The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1896-05-30

Sale Which SlUUu n. k1tt1G ulSlduCS hWdy
from a window that looked upon the
street. This safe was so situated that
it could easily be seen hY passers-bY,
and as there were no shades to the win
dow it was not likely that the safe had
been tampered with during the night,
since it was in plain view Of the police
and private Watchmen who passed the
building every few minutes.
'I was not able to see the broker
when I called on the following day,
and did not visit the Office again until
the next week, when was told he had
sailed for Europe.
The pawnshops were searched and
cities, but no clue to the missing dia-
monds was obtained. 81.
"All efforts to discover the thief or
to ascertain the method by which the
robberies had been committed were
without result, and was beginning to
fear that it was case that could never
be cleared up when one evening the
telephone bell rang, and was wanted.
"The person at the other end of the
phone was the owner of the diamonds,
who wished me to meet him in the
lobby of the Metropolitan opera house
as soon as could get there. went up
at once, and on entering the lobby
the first person I caught sight Of was
the owner of the diamonds, walking
nervously up and down and evidently
in an excited condition of mind. He
spied me while I was dozen PAGES
away, and with smile of recognition
beckoned me to approach him.
I've found the diamonds and the
thief at the same time he said excit-
edly. ~.- o., ~.
THAT'S good said I; "where are
they?'
"sCome with me and I'll show you
ssHe led the way down the aisle on
one side of the building until he nearly
reached the orchestra Handing me his
opera glasses, he said:
In the eighth row, near the CEN
ter, sits stout, blonde woman wear
ing a pair of large diamond earrings.
Those are the earrings that formerly
belonged to my wife, and the man who
| is talking with the woman is the Pine
street broker who is supposed to be in
+ Europe. .. ..--E
II turned the glasses toward the
| couple and gave a careful look at the
people he had pointed out. Z.
"EPine street broker?' said I, lower
ing the glasses. That's no more the
Pine street broker than I am. That
is
But recognize him positively as the
| man who called on me and presented
his card as the broker?' !.
5-.-ss Oh 'ssaid I,,as that .Eou
| obtained your Introduction to the Pine
street broker, is it-gave you his card,
| did he? Well, am not surprised at
that man there presenting somebody
| else's card, if there was anything to be
made out of it. That fellow is one of
| the sharpest confidence men Of Chi
| cago, and this is the first I knew Of his
being in New York. And as for the
woman with him, she's a notorious
Tenderloin character who has gotten
the better of more than one moneybag
in this town. If that man is your Pine
street broker, you can be pretty sure
those earrings she has on are your
property
Il gave the tip to one of our men
whom I found in the lobby, and as we
didn't care to make scene during the
performance, we waited until it was
| over and then gathered the pair in and
| took them down to headquarters. :.
"1t was easy enough to hold the con-
fidence man, but it was hard to get the
woman to give up the diamonds. She
finally consented to surrender them
under protest, but, of course, she never
made any more fuss about it and the
owner kept possession of them.
''This confidence man died in prison
about two years ago, and never learn
ed the solution of the mystery of his
getting both of the diamonds until
few months ago, when the story came
out. "
''The impersonation of a well-known
broker by presenting card with the
brokers' name on it was a simple de-
vice to get possession of one of the dia-
monds The thief had learned of the.
brokers' intention to sail for Europe in
few days, and this fact was made use
of to keep that part of the transaction
in fog until the brokers' return to
New York.
when the confidence man called
upon the owner of the diamonds to an
nounce the supposed robbery of the
day before, he haG planned to secure
possession of the other stone for the al
legged purpose of having diamond ex-
pert make a careful description of tit
being almost an exact duplicate in color,
weight and shape -and by this means
the missing diamond could be identified
by any pawn broker or diamond dealer
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