Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-02-21
THE CRaCKSD7aN's CaTsPaW.
A DETECTIVES STORY.

part or November, and the newly
elected mayor of Woolford had cele.
brated his accession to civic pow Ell
by giving u ball at his private resi-
dence, just outside the town. He
was an exceedingly wealthy man,
and his wife was the fortunate pos
SCISSOR of very fine set of diamonds
1t was popularity understood that
these were worth at least G10,-
600, and popular opinion in this
respect was not far wrong. On
the morning after the ball, however,
the mayoress discovered that her
diamonds were missing. Instead Of
locking them up when she retired to
rest she had carelessly left them
lying on her dressing table. When
she woke the diamonds had disap-
peared.
Then followed fine to do. Three
or four Of us, supposed to be the
cleverest and sharpest officers on the
force, were put in charge of the
matter and told to do our best. Our
best, however, resulted in ignomin-
ious defeat. We followed the old
methods-suspected the servants,
examined their rooms and boxes,
watched their movements, and finally
confessed that they must all be COM
pletely exonerated. We invented
plausible theories and could put
none OF them into practice. In the
end we concluded that the diamonds
had been stolen by an experienced
burglar, who must have been very we'll
acquainted with the house, and who
had succeeded in doing his work in
the most accomplished fashion. Az
ter that there was no more to be
done. The mayor offered q very
handsome reward for the recovery Of
the missing jewels, and many a man S
mouth watared as he read the
amount promised. But as there was
not even a clew to the thief the
prospect of claiming the reward
seemed very far away to every police
man.
AS soon as / heard Of the burglary
/ made guess-mentally, of course
at the burg lars name. twas Jimmy
Timble. L felt confident of it. /
knew of no local criminal accom-
plished enough TO carry out so daring
a theft except Jimmy. And Jimmy
had just come home from Portland,
where he had spent nearly six years
in penal servitude. That was not
his first period Of incarceration, nor
his second. Jimmy had been a thief
from boyhood. and those who knew
him felt persuaded that nothing
would make him give up his career OF
crime. 1t was this belief, coupled
with my knowledge of Jimmy's re-
turn to Woolford, that made me sus-
pect him Of taking the diamonds.
When Jimmy was not in prison
he worked as bricklayer's paddy"
and made his home at one OF the big
common lodging houses in low part
of the town. Two or three days af-
ter the diamond robbery / went one
evening toward this house. intend
ing to have an interview with Jimmy
and hear what he had to say for
himself. BY good fortune l met him
just outside the door and stopped
him. He regarded me calmly and
with perfect equani:nity. He was
at all times a curious little man
dwarfish in stature, very slightly de-
formed, and always full OF a certain
quaint assurance, mixed with sly
demeanor which was amusing to
everybody. My interview with Jimmy
threw no light whatever on tho mys-
terry, as he pleaded ignorance Of the
whole affair. II Jimmy had got the
diamonds he had done his work so
thoroughly that Glow OF any de-
scription was not yet discoverable.
And it was just that want of a clew
that persuaded me Of Jimmy's guilt.
/ knew of no man who could have
done the work so thoroughly.
During the next two or three days
thought matters over from all
points OF view, but / could find
nothing to warrant me,in taking
steps against Jimmy Timble. l
wondered IL he had been associated
with others in the burglary. More
than once he had worked in company
with his brother, Jerry Timble; but
it was impossible for him to have
had any help from Jerry on this oc-
casion, for the simple reason that
the unfortunate Jerry was spending
twelve months in the county Jail for
stealing. And it appeared to me,
upon considering the case still more
deeply, that, it being an affair of
great magnitude, Jimmy Timble
would prefer to work 1t singlehanded.
The secret, therefore. rested with
him, and there was nothing but
patience to be exercised.
Asno trace OF the diamonds could
be found we thought 1t well to keep
a watch on two or three suspicious
characters in the town, with view
to discovering the whereabouts Of the
valuables. 1t seemed to us that the
thief or thieves must have planted the
jewels In some safe spot and waited
until the agitation had blown over
before removing them. Thus itcame
about that Jimmy Timble's move
ments were watched very jcslously.
His goings out and his comings In
- A. - - L.