Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-01-15
SAVED FROM DISHONOR.
TIE STORY OF AN INTERRUPTED CRIME
How New York travelling Man Recovered Fifty
Thousand Dollars Worth of Diamonds and
the Fate That Bsfsl the Robber.
CHICAGO Herald.


"Plum full tonight, sir, except q
smsll back room under the STAIRS.
Sorry, but the silver convention has
brought In a good many delegates
Thus said the hotel clerk Of the Grand
Central to Willis Crandsll, who was
making his first trip west OF the mis-
sour river for the New York diamond
dealers whom he represented. Inc
train on the Great Northern had been
delayed several hours, so that IL was
nearly IL o'clock before those 0elated
travellers who were booked for Helena
arrived at their destination.
Willis was nervous and apprehenslve.
He carried valuable case of diamonds
In his valise and was anxious TO get 10
the hotel. Somehow he had imbibed
notion that the tall. slim gentleman
with the yellow musteche who had &C.
cupied the berth In the sleeper across
the aisle from him since leaving st.
Paul, was not so innocent as he ap-
peared. If Willis were not mistaken,
he had seen the owner Of these blond
mustachios In one OF the jewelry stores
he had visited in Minneapolis and the
impression haunted him that the man
had designs on his valuable samples.
"Can it be possible" thought Gran
dali, that the fellow having caught
glimpse OF my, stock is determined TO
rob me? He has not, it is true, spoken
one word to me since we started, nor
have intercepted a glance in my d.
rection, but still mistrust him. Well,
| must be doubly cautious, that's all. !"
A cab had quickly conveyed Willis
from the depot to the Grand Central,
where he was confronted by the de-
pressing information that the hotel was
crowded.
"Only small, back room," he men
tally pondered, balancing the pen In his
hand after registering. "Well, II l
stay here and occupy it shall at least
get rid of my fellow traveller; guess
had better take it,"
ASSIGNED TO NUMBER THIRTEEN.
So he babe the clerk to assign him to
the small, back room under the stairs
and was about to congratulate himself
on getting any sort of quarters when,
following the cry OF Front" which
brought in a bellboy TO the marble
counter, ne heard the grim order en-
anate: "Show this gentleman up TO
No 49,"
Willis shivereI. "No. 49," he men
tally repeated. "If l were at all SUI
perstitlous | should regard that as a
Dad omen. Fortunately my weaknesses
do not lie in that direction" Thon to
the small boy who offered to relieve him
of his grip: mo, never mind, my son,
I'll carry that up myself"
No. 13 was a poorly ventilated, miser-
able little dark chamber that over
looked the court. Anyone ascend
ing to the floor above might
have gazed directly into the
room had be been so inclined, or but
for the interposton of yellow copy OF
the Helena Independent, the inside
pages of which somebody had thought
fully pasted over the transom, with
view to possible privacy.
The New Yorker shifted disdainfully
of the tainted atmosphere as the boy
struck match on the seat OF his panta-
looms preparatory to lighting the gas.
"Phew!" he calculated. "Smells like
dungeon. Let's have some fresh air. I"
Stepping to the windoY he made an
effort to throw up the sash, but IL prov
ed abortive. The frame work stuck
fast and resisted all attempts to be
moved. Painting from his exertions and
somewhat provoked, Willis uttered a
petuant cry OF disgust, and Selling a
chair placed it under the transome win
dow. then standing up he undid the
fastenings, allowing wave of semi
fresh air to seep In from the hallway.
Was he dreaming or did he see going up
stairs at that moment his late fellow
traveller, the man with the yellow mus
tache?
A MIDNIGHT VISITOR.
The bare fancy-for such Willis con-
ceived it to be-gave him quite turn
so that he slipped, rather than stepped
off the chair to the floor and TO the bell
boys suave 'anything else, sir" re-
turned curt "no, nothing" and locked
the door after the lads retreating fig
ure.
This done Willis took rapid survey