Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1893-09-09
A SLENDER CLUE.

A very small piece OF fawn. colored.
checked tweed, with jagged edges, bear
ing traces of hard wear Not much Of
treasure to look at; and yet boarded
it for months. I built my hopes of
bringing fragrant crime home to its
perpetrators and of restoring valuable
property to its rightful owner.
This is how l became possessed of it.
There had been somewhat daring
robbery at house in Shepherds Bush.
Mr.. and Mrs. Blanchard were giving q
party in honor of their eldest daughters
twenty first birthday. Needless to say
the two servants found enough to occu
Ply their time all the evening and there
was practically no one on guard up
stairs, it being assured that there would
be so much passing to and fro as to
render even the usual watchfulness I'M
necessary. But this sense of security
was taken advantage of by the thieves.
clever enough to avail themselves of
the opportunity. The Blanchards &C.
cupied semi detached villa, the ad-
joining one being untenanted. Into
the empty house the thieves had eff
fected an entrance. They had stepped
out of the window, which was exactly
over the double door porch, and from
this porch they had found it easy to
climb through the bedroom window Of
Mr.. Blanchard's house. The room to
which access was thus gained was the
one occupied by the master and mistress
of the house, and in it some valuable
jewely was kept. together with the cash
box. Most of the jewelry happened to
be in use, but the cash.box contained
e200 intended to pay in quarterly bills
on the morrow, and some family papers
of the greatest Importance.
The first suspicion that something
was wrong was aroused when the ser.
want went upstairs tollight the bedroom
gas and found the dressing table pushed
to one side and the window wide open.
She at once gave the alarm, and it was
soon discovered that the cashbox and
its contents were missing. So were the
thieves, unfortunately, and they proved
very difficult to trace. The only clue
they had left behind them was bit of
tweed, aforementioned. It was stick
ing to nail at the side of,the window,
and had evidently been torn off some
garment worn by the thief in his hur.
ried exit.
Il have done my best with it,, said
Uncle Bell to me one day, land I now
turn this scrap Of stuff over to you, to
use as advantageously as you can. The
money stolen from Mr.. Blanchard is ir.
revocably lost. but if the papers can be
discovered it will be good thing for
the finder. They are certificates of mar
riage and of baptism, copied from reg
listers that have since been destroyed by
fire. Without them Mr.. Blanchard can
not prove his heirship to the Blanchard
property. Restore them and he will
pay you we'll.
Early in the month of September,
this being six months after the rob-
berry, l found 1t convenient to use
Drury lane as a thoroughfare between
High Holborn and the Strand. 1t was
already dusk, and l was not inclined to
lose much time, but was compelled to
do so owing to large crowd which
had assembled to witness one of the
many fires which flourish in this neigh
borhood. The street was practically
impossible, and the din for time al.
most deafening. allowed myself to
be closely, and still more closely, sur
rounded by the ever increasing multi
tude, until at last it would have been q
matter of impossibility to make my es-
cape until the crowd was ready to dis
perse. But 1 did not want to escape.
L was fascinated as we'll as Mortified by
the awful sight. shall never forget
it. A five story dwelling was being
Quilted, and the flames, which had their
origin in the basement in an oil and
color shop, spread with such frightful
rapidity that exit by ordinary means
was cut off five minutes after the fire
broke out. The frightened inmates
crowded to the upper rooms, and we're
shrieking for help from the windows.
The fire engines were splendidly prompt,
but could do little beyond restricting
the fire to the building in which it had
broken out, and it seemed doubtful if a
fire escape could arrive and be fixed up
in time to save all. To the panic
stricken threatened ones, the danger
looked more immediate than to the
tiremen. who shouted to them to en-
dure moment longer.
Il cannot, shrieked one man, II am
already burning" A second later he
had sprung from the open window; the
crowd shudderingly parted. and he
fell with q sick ening thud near the en-
gine-never to speak or move again.
The sight was dreadful one. But 1t
was still more dreadful to witness the
anguish of those who saw nothing but
destruction before them. The fate of
the unfortunate man was either not
realized or it was powerless to restrain
their panic, and woman preparing to
jump out herself, threw her baby clear
of the devouring element. There was
a cry of horror as the poor little mite
hurled and struggled in its frantic
HiUht from opa 1aoth RI opothar