Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1898-01-15
And after this nearly every day

wants to the stewards.
In most ocean liners there is post
ed up somewhere notice advising
passengers 20 deposit their valuables
with the purser for safety during the
voyage, n small percentage being
charged for the accommodation.
Many people object to paying this !;
Others are too lazy to go TO eny
trouble; Others too careless. So
that, very often, until something is
missing, the caution is a dead let
ter.
It was so on the Illimani.
But one morning Dolly. returning
from her usual visit TO h.r French
friend, found the saloon scene of
the utmost confusion-ladies rum
ming about with empty jewel cases,
stewards protesting, purser threat
ening, and the chief stewardess in
Mysteries.
The Countess of Trebibond had
lost diamond necklace and set of
priceless pearls Lady Troter de
Globe was minus her family jewels,
sapphires, opals and diamonds, val
ued at $4,000; the Honorable Mrs.
Monopole's diamond earrings (they
were fashionable then), tiara and
necklet were gone. In fact, it ap-
| pears that nearly everything worth
having was gone.
There were lot Of paste and Pa
las Royal imitations-beautifull
done-but all such bad been reject.
ed with the nice appreciation of an
expert, or at least an intimate.
And, to complicate matters, noth-
ing was forced-eyery lock intact
and the keys in their owners peck
cts.
The excitement and commotion
were intense. The captain alone
kept calm; and when the male rela
tives of the victims talked of suing
the company, he suavely drew their
attention to the notice afore men
toned.
Dolly was demurely sad, and con.
doled, even wept, with her aristo-
cratic friends. Her own things,
set of pearls and few diamond orna--
ments, she explained, had been in
the purser's big safe from the COM
menccment of the voyage. Her I'M
Gle had insisted on it.
But who was the thief?
Public opinion pointed to some
one among the stewards. And the
first thing done was to ransack the
"glory.hole,' as their quarters were
called. Nothing was found. Then
| search Iawn was proclaimed
throughout the ship, much TO the
Indignation Of the second and third
classes.
1t took some considerable time to
overhaul the Effects of nearly 400
people. Nor was it pleasant mat
ter, as the puiser, the chief steward,
and their assistants discovered. Not
a trace of the lost jewelry was to be
found.
But the captain grew anxious He
had been quite certain that the
things would be found. Although
he was not liable, the slips reputa-
tion would be ruined so far as car
rying passengers was concerned.
And this was serious considera-
ton. Still, what more could he do?
Then suddenly he remembered that
Watson was waiting at Colombo to
go on with him to Melbourne. If
anybody could help it was Watson !
Wherefore those who troubled about
the daily runs, noticed that the Hi
mani Was being driven at almost top
speed across the Arabian sea.
In these days she was decidedly
uncomfortable ship within-suspi-
cion writ large on every face of all
her great company, each one doubt
ful of his neighbor, and all secretly
ly watching, and so it seemed think
ing about the reward offered by the
victims and the executive of the Illi-
f50O--contributed to by cap
tain and ships boy alike, and very
willingly.
Dolly Agnew gave f1O to the fund;
and her friend Monsieur Desebamps,
when made aware of what was going
on, insisted on putting down his
name for f5.
But nothing came Of it.
At Oolumbo-reached after a
record run-there was indignation
when it was found that the captain
had stopped all shore going, and al
so barred the usual crowd Of dealers,
jugglers, etc., from coming near the
ship.
Only one passenger came on board
at Columbian old, gray haired,
bearded man, who walked with
stoop, and peered dimly at people
through tinted spectacles. He was
accepted as q tea planter, an old
friend of the captain S, going TO Aus
tralia on business.
Speaking little himself, Mr.. John
son was, nevertheless a perfect God
send to the ship at large, and into
his ears was dinned by the passen-
gers again and again the story of
their losses and wrongs.