The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-06-06
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THE LUCKY HORSESHOE.

If Detective Sergeant Collie had arrived
sooner he might have been able to discover
a workable cew, he thought, but when he
was called in the burglary was three days
old. 1t was only after the local police had
done their hest and failed that they applied
to Scotland Yard for help, and that the
clever detective sergeant was sent to
Bourgeoisville.
By that time the local police, under the
able direction Of Inspector Doodle, had
succeeded pretty well in ohlterating every
to the sergeant. Enough, however, still
remained to show him that the burglary
was not the work of amateurs, but of pro-
fessionals. The way inwhch Mr. St John
Smith powerful plate safe had been forced
was really cha ming piece of workman
ship, and excited the detectives warmest
admiration, and the rapidity and noiseess-
ness with which the massive silver plate
had been removed and the reception
rooms stripped of their valuahlrs--inc'ud
ing paintings, bropzes an othc no. easily
portable articles-proved the person con-
cerned to possess the highest and rarest
skill known to the trade
Although Sergeant Collie thought he
might have been able to do something had
he been called in Immediately. yet he fully
recognized that it was no crca. discrcdit to
the local police thar they had failed to trace
the guilty PERSONS. 1t was clear that f,on
the first there WAS little to indicate who
these were, Not a single suspicious loo. =
ing man on woman had been seen in the
neighborhood for weeks. and vet it looked
had thorough knowledge not merely of the
country about, hut also of the house and
the habits of its inmates. Not a single
suspicious-looking vehicle had been seen
on any of the roads about the pillaged
house, or indeed about Bour.eoisville, or
the village, as it was called, which was
nearly Il mile distant, on the night of the
burglary, and yet the number and weight
of the articles were such as to render it
highly improbable they were carried Off
without the hel p of Il vehicle of some sort
The policeman whose beat lay along the
London road, off which the pillaged man
sion was situated, had seen the ordinary
number of vehicles during that night, but
they all obviously belonged to carriage
I. IL.
not van. dog cart or other likely convey
ancc among them.
Sergeant Collie spent whole fortnight
searching for anything that might proms
a clew to the solution of the mystery H..
examined and cross examined Mr.. st. John
Smiths numerous servants. He searched
the grounds OF "LongIcat the plundtrrtl
manson-and of the neighboring houses
most infinitely in the hope of finding some
traces OF the missing property. He quest.
Toned everybody who lived in the neighbor
hood and who within the past month had
visited the house. But he discovered
nothing.
At the end of the fortnight Sergeant
Collie reported to headquarters that he
had done all he could, AID had completely
failed to trace the criminals. As he was
convinced that further investigation on the
spot-at least for the present-was use
less, he was recalled to town Before
leaving Bourgeosyille he impressed on
Inspector Doodle the necessity of reporting
the affair at once if another crime of the
same kind occurred in or about the village.
Sergeant Collie had not returned to town
above two OF three week. before a telegram
was received at See tland Yard from the
respected Inspector Doodle. 1t ran as
follows: Burglary last night at Chats
worth, seat of Mr. ST. James, ones.
Similar in all respects to that at Longleat.
seat of Mr.. st. John Smith. Immense
robbery. Send help Within half an
hour of the receipt of the telegram Sergeant
Collie was in the train bound for Bourgeois
vile.
A rapid investigation showed the dctec-
tive that Inspector Boobies description OF
the burglary was absolutely correct. The
second burglary coneSp nded with the
| first in every detail. 1t was executed with
the same skill and daring; the thieves had
forced with the same dexterity an equally
strong plate safe, aud had removed with