The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1896-05-30

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the burglary save this, that it was the
work, not of tramps, but of men carefully
trained in that line of business, who had
planned out every detail in it before taking
the job in hand.
One or two points in the burglary had
carefully struck the detective. In the
first place the plate safe in Chatsworth was
built into the kitchen wall, yet the bur
glars had gone straight to it in this unus
ual place. Again, minute examination
of the footprints outside the house and it
had convinced the officer that two or, at
the most, three, persons had been engaged
in the job. Thirdly, the plumber carried
away-and carried away with amazing
rapidity-must have weighed the best part
of twenty stone And, lastly, there was
not the slightest evidence to show that a
horse and vehicle of any kind had been
used to remove the plunder. As before,
the usual number of private carriages had
been seen passing along London road, but
nothing beyond that
To the detectives mind all these pecu-
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conclusion, namely, that the burglars had
been in the house before they went there
to commit the burglary, and that they
must live somewhere in the immediate
neighborhood of the scene of the burglary.
Accordingly, he directed his inquiries as
to the persons who had lately been visiting
the servants hall at Chatsworth.
These he found consisted pretty exclu-
sively of tradesmen and the maids sweet
hearts. The former were all ultra respect
able men who had been living in the vii
lage for years back, yet the detective
thought it wise to inspect the premises of
all of them. They raised no objection,
and he made no discovery. As TO the
sweethearts, he found that all the maids
had recognized lovers, who were allowed
by Mrs. ST. James-Jones pretty free run
of the servants hall. Among them was
the policeman on whose beat London road
was He informed the detective who the
other lovers were, and assured him that no
new admirers had been hanging round the
place of late 'sHi'd have seen EN- if
they 'ad," he said, ''and the missus would
ave done so, too. She's very syste-
matte Idly. She hallows each of er mides
one sweet art and no more. When the
gal as got one, too, she won stand poach-
ing. No, him sure there weren't no
hother men about. And the men who
were about, the detective soon ascertalned,
were all as respectable and above suspicion
as the constable himself.
Sergeant Collie occupied full fortnight
in these inquiries At the end of that
time he had to confess that he was not an
inch nearer the solution Of the mystery of
the burglaries than ever. He again re-
ported to headquarters that further inyes-
tigation seemed useless, and requested to
be recalled.
He was awaiting an answer from Scot
land Yard when, early one morning, he
was aroused by Inspector Doodle rushing
excitedly into his bed The officer
brought news of another burglary. This
time the victim was ST. George Robinson.
The mansion broken into was called Hat
field and lay on the opposite side Of the
village to the other two plundered houses
Exasperated at this repetition Of the
burglaries under his very nose, Sergeant
Collie set ont hurriedly with Inspector
Raadle for Hatfield, fercely resolved to
leave no tracs u..turned in his efforts to
trace the perpetrators. As they fastened
along the road-the house was some half
mile from the village-the sergeant cross
questioned his companion as to the charac-
ter of the poor people who lived in the
neighborhood Of Hatfield, When he had
got all the information he could he became
silent. Suddenly, when they were not
far from the house, he came to dead
stop.
''Hurrahr' he cried, delightedly, 'we' Il
nab them this time !
'tHow? Why? What makes you
think so p asked the inspector, amazed.
''Don't you see this p replied Sergeant
Collie, walking across the road and picking
up horseshoe. 'iI.uck-my hoy-good
luck r
The inspectors amazement turned into
annoyance.
''Is that all 2 he said. ~ thought
you were wiser than 10 pay attention to
such old women's notions as that.
.'You'll see we II nab them, cried the
sergeant exultantly, as he pocketed the
horseshoe. Il never felt more certain of
anything.
The inspector made no reply; he was
100 disgusted at his colleagues folly
They were now close to Hatfield. On
going into the house they found every
thing and everybody there in the widest
confusion. The family were away from
home, and the housekeeper, terrified at
the burglary, and still more terrified lest
she might in some way he held Pespensible
for it, was in so excited condition that
the policemen found 1t useless to question
her. From her daughter, however, who
was the only other person staying in the
house, he learned that the burglars on this
occasion had been disturbed in their work,
and that they had hastily to leave the
house before they could force the plate
safe, Dawn was just beginning to break
when the alarm took place. The house,
keeper and her daughter had sprung out
Of bed and run to the window to call for
help. The burglars by this time were run
ming helter-skelter down the side of the
lawn to some trees which separated Hat
feld-which was on the by road-from a
field occupied as dairy farm, and opening
into the main road. The woman had only
glance at them, and could give no very def
mite decription of Them. All they could say
was that there were two men-one looking
something ike a stableman, the other
more like clerk in dress A remark of
the younger woman, however, struck the
detective sergeant az of more Importance
than her description of the burglar. She
said that the man who was dressed like
stableman seemed like somebody she could
not remember.
The alarm had arisen through the bark
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