Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-09-27

1t Was shipboard. and She Nearly
Scratched His Eyes Out.
When you can't set thief 10 catch
thief the next best thing TO put on his
trail is woman. A woman who has
recently returned from Rio Janeiro tells
with great glae how during the voyage
to this port she caught a thief who had
been pilfering all the passengers cabins,
and until she took him in hand had sue
cessfully eluded the detective tactics Of
the entire crew, from the captain down
to the cabin boy.
1--WE had about thirty passengers on
board when we left Rio said this anna
teur detective, land very nice lot Of
people they were too. For the first two
or three days out everybody was SO busy
getting seasick that we hadn't time to
think of anything else.
But after that, when we We're COM
mencing to revive bit, first one woman
and then another would come on deck
with face as long as your arm and re-
port that some one had been in her cabin
during the night and had stolen some OF
her jewelry. For day or two the cap
tain pooh poohed the idea, but finally
the complaints became so frequent that
there was no gainsaying them. The
thief, whoever he was, seemed to have
passion for rings.
"By the end of the first week there
was scarcely a woman on board except
myself who wasn't mourning the loss of
at least one. A watch was set and every
possible precaution taken, but without
the slightest effect. Every morning at
least one passenger would report another
loss. The men Jared scarcely better than
the women. st last things reached such
pass that every woman on board used
to go to bed at night with all her jew
elry on.
"One fat old Spanish woman, whose
husband owned gold mine somewhere,
used togo TO bed in regular blaze of
glory. Her fingers and arms, almost up
TO her elbows, were covered with gems,
and she used to put ON her diamond cor
onet and then wind towel about her
brow, so that the robber couldn't posi-
bly, drag the coroDet off without taking
her head as well. / used TO hear the
poor old thing groaning all through the
night. She must have been dreadfully
uncomfortable. Well, finally one night
my turn came. / had cabin to myself
and had taken the upper berth from
choice One night | awOke and felt GER
tain heard some one moving about the
room.
my right arm was hanging over the
side of the berth when | woke up, and
by this time / was in such a stage of
fright that | didn't care 20 move it.
don't believe | moved a muscle. And
gil this time, mind you, felt instinc-
lively that this man, or whoever it was
that was in the room, was gradually
drawing nearer and nearer. Suddenly
| felt hand touch my hand and pull
gently at one of my rings. For about an
instant thought Ia die. Then ell of a
sudden something inside Of me seemed
to say, Scream and scratchr Just then
the man let go Of my hand for mo-
mont
''The rings. he evidently saw, were n
pretty tight fit, and 1t would take some
time ard skill 10 get them of without
waking me. waited bTeathlessly. say.
ing my prayers ~ myself over and over.
II must have been fully five minutes b.
fore be touched my hand again. and
during that time, in spite Of my fright,
had sense enough left 70 comprehend
that If wanted to catch the thief
must scratch first ard scream afterwsrd.
And that's inst what | did I waited
until he had got his operation well under
way again Then nerved myself
Il knew the direction in which his
face was. because 7 could feel his breath
ora my hand As b. leaned over it. drow
long breath. aud letting my hand 81
out 7 =cratched him with all my might
across the face. and then shrieked with
All my lungs Tie next instant every
boslv came tumblinI into nv room. but
the thief bad vsuishe.l We could not
End So much as trace of him Aftei
the excitement hal sr Isl del ! took ths
captain as'3e ari tol8 him ta l1ok o't
for q man with sersfehes on bis face ths
next morning. At brea Sfast evervi,ody
Turned ED except one very eugeTin Z
young man. Who had been quite the lior
of TIE snip Hehad been suddenly taker
81 the steward sali
The steward also reported thst he ar
n his berth wirh hrs face turned toward
the wal
Al, har said The captsin. tipping ~
the V1nk I'm something II . doctor
I think III 90 and have look at this
yCune mar.
v Ell, ia ~est. snf there On his fsoe
SIRE enough were the scratches. f7uT a
| theu. snA ane lekg. aeep ones de cap