The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1895-11-12
"a DETECTIVE YARN.

II liketo hear Of your successes, =
x1said jocularly to my friend De War
4 re, the detective, one evening, after
he had been entertaining me with
: stories of his triumphs. Have you
no story of criminals triumphs?"
Plenty, " he said, laughing. "If
a man is successful in 60 per cent
of his cases he stands near the top
of his profession. But, as a rule, de-
feats are not intoresting--me a
record Of patient but dull investiga-
ton. A defeat. however, that / ex-
perienced when ! was member of
the force would not make bad
story, / think. 1t tells against N.Y.
self badly, but / have long since lost
all soreness about it must say in
self defense, however, that the man
who outwitted me was as clever
ssooundrel sas ever was wanted by the
law, and others as we'll as myself
came off badly. Your ordinary Grim
inal. if the hunt is started at once,
is like the hare in paper chase--he
leaves strong scent behind him
through mere laundering But ORA
mond had cool head"
Who was he?"
Don't you remember Blackett's
bank affair, in the seventies? You
don't? It was the sensation of the
day, and the papers were full of it.
Well, the story is worth telling from
the beginning, then
Percy Dorman Diamond was one
of the best known men in Manches-
ter 20 years ago. He. was the head
of Blackett's bank, and Blackett's
bank was as we'll known as the Bank
of England in Lancashire and York
shire. 1t did business with all
Glasses of people, and it had branches
in many of the leading towns of the
north. 1t was established at the end
J of last century and generations of
Blacketts had made fortunes by it.
The firm was known as Blackett,
,Jepson g. Royle, and Diamond was
a nephew of Royle's, He entered
the bank in his youth and was made
a partner when he came of age. His
oopartners were men getting on in
years and gradually the manage
ment of the bank fell almost solely
/. into his hands.
HE was distinguished looking
man, of medium height and was al
ways dressed irreproachably He
was very genial and hospitable, and
his manner favorably impressed ev-
cry one with whom he was brought
in relation. The bank prospered
greatly under his management. He
was a county magistrate and an al
derman who had refused the mayor
atty, and at the election of 1874 be-
came an NJ p. Manchester people
followed his career in the commons
with great interest, and it was said
that his financial ability and quick
grasp of facts had greatly impressed
the party leaders.
but before he had sat at st.
Stephens year the crash came.
He had gone to the north as usual
for the shooting, and by some freak
or other it entered into the head of
old Jepson, one of the partners, that
I. the management of the bank could
2 not be safely intrusted to the cash
ier, as in former years. The officials
We're astonished by his coming to
the bank every morning and work
ing steadily away until the after
noon--a thing he had not done since
Dramond had assumed the reins.
The old man, through sheer cuIios-
7 ity, ] believe, poked his nose into
4 everything, to the great discomfort
of all concerned. But to his own in
tense establishment he found there
was something wrong. There was a
deficiency of from ego, 600 to 990,-
600. He doubted his calculations
and went over the accounts again
and again, but with the same result.
He called his colleagues together,
save Dramond, and told them what
be had discovered, and together
, they investigated. The result was
the same, and they sent peremp,
tory telegram recalling Diamond.
''As said, the man was no ordi-
nary villain, and when he heard
what they had to say he laughed in
their faces, and asked them if il
were fair to spoil mans holidays
because their faculty of calculation
was failing. 1t was late, he added,
hat they would meet the following
morning, and he would soon prove
that they were wrong. His manner
imposed upon them and they agreed.
That evening he returned to the
bank, told the Waterman he had
come back on half an hours press.
ing business and coolly pocketed q
sum estimated at 930, 000 In the
L = .Nrf irty ba was ,11iucipO ap1 ha ha6