The Forrest City times., 1894-11-02
NEATLY PLANNED.


 lunch one miserably wet day last No vember, when visitor was announced. 'Mr. Engstrom" was inscribed on the card-a name quite unknown to me.
 MT. De Warre?" said my visitor, a shrewd looking, well groomed man, who apparently had not yet touched forty
 ''That is my name," l answered. Please take seat and tell me what can do for you
 II am in great trouble" said Mir. Engstrom. We had burglars at our house at Lyndhurst, in the New For est, the night before last. They broke in while we were at dinner and several thousand pounds worth of jewels are gone from my wife's bedroom. But what distresses us is that a valuable heir loom, pearl necklace of great value, that has been in our family for two hundred years, is among the plunder. The other jewelry we could bear to lose, but not this To tell you the truth" he added, with smile, II must own to being little supersti- tious. and there is legend in our family that this necklace was a gift to an ancestress of mine by Charles H., and whoever shall lose it his days shall be very short and full of evil. It is said it was lost about the beginning of the century, and the legend came true My wife is more superstitious than myself, and I am afraid if it is not recovered it may seriously affect her health Of course the police have been at work, but I have not very great confidence in them, and up to the present they have discovered noth- ing If you can aid me l shall be very glad.
 Il am.n said Mr. Engstrom, 'the de- scendant of an old landed family who have lived in Hampshire for genera tions. We are not as wealthy as we once were, and find employment for my time by being on the board of di- rectors of several companies. l have only been married short time, not quite a year. and we have been living very quietly. On Tuesday night, when the burglary occurred, there were only five of us at dinner Besides my wife and myself were the rector and his wife and Capt. Olyer, the son of an old friend, whom l lately met in the city and invited down. He has been with us over week, and leaves to join his regiment on Saturday.
 I've had just reached dessert and Capt Olyer was inquiring of the but Ter if Wisden (his man servant) had returned from London, when my wife's maid came in gasping: Oh, ma'am. your jewels are gone-robbers" and sank fainting on the floor.
 Goodness gracious! l exclaimed, and we sprang up.
 "'Tet us search out of doors at once,' said the captain. Bring us light, John. he said to the butler. and rushed out We followed him.
 ''lt was quite dark, and we had not gone a dozen steps before he fell down. Look out, he cried, the brutes have laid wires. They have caught one fool at any rate, he remarked as he got up. I went hack for a light, and sure enough there were wires around that side of the house.
 1.-The captain was holding his nose. He was but little hurt, he said, for, luckily, he had fallen on the grass. At the captains suggestion l summoned two men servants.
 q found lantern. and we searched the grounds and the surrounding roads. We found nothing, save ladder under one of the windows, and small brooch which the thief or thieves had dropped. No suspicious looking person had been seen in the village or at the station, and the two policemen who came could do nothing beyond looking wise. l called at the police station this morning. but they have no clew, nor is it likely they will have one. All have learned from them is that they believe that two were engaged in the affair from the footmarks."