often work with TO send this mes
sage without fail next day from some office
in the Z. G. district: ITO Walcot,
Grand 10 tonight Barrett" And also
| asked him to dispatch this at $3.50 next
night: "Walcot, Grand Hotel. Trafalgar
Square: Had to go suddenly, Paris. Bar
rett."
should thus get Walcot away and too
late for him to return that night; he would
come back next day without having his
suspicious unduly aroused, and without
hunting up Barrett, whoever he was, sup
posing him of TO France. ! guessed he
would take the bait, because he seemed so
lied at any ono hearing Barretts name
N the telegraph Office. warned my CO.
operator by wire to expect an important
etter.
2. Half a dozen drops of laudanum in ]
bit of chicken at s p. NJ. would settle I
Venus comfortably for the night, and two
,r three in madame's cocostina would I
20 just enough to make her sleep rather
heavily.
8. j told the ayah to bring me the key of !
he bedroom door at 7:45, when the guests
would have sat down to dinner. ! had {
lealt with such before. Every key OF this I
lind had a solid stem ending in knob or
,oss, which stands outermost in the locked J
loor; with a narrow fat file divided this
loss vertically in slit an eighth of Q
n inch deep, making. IL like q screw.