The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-07-24
WHERE THE TREASURE IS."

Very nearly q quarter of century
ago l was on terms of considerable in
timacy with an officer of the English
police who at this hour fills position
of high trust at Scotland Yard. AT the
time of which write he was sergeant
in the force Of u great provincial city'
smart, alert, ambitious and resolute to
get on. He and l were in one or two
big things together. had got wind Of
O. gang of Russian forgers, on one oc-
casion, and was playing detective on
my own account. when tine sergeant re-
ceived instructions to watch the same
thing. We met, understood each other,
and combined our forces. My silence,
as O journalist, purchased his, as an
officer, AMI when at last we bagged our
men we each had ar "eNclusive." We
were engaged together in conniving at
the escape OF as Thoroughbred swim
dler as might have been found i'll the
British dominions. There was Tea-
son for this connivance which may
some day make the story worth telling.
| lent the sergeant an informal aid and
countenance in the capture of desper-
ate defrauder in his bedroom at the
Queens hotel, and narrowly escaped
being shot for my pains, When went
prowling about the slums of that
great provincial city, as [ did pretty
often, the sergeant was my frequent
companion. And when at last
he gained his hearts desire, and was
promoted to London, l was the only
person in whom he confded the fact
that the capture which secured his
promotion was due to chance.
l have never made notes of these
matters, and the names of the people
concerned in this adventure have long
since slipped my memory, but the facts
are clear enough.
In the year 1871, and long before and
SITTER, a manufacturing jeweler, in
large way of business, kept shop in St.
PauPs churchyard, on the right-hand
side as you go westward. The COM
mon kind of work was done at Bir-
mingham; the better and more val
liable jewelry was the product of
skilled hands employed in a small
workshop in Clerkenwen The pri-
vate clientele of the house was small,
but the business transacted with "the
trade" was probably as large as any in
London. Only one commercial trav-
eler was engaged, a Jewish gentleman,
a man of exemplary character and
charming manners; linguist, musi-
clan. judge of pictures, a painter en-
I'll a;y1-
precious stones. He had been II years
in this same service, and his employers
trust in him was absolute. He drew a
liberal commission, kept his own little
family in solid comfort at his Brixton
home, was pillar of his synagogue,
pearl among commercial travellers, and
deservedly respected. never saw this
gentleman, but can draw his portrait,
and before l close this story will tell
you why. He had large dark eyes,
which shone out of a sort of
velvoty dull softness, as black-heart
cherry shines when dew or rain is on il.
He mad well-shaped aquiline nose,
and an olive skin. His lips were shape
Iy, but redder and fuller than is COM
mon with men of western type. He
wore his hair cut short, and his beard
was trimmed Vandyke fashion. The
notable thing about him was that hair,
eyebrows and beard were of a deep
ruddv auburn, color handsome in it.
self, but little startling and bizarre
in man of his complexion.
In the year 1870, whilst the sergeant
and l, unwilling of this gentleman's ex-
istence, were hanging on tie skirts
of the Russian forgers, the com
mercial traveller had submitted a
scheme to his employer He had en-
ployed his taste and leisure in the prep
aration of a number of designs for
brooches, bracelets, rings, tiaras, neck
let's and pendants, and he had designed
and drawn with beautiful delicacy a
case in which to display them. He es-
timated the cost of the preparation of
this tray at about 10000, and his pro-
posal was that the real tray to be
manufactured from his designs should
be kept in the showcase at ST. Pauls
churchyard, whilst he should carry
round with him tray of paste and
pinchbecl1 in illustration of the style
and color.
Both trays were made. The real
thing went in the showcase, and the
bogus article went on tour. The real
tray was Photographed in the London
and provincial newspapers, hundreds
of fashionable people went TO see it,
orders came in briskly, the new designs
became fashion, and the clever little
Hebrew gentleman made so good a
thing of his liberal commission that he
was more than paid for all his trouble.