The morning call., 1892-07-08
THE B0TILB OF DIAMONDS

s'WaD. sir" said Inspector Burleigh OF
the Criminal Investigation Department 10
zfr. Stein. the well-known diamond mer-
ehsnt. If veu are nervous about the safety
Of your vaiuables, the best thing you can do
3 10 act upon the following advice; As to
the strong room at your Office, keep on
your watch chain bunch of dummy keys
for ornament, so to speak, and deposit the
true KEYS al your bankers every afternoon
put good sale in your study at home but
any diamonds you may take to that house
may be kept IN a dummy champagne bottle
"a your cellar there; get secret electric
Rgarna-push designed and fixed in your pri-
vate residence, and another in your Off e
both OF them connecting with the nearest
police statioa; and lastly, never, on any ac-
COUNT, lake revolver about with you-or
you're s dea3 man before you get it further
than the flap of your pocket"
Mr.. Stein thanked the detective, and
promised TO set upon his advice in every
particular.
The circuns 5ances which gave rise to this
conversation we're these: Mr.. Stein, r
diamond mere ant Of high standing. was ex-
pecting ths arrival of large parcel of
valuable cut gems from Amsterdam. He
had been warned several times by friends.
and even by auth critics at Scotland Yard,
that his prees uti0nS against being robbed
were absurd y Inadequate. No man in his
senses would allow IL to become notorious
that he often carried parcels of valuable
gems on his person, and sometimes merely
locked them up IN q trumueTY little old
fashioned sale in the study of his villa at
NcFv eod-a house standing alone in its
own grounds aHd at considerable distance
from the nearest police stati0n-a home
shared Wit by no one but an old house.
keepar.
Mr.. steiu eoac'uded after while that
these remOnstrances were not altogether
idle, and he therefore consulted the best
auth GRITTY upon the subjeet-namely Inspec-
tor Bureigh, whose advice opens this story.
"If you make a sound I'll shootw
Such was the pleasant intiEation that fell
upon Mr.. STEMS ears as lie awoke one night
from his beauty sleep.
IL was stormy winter night, and The rain
beat spltefully upon the window-pane. Mr..
Stein might have shouted himself hoarse and
no could possibly have heard him. His
bousekeepeT was absent, having been called
10 the sickbed of a relative.
Mr. Stein tried 10 realize the situation as
quickly as his sleepy senses would permit.
Tie 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 tn g
room rapidly by the aid of bullseye lam
E"We've got you fairly at last, eh. old
stein 2"
"What do you wantp' inquired the dia-
mOBd merchant, nervously.
"What do we want? That's good. Now,
lack here, Stein, when you lett your Office
this afternoon you went 10 the pOstoffiee al
HOibOrn and yOu asked for register packet
and they handed you a fat parcel of dia-
mOnds. You put 'em in your breast pocket
and came straight home. You've not been
out since, so the diamonds are not far OF
So much for your little business"
Elbow on earth gasped Mr.. Stein. did
you know all thisY
Chats our little business. And now, II
you please. where's the diamonds ?"
Gentlemen" replied Mr.. Stein, 'you
have caught NE very cleverly. You insist
on having my diamonds or my life | have
nc particular wish TO die yet and resistance
on my part, ] can see, would be perfectly
useless. | viii agree to help you; that is to
say | will engage to put You in possession
Of the packet you are ID search Of, which is
carefully hidden, and Of anything else OF
value you may require in my h0use-upon
one condition"
"Well, what is P'
"My condition is that you promise to give
30 me. and not take away miniature which
Is hanging IN my safe. 1t is the portrait of
my dear grandmother"
''0h, is that all? You can keep the old
lady. She'd only be in cur way"
Thank you. Then here Is the key of the
safe I'D my study; but you won't fad any
thing there. Believe me, there is nothing
10 the safe except the portrait Of my grand
mother"
''Now you just come along, Stein" said
the burglar IN -chief. ''We'll soon see
what's in the safe. And, mind-first sign
Of any nonsense and I'll shoot-sure as my
name is"
Mr.. Stein hudded on some clothes, and
all three descended TO the study. The safe
was I'm front of them. The kew 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.
Il told you sop said Mr. Stein reproach-
fully.
The two robbers cursed and swore. Bin
took the miniature off the peg if Occupied
M the safe and put it in his pocket. Stein
sHouiun I have the portrait, he said, till he
fulnled MS promise about the diamonds.
am quite ready TO keep my promise"
said Mr.. Stein. Follow me, and / win
shew you where the diamonds are"
holding the candle before him, he led the
way 70 the cellar. The cellar-dOOr was I'M
locked and they all entered.
Don't see any diamonds here" COM
planned the chief villain. ''Out with them,
Stein, and look smart about It."
HE merchRnt reached his hand out to
the back OF BIN and drew forth, appar-
emily, nasauIn Of Meet & Chandon's I'm
perial Sec.
Here va are. gentlemenw unscrewIng
the neck Of the false bottle and disclosing TO
their astonished gaze the packet of dIa-
me9as within. Did not promise2"
Good business-eh, Bill? Stein. nv
a trrp y