Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1892-05-26

criminal investigation departmentt To
Mr.. Stein. the welI-known diamond
merchant. If you are nervous about
the safety of your valuables. the best
thing You can do Is To act upon the
following advice: ~ IN the strong
room at your office. keep on your watch
chain n bunch Of dummy keys for orna-
msnt $50 - speak,. and deposit the
true keys at -FOUR bankers every after
noon put a good safe in your study at
home. but any diamonds you may take
u that house may be kept in a dummy
champagne bottle in your cellar there:
get n secret electric aldrrn-push de-
signed and fixed IN your private resi-
ceuce. and another at your office-both
Of them communicating with the near
est police station, and lastly. never. on
any account, take a revolver about
with yOu-or you're a dead man before
You get il out further than the Zap Of
your pocket
Mr.. Stein thanked the detective. and
promised Ia act upon his advice in every
particular.
The circumstances which gave rise
10 this conversation were these Mr..
Stein. a diamond merchant u high
standing. was expecting the arrival II
a large parcel Of valuable cut gems
from Amsterdam He had been warned
several times by friends. n even by
the authorities at Scotland Yard. that
his precautions against being robbed
were ab-urdly inadequate. No man In
his senses would allow il To become no.
torious hat he often carried parcels of
valuable gems on his person. and some
times merely locked them up in a
trumpery little ~old-fashioned safe in
the study of his villa at Norwood
house standing alone in its own
grounds. and at a considerable distance
from the nearest police station-a home
shared with him by no one but an old
housekeeper.
Mr.. Stein concluded. after awhile.
that these circumstances were not al,
together idle. and he therefore con
suited the best authority upon the sub
jet namely. Inspector BurIeiyh.
whose advice opens this story
IF you make n sound. I'll shoot
such was the pleasant intimation
that fell upon Mr.. STEMS ears as he
awoke one night from his beauty sleep.
IL was a stormy winter night, and the
rain beat spitefully upon the window
panes. Mr. Stein might have shouted
himself hoarse and no one could pos
sibly have heard him His housekeeper
was absent. having been called to the
sie<-bed of a relative.
Mr. Stein tried TO realize the situa-
ton, as quickly as his sleepy senses
would permit He could see very little
around him. but he was soon aware
that the voice was that Of a masked
man. leaning over him, revolver in
hand A second man was examining
the room rapidly. by the aid Of a bulls
eve lantern
We've got you fairly at last. Ell. old
Stein2t
"What do you want?" inquired the
diamond-merehant. ~nervousIy.
What do we want7 That's rood
Now, look here, Stein: when you left
your Office this afternoon you went 10
the post Office at Holbern, and you asked
for n registered paeketand they handed
YOU n fat parcel o diamonds. You put
EN- in your breast pocket and come
straight home You've not been out
since. so the diamonds aren't far of.
So much for your little business"
How on earth gasped Mr.. Stein.
j you know all this?-
That's our little business, And now
X you please where's the diamouds9-
Gentlemen replied Mr.. stein. won
have caught me very eleverly. You in
sst on having my diamonds or nv life.
have no particular wish TO die vet,
and resistance or my part I can see
would be perfectly useless l viii agree
TO help you; that IL to say. I will en-
gage to put you in possession Of the
packet you are N search Of. which is
carefully hidden. and Of anything else
Of value which you may require in nv
ho1se-uPon one condition
We'll. what "a ir2r
Ny condition is that you promise 20
give 70 me. and not 70 take awav. a
miniature which s hanging in nv safe.
IL : the portrait of NV dear grand
mother.
oh. i that ALE You can keen the
old lady. Shed only be in ouryxay.-
Thank yoG Then here i sEe kew q.