The herald., 1893-01-18
HE WAS HIS OWN DETECTIVE,
A Diamond Robbery for Which
No One Was Punished.
How the Suspected Person Managed
to Prove His Innocece.
A Case Where Circumstantial Evidence
Was Upset by WelI-Directed
Effort to Find the Person
Who Was Guilty.

The following story was told by de-
tective familiar with the matter to q
HERALD reporter recently, and was
vouched for as an actual fact through
out:
Some time ago the papers had consid-
erable to say about diamond robbery
which occurred in this city. The jew
els belonged to we'll known lady of
this city, who had deposited them as
security for loan she had negotiated
with business firm. This firm was
composed Of two partners, both respect
able men, and the brother of one part
ner was the bookkeeper and trusted
man of the establishment. He was
bright young man, OF good habits, and
was engaged to be married to most
estimabie young woman. This young
man and the two partners were the
only persons who knew the combination
to the safe in which the diamonds were
kept, and this safe had inside doors
One of those KEYS the young
man. carried on his key ring,
the other being kept in the keyhole OF
the safe door, as this door was not in
tended as a resistance to burglars, being
only of thin metal Now when this
young clerk came to the Office on the
morning of the burglary, he found on
opening the outer door that the inner
door WAS locked but the key was not in
its accustomed place. He took the du-
plicate key out of his pocket, opened the
door, and there in pigeon hole reposed
the key that ought to have been in the
keyhole. He at once knew that some
thing was wrong, and quick investlga-
tlon showed that the precious diamonds
which were there the evening before
were gone. The members Of the firm
were summoned and an investigation
was commenced. Every feature of the
case pointed to the guilt of the young
clerk. He claimed an alibi and estsb
lished it. The young woman he was
engaged to lived in neighboring town,
and that evening he visited her
and staid all night at the houses, haring
a room with a brother of his fancee.
This brother was certain that the clerk
had not gone out of the room during the
night; it would have been possible for a
man to have left that place, say at 10
O'Clock, driven to Los Angeles, opened
the cafe and returned to the house again
before daylight, but as stated the clerks
roommate was positive he had not left
his bed during the night. Notwith
standing the police and detectives main
tanned that there could be no doubt
about the clerks being the guilty man,
aud certainly no one else could be sus-
pected. He knew the combination and
had the keys.
The young man could not prove his
: il nocence, but it was decided to let the
los 60 and not to take any further steps
in tie matter. The clerk, however,
was frantic at his position; he
knew he was innocent, but
it seemed as if he must always have the
stigma of being thief. However, he
Get to work as detective himself. He
thought out a theory that some one had
had duplicate key made for that in
side door, and he began pilgrimage to
all the places in the city where it would
be possible to have key made. At
fret without success, but after several
days. hunt he discovered a tinker on
Los Angeles street who, when shown
the key, said yes, he had made one just
like that for gentleman few weeks
before. The man had brought an i'm
preston in piece of soap. No, he
could not remember the mans appear
ance exactly, but he would know him il
he saw him again.
The clerk was exultant. The tinker's
testimony was. the first ray of light he
had seen in his trouble, and he asked
him to go 10 the Office and tell what he
knew about the key matter to the part
ners. The locksmith consented, and in
q few moments they entered the place
of business and the new development
was listened to eagerly by the partners,
and they shook hands with the clerk as
token of their returning confidence.
''And can you not tell US anything
about the man who ordered that key ?"
asked one of the partners.
"No, can't describe him, but / am
sure if I saw him l would recognize
him." answered the locksmith.
As he completed his words the door
opened and in walked young man who
was confidential friend of both part
ners, young fellow who had had the
use of the Office, and who was highly es-
teemed by all the parties concerned. As
he entered the locksmith looked at
him and said: "That's the man who
orkered the key from me-"
The newcomer turned pale and stag
gered. 81 never took the diamoude.
It's lie. never took them," he
cried.
None OF us have mentioned dia-
monds," quietly replied one of the
partners. The newcomer turned whittier
than before and faltered his way to q
chair.
''Now, why did you get the man to
make you a key to the inside door of my
safe, and how did you open the outside
door, and what have you done with the
diamondsl 7" continued the member OF
the firm who had first spoken.
The young fellow stammered q few
incoherent words and then confessed
everything. He had managed to learn
the combination of the safe by watching
closely when it was opened. Then one
day, while pretending to look at some OF
his own papers which were in the safe,
he took the key of the inside door out Of
the keyhole in which it was, and press
ins it into piece Of soap which he had
in his pocket, no got an impression OF
that. When he got the duplicate key
made he entered the Office one night
by means of an ordinary skeleton
key, and openinH the safe took the dia-
monds. The ker he found in the key.
hole of the inside door he put inside OF
the safe and locked the door with the
key he had had made, doing this pur-
posely to throw suspicion on the clerk
who carried the only other key on his
Immense.
THAT'S WHAT THEY ALL sAYs--It is custom
ary III these latter days to express our pc feet
cafiafaoIiDu with thing nv sa viuo stTt,o a.,