The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1897-04-08
THE LOST CHAIRS.
A Case IN Which q Woman Showed De-
tective Ability and Weakness.

w
tectiye Ability and Weakness.
Apropos of detective stories,
said a Chicago woman who holds
an enviable position, II have often
wondered why women are not prom
inent as successful detectives, and I
asked my husband, who is a crimi-
nal lawyer, why they were not bet
ter known in that line Of work 4
What did he say27
He recalled to my mind a small
piece of detective work that I had
done myself which had entirely
escaped my memory. was in that
case my. own detective bureau, EN- 3
ployer and agent. And I never was
so sorry for anything in my life, al
though I tracked the criminal to his
lair that is detective lingo, is it
not and then, womanlike, assisted
him to escape punishment.
1T was some years ago you see
my hair is white now and my hus-
band and I boarded in a very select
West Side neighborhood. 1t was be
fore the fire, and we had the good
fortune to be very pleasantly sit
uated. We had both army and navy
people with us, and Generals Grant
and Sheridan frequently called on
the son of a Galena officer who was
one Of our boarders. A son of Brig
ham Young was also one of our
family, and a French countess of
charming manners and distinguish
ed antecedents was highly priced.
We were a happy family when our
landlady, an excellent woman, was
pacific. But if any of us fell into dis
grace with her we had better never
have been born.
"One night when it was extreme
Iy warm several Of US sat on sofa
cushions on the side coping Of the
stone steps trying to catch a breath
of air. Our landlady had ideas
about boarders who sat on the steps,
SO none of us dared to sit, but lean
ed and reclined, until it was sug-
gested that chairs at the top of the
fight of steps would not be Objec
tionable. Then we sent our male at
tendants to bring out the parlor
chairs chairs of penance, composed
of horsehair, from which we inva-
riably and persistently slipped but
which were as the apple of her eye
to the good woman with whom we
homed.
We dragged several of them back
to their retreat, but our two, being
left on my hands, refused obstinate
~ 20 bulge, and I left them for the
manservant to bring in when he
closed the double doors for the
night But in the morning those
two chairs were carried off
in the night by thieves, Thomas
having failed to bring them in.
4 had not then acquired the art
Of looking innocent and unconscious
when asked about missing objects.
I was young and verdant, and at
the first Interrogation I broke down
and confessed
81 wouldn't have taken $50 for
them, said the boarding house wild
ow. And she told the truth She
wouldn't have taken so for them
from any one in his right mind.
Then [ started in on my detective
trail.
81 cannot see now how [ expected
to find those chairs, for I did not
ask the police to help me, and knew
nothing of pawnbrokers and their
customers, but I reasoned to myself
in this way-that itmust have been
some one who lived near, for the
chairs were too conspicuous to car
~ far and too heavy, so I confined
MY inquiries to places within six OF
eight blocks in every direction, and
then I struck a clew.
II learned that a new family had
moved into a shabby house on a
side street, and that they possessed
a distinguished name, that Of then
popular actress, and with this insult
ficient knowledge raped at the
door. A woman with the saddest
face I ever saw opened it.
Are you giving lessons in dra-
matte elocution? | asked
oh, no, she said. wish in
deed that I could If I were able to
do that, would not be living here.
Il wished myself at home, but I
felt so sorry for the woman that |
must have showed it in my face, for
she asked me to walk in, and as |
entered her parlor the first things |
saw were the two lost chairs.
II never knew how l got through
that interview The poor woman
told me all her troubles Her hus