Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-07-29

THE LOST JEWELS.
Tingl Tingi Ting

tinot's desk told him he was wanted il
the Office Of the chief Of the secret serv
ice. Opening a large glass door he stool
before his superior. The latter motione,
him to a chair. Tell me, " he said, I'll
you have been reading the newspaper
and are posted upon the Mantle disas
ter.
THE Mantle" said Mr.. Martinez
running the case over in his mind an(
speakingin the bright, quick way which
SO pleased tho chief, twas am apartment
house, m old fashioned, aristocratit
structure, facing Washington square.
At midnight, a month ago, it burned tc
the ground with great loss Of life. The
fire is supposed to have originated in an
explosion in an upper story. caused in
sonic mysterious way by the gas with
which most of the tenants heated their
rooms"
Good" said the chief. "Now
have only to tell you wherein This fire
concerns us.~ There visited here today
Henry Williams, the famous, diamond
collector, whose apartments were in the
Mantle, and he tells me that on the
night of the fire he was robbed of his
fortune in jewels, $780, 900 being sto-
len"
And you wish me''- -
ITO talk with Henry Williams, get
the points of the robbery and recover
the missing gems for him. And-I
would suggest that in tracing tho rob-
berry yen may find that the Mantle was
set on fire. This involves a,case of man
slaughter, as lives were lost In short,
it will be the biggest cases of the year.
And l have in my hand a letter from
the Empire Fire Insurance Offering
SIC, 900 reward for the discovery of the
origin of the fire.
when do l begin?" }
fright away. You will find Henry
Williams in the reception room"
Detective Martinez bowed in his usu
al quiet and stepped across the
hall to where Collector Williams sat,
~nervously waiting to tell his story.
Before you begin,J' said Mr.. Marti+
not, tell me why you have waited u
month before coming here. .
II have been expecting to fpd the
jewels in the ruins Of the building, cs-
pecially as I have offered immense re-
wards to the workmen."
"And when did tho idea of their be-
ing stolen enter your niind?'
II had a suspicion the night CT the
fire. But twas too vague to put in
words. You mustliaye read that | was
the first to give tie alarm and tho las4d
to leave the building. Tho fact is that
1 was awakened that night by q sound
in my rooms. And5slw ways Oh the alert
for my jewels, / arogc, and, lighting a
taper, / stepped out into my private
hallway to 60 to the front room where
the jewels were hidden in a safe in the
wall. As / did SO / heard q swift
sound, as though some one was run
ming. 1t Yves tho merest movement, but
it alarmed me, and, fearing to mako a
mark of myself, l blew out the taper
and picked up my revolver. An uncan-
something seemed to rush past me;
but, recovering msyelf, I few after it
to my hall door. It was closed, and all
was still again. It's my. imagination,
Issaid to myself. Butt went into the
room to look after the jewels.
~ was about to pat my hand i'll the
safe, which was behind the picture,
when / was startled by a terrific cxplo-
sion, which seemed to blow the roof off
the house. l rushed back along my hall
way and threw open the door. The big
hall was filing with smoke, aud. with
d. sudden fear for the people III the
house, l ran Glong, knocking on al the
doors and calling Oh everybody to awak-
s"Then, flying back to my rooms, /
on some clothing put my watch
and money in my pocket, and ran to
my front room for my jewel casket. /
put my hand in tho safe in the wall,
but the casket was not therel Across
the room was. another and similar safe,
and, hurrying across, [ was about to
the picture from in front OF it
when q fireman rushed in, shouting:
IRa. for your life. The main staircase
is on frei' ! would have waited even
then, but he soized me by the shoulders
and forced mo to the iron ilre escape
which was alreadyhot with the tongues
rf fame.
.Even then I did not forget the jew
But, knowing thoy were In the solid
iron casket, I reasoned that they would
fall through into the ruins, and that
recover the box entire. Even T
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