The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-08-01

Tn tho nature of the case it was quite
ont of the question that the story OF
tho Diamond Dog, under the skin Oh
which gems were Struggled from tue
n,;ne should remain a secret 1or yer!
long TO the illicit diamond buyers
every detail of it, as 1T graduaily ieah.u
ont was as a sweet morsel uhuer tue
tongue. and to many more hohes' eh.
MICS of the new compould system, most
lv tradesmen and canteen Keepers, A.
was far too acceptable story either 10
- All or ia be allowed to lose
ANYTHING in the retelling.
ddad TO this the tragedy in which 1t
1oa eliminated had lent plquancy TO
;ts favor which sufficiently stimulated
the palate of Kimberly society 70 SET IL
longing for more, and so, little by NIUE
II filtered through the barriers OF offlciai
reticence. until at last lifting hnish
was given to the story by the confession
of Chief Detective inspector Llplhshi
one night in the smoking room OF tne
club that that days mail had brough.
him n brief note, written by one Loo
Cbal. presumably a former resident Oh
that name in Delagoa bay, requesIins
+bo+ an ;nclosed acceptance for t2oo,
drawn in his favor by the late MI. Au-
pustus Lowenfeldt. might be cashed py
that gentleman's executors. ana tue
amount. less 10 per cent commission 10.
his the INSPECTORS trouble, forwaraeu
at his convenience to NO. y Manly sueS.'
S;noanore The note concluded by stat
inc that the $3.50 was balance due from
Mr. I.owenfeIdt on the purchase OF Ger
tain dog of the estimated value OF Lii
600. 80
Dasnite the fact that not few OF
those who heard the note read OUT, anu
looked at the acceptance as 1t was manu-.
cd round. had lost some proportion y,
that Eli 600 the irony OF the note anu
the delicate humor of the address gwen
Malay street. Singapore. having repu-
tation that is redolent throughout the
whole east-proyoked laugh as general
as it was hearty, and the next mofhihs
all Kimberley was enjoying the hea'h-
ems parting joke.
That night lady variety vocalist at
tba theater ROYAL sent her audience into
prolonged and vociferous rapttfes ps
singing the then famous patter song
"Kavser. Don't You Want to Fuy
TogY' with appropriate local ILLUSIONS
and then Kimberly proceeded to improve
the occasion in its own way
..No Dogs Admitted" was found paint
cd in large black letters across the pfll-
c;nal entrance to the De Beers Com
,arnd The corpse of large New
foundland dog sewn up inthe SKIN OF
small donkey. and carefully packed IN
. naot case. was sent by coach from
yryburg to the chief inspector to be
maid for on delivery" Printed notices
were stuck up in conspicuous parts OF
the town to the effect that III future ah
dogs entering or leaving kimberley
would have TO be skinned alive by au
thority'-and so on until the very slght
of dog in the street afflctea Tue
worthy inspector and his subordinates
with something like new sort OF rabies.
All this was humorous enough IN Its
way. rs 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 Sal
fer. who was known to the detective de-
partment as an even more skllfui |. ~.
r. than the late lamented Lowenfeldt.
His ostensible means of lylhood were
stock and share speculation, billiards.,
and three-card monte. varied by the oc-
casional keeping of faro bank; but
though he did we'll at all these COM
paratively honest yocations, he did not
do well enough to satisfactorily account
for a style of living and luxurlance OF
dissipation which could not be ade-
quately supported on less than toOo a
year, at the most modest computation.
There were only possible alternative n.y.
potheses. debt or l. D. B.. and he had
no debts.
Nh n
CONSPICUOUS of the humorists who, as
he put it, made the department see dogs
instead of snakes when the officials
thereof had ..got bit too full and be-
fore very long Inspector Lipinzky pub
licly stated in the bar of the Queen,s
hotel that the next time Mr.. Salter tried,
either in person of by proxy, to run
marcel Of illicit stones over the border
to Freetown. he would so arrange mat
tiers that. by the time the circus was
over the said Mr.. Salter would have
good reason to wish that he had been
born a dog. instead of dirty, stock
rigging, card-swindling diamond thief.
AS it CHANGED, just as the inspector
was emphasizing the above statement
garnished with certain verbal frillings
which need not be produced here, by
Shaping his four fingers on the bar
counter, Mr. Seth himself lounged into
the room. The instant turning OF the
eyes of the company on to him told him,
as plainly as any words could have done,
that he was the subject of the lnspec-
tors eloauence The crowd saw at a
glance that he had taken in the sltua-
ton, and every one expected a royal
row. for Salter was known to have a
temper as quick as his eye and his hand,
and Lininzky, though only about hai1
the Yankees size, was grit all through.
Nothing less than immediate man
slaughter was looked for, and the crowd
began to scatter instinctively. But some
what to the disappointment of the more
festive spirits, Salter stolled quietly UP
to the bar, took his place about three
feet from the inspector, 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 an
other pup? Take drink?'
OF course, the crowd laughed. The
double pointed jibe was irresistible, and
the laugh did not improve the inspec-
tors inward feelings. But he was far
too we'll skilled in his business to show
the slightest trace of irritation so he
replied with an easy smile and the most
perfect politeness of tone.
"Ah. good evening, Mr.. Salter; | was
Just talking about you. No thanks, the
department is not buying any dogfesh
lust now, not even skins. AS to your