The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-06-18
M'STEIN'S BURGLARS,

"well, sir" said Inspector Burleigh
(of the criminal investigation depart
ment) to Mr.. Stein, the well-known dia-
mond merchant, "if you are nervous
about the safety Of your vaiuables, the
best thing you can do is to act upon the
following advice: As to the strong
room at your Office. keep on your watch
chain bunch OF dummy keys for orna-
ment $50 to speak J, and deposit the true
keys at your bankers every afternoon;
put q good safe in your study at home,
but any diamonds you may take to thai
house may be kept in dummy cham
payne bottle in your cellar there; get
secret electric alarm-push designed and
fixed in your office-both OF them COM
municating with the nearest police sta
ton; and lastly, never, on any account,
take revolver about with you-or
you're dead man before you get it out
further than the flap OF your pocket"
Nj. Stein thanked the detective, and
promised to act upon his advice in ev-
cry particular.
The circumstances which gave rise to
this conversation were these: Mr.. Stein,
diamoud merchant OF high standing,
was expecting the arrival OF large
parcel of valuable cut gema from Am.
sterdam. He had been warned several
times by friends, and even by the
authorities at Scotland Yard. that his
precautions against being robbed were
absurdly inadequate. No man in his
senses would allow it to become noto-
rious that he often carried parcels OF
| valuable gems on his pereon, and some
times merely locked them up in q
trumpery little old-fashioned safe in the
study of his villa at Norwood-a house
standing alone in its own grounds, and
at q considerable distance from the
nearest police station-a home shared
with him by no one but an old house
Mr.: Stein concluded, after awhile,
that these circumstances were not alto
gether idle, and he therefore consulted
the best authority upon the subject
namely, Inspector Burleigh, whose adj
vice opens this story.
"If you make sound, I'll shoot"
Such was the pleasant intimation
that fell upon Mr.. STEMS ears as he
awoke one night from his beauty sleep.
It was q stormy winter night, and the
rain beat spitefully upon the window
panes. Mr.. Stein might have shouted
himself hoarse and no one could posi-
bly, have heard him. His Housekeeper
was absent, having been called to the
sick bed OF relative.
Mr.. Stein tried to realize the situa-
ton. as quickly as his sleepy senses
would permit. Hecould see very little
around him, but he was soon aware
that the voice was that OF masked
man, leaning over him, revolver in
hand. A second man was examining
the room rapidly, by the aid OF a bulls
eye lantern. =,
"We've got you fairly at last, Ell, old
stein?"
"IYhat do you want" inquired the
diamond. merchant, nervously.
"What do We want? That's good |!
Now, look here, Stein; when you lett
your Office this afternoon you went to
the post office at Holbern, and you
asked for registered packet and they
handed you parcel o. diamonds. You
put 'em in your breast-pocket and come
straight nome. You've not been out
since; so tho diamonds aren't far OF.
So much for your little business"
"How on EARTH" gasped Mr.. Stein,
'do you know all this? ?"
"That's our little busincssi And now,
if you please, where's the diamonds"
;'Gentlemen," replied Mr., Stein, you
havo caught me very cleverly. You in.
sist on having my diamonds or my life.
/ have no particular wish to die yet, and
resistance on my part can see would
be perfectly useless. will agree TO help
YOU; that Il to say, ] will engage to put
Won in possession OF the packet you are
In search Of, which is carefully hidden,
and OF anything else OF value which you
may require in my house-upon one
condition"
"Well, what ia til"
"My condition 10 that you promise 10
give TO mo, and not to take away, min
iature which is hanging in my safe. Il
! is the portrait Of my deargrandmother."
ooh! is that all3 You can keep the
old lady. She'd only be in our way"
"Thank you. Then here is the key
of tho safe in my study; but you won't
find anything there. Believe me, there
is nothing in the safe, except the por-
trait Of my grandmother" :.
sNow, you just come along, stein,"
said the burglar in chief. "Well soon
see what's in the safe. And, mind
FIRST sign Of any nonsense and III shoot
Sure as my name is"
MIR. Stein huddled on some clothes,
and all three descended to the study.
The .afe was in front OF them. The
key was soon applied to the lock, and
the safe was opened. As Mr.. Stein had
said, there was absolutely nothing
whatever inside. except the miniature.
~ told you sow said MIR. Stein ro-
proachfully.
The two robbers cursed and swore,
Bill took tho miniature of the peg it oc-
cupied in the safe Ind put II in his
pocket. Stein shouldn't have the por-
trait, he said, till he fulfilled his prom
Use about the diamonds.
~ am quite ready to keep my prom.
ise," said Mr.. Stein. Follow me and
will show you where the diamonds
Holding candle before him, he led
tho way TO tho cellar. The collar door
was unlocked and they all entered.
"Don't SEQ any diamonds here" COM
planned tho chief william. "Out with
them, Stein, and look smart about it,"
4 L. a cat