Middletown transcript., 1891-10-01
MRS. BLACKTHWAITE's
DIAMONDS.

DIAMONDS.
Long ago, in the good old TIM
which people sigh for, folk were hupl
for stealing. Proved guilty, after
careless fashion, which would bring
Judge Lynch to his feet for the benefi
Of the court, we're it practiced now
they were strung up without mercy
and not half the fuss was made abou
the execution of a woman who lac
stolen a loaf of bread that would be
made now over the execution of /
wholesale poisoner or the midnight
assassin of women and children. NJ
qualms of conscience were felt, an6
all believed that, capital punishment
if done away with, no ones property
would be safe an hour.
Consequently when Miss Blackth-
waite lost her diamonds the fact that
any one might be suspected was a
very nervous thought to her household
Of course Major Blackthwaite, her
brother, and her friend, Miss Whit
more, who was on visit at the house,
were out of the question, but there
were the servants, one at least, quite
new to the establishment, and oddly
enough, every one Of them had. to
the knowledge of every one else, been
in the room where the diamonds were
left between the moment when she
had known them to be safe and the
one when she missed them.
Miss Blackthwaite had come from
the country ball woefully tired, quite
worn out, for she was delicate little
creature, who could not do as much
dancing as some women can, and had
undressed herself in a hurry and just
wrapped herself in her white night
gown, when the wind which was high
that night, sent a sharp blast through
q window frame not over-tightly set,
and firted the curtain with the candle.
The consequence was a confagrstion
on small scale. Miss Blackthwaite
rushed out screaming. Her brother
and the servants rushed in. Buckets
of water were thrown on the flames,
and noise enough made to shame a
New York fire company of the oIden
times. Finally the fire was extinguish.
ed, and the lady returned to her
pillow. In the morning her diamonds
were gone. She remembered having
put them in a certain box upon her
dressing table, intending to close and
lock it before retiring. She had not
done so, for In her terror she had
forgotten all about the jewels, and
they had either been lost or stolen.
1t was 10 o'clock when she awoke,
and her window was wide open. But
it was too far from the ground for
any one to have obtained entrance in
that way. And at first Major Black
thwaite, who would not suspect his
servants of dishonesty, declared that
Ruth must have had them in her
hand and put them down somewhere,
or that they had been thrown upon
the floor by accident. Therefore,
search was made in the room itself, in
all the hall, in Majors room, to which
his sister had flown for aid, in Miss
Whitmore's, and in fact, everywhere
where there was any possibility Of
their having concealed themselves in
that odd fashion which would almost
convince one that =" inanimate objects"
could enjoy the anxiety and tribula-
tlons Of their possessors and malicious
ly play hide and seek.
But, in this case, the missing OBJ
iects were not found concealed in any
crack, or under any rug, or behind
any heavy article of furniture, or in
any pocket, or lining, or shoe. In
fact, after careful search of three
mortal days, it was determined that
they were stolen. And, if stolen,
that one of the servants must be the
culprit. Therefore, Major Blackth-
waite walked into the kitchen with a
very solemn countenance and called
the servants about him.
"Good people," he said, Miss
Blackthwaite has lost her diamonds
You all know that we have made a
fair search, and they are not to be
found. They must be stolen and
though I hate to suspect my servants,
and l am as kind a master as you
know, think, what am to do? You
must all be searched-every one of
yoa-I make no exceptions. l shall
send for constable and have the
matter investigated. hope it will
prove your honesty ] sincerely hope
il, friends"
There was dead silence when the
Major had done speaking, and faces
grew very dark and angry, and teeth
were set, and eyes turned suspiciously
upon each other and when the ma;or
had left the kitchen the wrath broke
into storm of spluttering Welsh.
Indignation reighed supreme.
Cot! does hur think US thieves
yelled old John-ap John, the coach
man. "Search us-what does hur
mean u"
And the cook joined in, and the
butler and the housemaid wept, and
the little knife-boy blubbered. Old
Peter Morgan sat without demonstra-
ton beside the fire. Peter Morgan, was
a stranger who had come to help about
the stables within the past three
weeks.
The master has right to search
us if he likes" he said, sand we are