Evening star., 1897-07-31
A RUN TO FREETOWN
81 GE0BaB GRIFFITH.
(Copyright. 1894, BY George Grieith.)

Copyright. 1891, by George Grifhth)
Written for The Evening Star.
In the nature Of the case it was quite
| out of the question that the story of the
Diamond Dog. under the skin of which
gems were snnuggfed from the mine, should
| remain secret for very long. To the
Illicit diamond buyers every detail Of it,
as it gradually leaked out. was as sweet
| morsel under the tongue and to many more
honest enemies Of the rev compound sys-
tenn, mostly tradesmen and canteen keep
ers, it was far too acceptable story either
to be kept dark or to be allowed to lose
anything In the retelling.
| Added to this the tragedy in which 1t had
eliminated had lent piquancy to its flavor
which sufficiently stimulated the palate
of Kimberley society to set it longing for
more. and so. little by little. it filtered
| through the barriers of official reticence,
until at last fitting finish was given to
the story by the confession of Chief De-
tective Inspector Lpinski one night in the
smoking room of the club that that days
mail had brought him a brief note, written
by one Loo Cnai, presumably former resi-
| dent of that name i'll Delagoa bay, request
ing that an fnclcsec acceptance for ESQ,
drawn in his favor by the late Mr.. Angus
tus Lowenfeldt, might be cashed by that
gentleman's executors, and the amount less
10 per cent commission for his, the in
spector's, trouble, forwarded at his conve-
nience to No. Malay street Singapore.
| The note concluded by stating that the ESQ
was balance due from Mr.. Lowenfeldt on
| the purchase of certain dog Of the esti-
mated value of 1000.
Despite the fact that not a few of those
who heard the note read out, and looked at
the acceptance as 1t was handed round. had
| lost some proportion of that f11.OOo. the
| irony Of the note and the delicate humor
of the address given-Malay street. Singa-
| pore, having a reputation that is redolent
throughout the whole east-provoked
| laugh as general as it was hearty, and the
! next morning all Kimberley enjoying
| the heathen's parting joke
That night lady variety vocalist at the
Theater Royal sent her audience into pro-
lonsed and vociferous raptures by singing
the then famous patter song, "keyser,
| Don't You Want to Puy Tog?" with ap-
propriate local illusions, and then kimber-
| ley proceeded to improve the occasion in its
| own way
NO Dogs Admitted" was found paint
| ed in large black letters across the prin-
cipai entrance to the De Beers Compound.
i The corpse of a large Newfoundland dog
sewn UP in the skin of small donkey
and carefully packed in neat case,
sent by coach from Vryburg to the chief
| inspector Ito be paid for on delivery"
Printed notices were stuck up in conspic-
uous parts of the town to the effect that
in the future all dogs entering leaving
by authority''-and until the very
sight of a dog in the street afflicted the
worthy inspector and his subordinates with
something like new sort of rabies.
All this was humorous enough in it's way,
as humor went then in camp, but for all
that it was destined to lead up. indirectly
to a much darker tragedy than that which
had closed the hitherto prosperous career
of Mr.. Augustus Lowenfeldt.
There was at that time in Kimberley a
Yankee adventurer named Seth Salter.
who was known TO the detective depart
meEt as an even more Skillful l. d. b. than
the late lamsnted Lowenfeldt. His osten-
sible means of livelihood were stock and
share specula ton. billiards. and three-card
monte. varied by. the occasional keeping
of faro bank: but though he did well at
all these comparatively honest vocations,
he did not do well enough to satisfactorily
account for a style of living and luxuriance
of dissipation which could not be adequate
ly supported on less than 5000 year. at
the most modest computation. There were
only possible alternative hypothesis, debt
or Id. b.. and he had no debts.
Now, Seth Salter was of the most
conspicuous of the humorists who, as he
put 1t, made the department see dogs in
stead of snakes when the officials thereof
had got a bit too full,' and before very
long Inspector Lipinski publicly stated in
the bar of the Queens Hotel that the next
time M-. Salter tried either in person or
by proxy, to run parcel of Illicit stones
over the border to Freetown, he would so
arrange matters that, by the time the cir
Gus was over, the said Mr. Salter would
have good reason to wish that he had been
born a dog. instead of a dirty stock-rig-
ging, card-swindling diamond thief
AS 1t CHANGED. just the inspector was
| emphasizing the above statement, gar
nshed with certain verbal frillings which
need not be produced here, by slappng his
four fingers on the bar counter, Mr.. St tn
himself lounged into the room. The instant
turning of the eyes of the company on to
him told him. as plainly any words could
| have done, that he was the subject of the
inspectors eloquence. The crowd saw at
a glance that he had taken in the situation
and every one expected royal row, for
Salter was known to have a temper as
quick as his eye and his hand, and Lipin-
ski, though only about half the Yankees
SIZE was grit all through.
Nothing less than immediate manslaugh-
ter was looked for, and the crowd began to
scatter inStinctiyely. But, somewhat to tine
disappointment of the more festive spirits
Saiter stroled quietly up to the bar, took
his place about three feet from the inspec-
tor, and said, with the most perfect good
humor:
"Evenin'. boss! Don't seem to be feel
in quite good tonight. Hope no ones
been tryin to sell the department another
pup? Take a dr!nk?"
OF course. the crowd laughed. The dol-
be-pointed jibe was irresistible, and the
laugh did not Improve the inspectors in
ward feelings. But he was far too we'll
skilled in his business to show the slight
est trace of irritation, he replied with