The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-12-19
SCOTLAND YARDS RELICS.
GruesOmo Mementoes and Ingenious
Criminal Devices
The Little Card Trick of an American-Two
Clever Diamond Swindles-Jekyll and
Hyde in Real Life-Reminders Of the
Trafalpar Square Riots

we could see our way down narrow
passage and a crooked flight of steps,
says writer in the New York Sun.
The steps LED into a small whitewash-
ed cellar, with wooden floor and
skylight set in one corner of the cell
ing. The detective lit gas jet and
said, with a wave of the hand: This
is what we call the black museum.
These are the relics of all the princi-
pal crimes that have made any talk in
London for over fifty years." 1t was
much like the back room of a junk
shop, and all that resembled museum
was the counter, which stretched
around it's four walls and held the
relics, labelled with scrap of writing
or a clipping from some old news
paper.
Here is something curious" he con-
tinued. 'It's the smartest Yankee
trick ever saw. It belonged to a
gentleman gambler, an American, who
had fine house ia St. Johns Wood,
"ACI0 IAO uS0u W CuG1CC JOuuSCL oO49
and boys with big incomes to win
their money at cards. This was a
leather sleeve to fit over the forearm.
To it was attached a piece of steel
merchanism. There is cleft in the
end, and any card the player may think
he will want later can be stuck in it.
BY raising the arm the spring is re-
leased, the exsension flies back, still
holding the card and keeps it hidden
until it is wanted.
There was a handsomely lined vel
vet box bound with brass, evidently
jewel box, and inside of it were three
Jumps of common coal That ought
to have a story" suggested. "It
was like this" said my guide. "a
gentleman went into Regent street
jewelers. one day and asked them to
send around a selection of diamonds
in different makes to his hotel. He
said he was in great hurry to go to
Paris, and would examine them while
packing up. The firm sent around
one of their most trusty servants with
the box and the gentleman selected
about $4,000 worth of diamonds in
rings and bracelets. There was a SER
want in the room who was very impru-
dent and with whom the gentleman
was apparently becoming more and
more angry. He finally put the jewels
he wanted back in the box and sealed
it up with red tape and sealing wax.
This servant was an accOmplice and
had previously ascertained the make
and shape of boxes used by the Re-
gent street firm. AS soon as the box
was sealed he prepared another one
just like it from the stock he had laid
in beforehand and set it in readiness
outside the door. Then he entered the
room and said something so unpardon-
ably insulting that his ostensible mas
ter made dash at him with the box
of diamonds under his arm and follow
ed the servant to the door and just out
side of it. He changed the boxes and
returned with the decoy, apologized
for the scene that had just occurred
and gave the clerk check and the
box, telling him to place the latter in
a safe until the check was cashed,
when be was to send it to Lady Mabel
Dudley, who was staying with some
friends in Devonshire. The decoy
box, sealed and fashioned like the real
one, was put in the firms safe, and the
check sent to the bank. When it was
returned dishonored the box was open
ed and found to contain these three
humps of coal, not the sort of dia-
monds the firm dealt in.
This" he continued, ''is the pistol
with which O'Conner attempted the
life of the queen and this is the peti-
ton he sent her. This is a photograph
of LEROY, who murdered a gentleman
in an underground railway carriage
and this is knife used by a woman at
Brockley to chop off two children's
heads"
The room is full of such relics, burg.
lars tools of wonderful ingenuity
bludgeons with leaden balls for heads,
strange looking poniards and daggers
taken from Afghan and Malay sailors
who have committed murder with them
and dainty silver box half filled will
perfumed cigarettes, found beside thu
body of beautiful woman murderet
in her bed in little high walled hous'
in the doubtful neighborhood of St
Johns Wood. Her photograph stand
beside it, all that is left of her and he
bad life and its bad ending. And ther,
are the ropes and cap that hung Hulme
plaster cast Of the face of the public
hangman, who met at last the horrible
death he had so often given to others
the hammer with which the Rev. Jane
Watson did his poor wife TO death, an
old garments rent with knives ant
covered with blood stains.
In the back Of the room hangs cur
tain which hides something the casua
visitor is not allowed to see. 1t, ik
much that is most loathsome in tn
place, cannot be described in print
1t shows that there are orders of crim
in London that are unknown in tn
criminal history of this country. Th
blacljacks and bludgeons taken from
the anarchists in the Trafalgar sQuar,
riots form large part of the museum
and among them is the board chain
and handouts with which one anarch
ist locked himself to a lamppost an,
defied the police to make him ''mov
on.n