The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-12-02
"Eyery day. and sometimes two or


or one or other of the directors came up
and had look at the big stone, either
for their own satisfaction or to show it
to some Of their more intimate friends.
ought perhaps to have told you before
that the whole diamond room staff were
practically sworn to secrecy on the sub
ject. BECAUSE as you will readily un-
derstand, it was not considered desira-
BILE for such an exceedingly valuable
find to be made public property in q
place like this. When Saturday came,
it was decided not to send it down to
Cape Town, for some reasons connected
with the state of the market When the
safe was opened on Monday morning,
the stone was gone.
81 needn't attempt to describe tho
absolute panic which followed. 1t had
been seen two or three times in the safe
on the Saturday, and the secretary him
self was positive that it was there at
closing time, because he saw it just as
the safe was being locked for the night.
In fact, he actually saw it put in, for it
had been taken out to show to friend
of his few minutes before.
IA lu6 Sttlo Atil IUU UccA to1- pCItu
with, nor could it have been unlocked,
because when it is closed for 10 night
it cannot be opened again unless either
the secretary CT the managing director
is present, as they have each master
key, without which the key used during
the day is of no use.
''Of course was sent for Immediate
I ly, and admit that was fairly stag
gered If the secretary had not been SO
positive that the stone was locked up
when he saw the safe closed on the Sat-
urday, should have worked upon the
theory-the only possible one, as it
seemed-that the stone had been abb
stracted from the safe during the day,
concealed in the room and somehow or
other struggled out, although even that
would have been almost impossible in
consequence of the ~strictness of the
searching system and the almost certain
discovery which must have followed an
attempt to get it out of town.
"Both the rooms were searched in ev-
cry nook and Granny. The whole staff,
naturally feeling that every one Of them
must be suspected, Immediately volun-
tered to submit to any process of search
that I might think satisfactory, and
can assure you the search was very
thorough one.
Nothing was found, and when we
had done there wasn't scintilla of evil
dence to warrant us in suspecting any
body. 1t is true that the diamond was
last actually seen by the secretary in
charge of Mr.. Marsden and Mr.. Tomas.
Mr.. Marsden opened the safe, Mr..
Lomas put tine tray containing the big
stone and several other fine ones into
its usual compartment, and the safe
door was locked. Therefore that fact
went for nothing.
! "You know, suppose, that one Of
, the diamond room staff always remains
all night in the room. There is at least
!. one night Waterman on every landing,
and the frontages are patrolled all night
> by armed men of the special police.
Tomas was on duty on the Saturday
night. He was searched as usual when
:. he came off duty on Sunday morning.
:. Nothing was found, and 1 recognized
= that it was absolutely impossible that
!. he could have brought the diamond out
:. of the room or passed it to any confed.
n crate in the street without being discov.
!, cred. Therefore, though at first sigh
:. suspicion might have pointed to him al
: being the one who was apparently las,
!, in the room with the diamond, there
was absolutely no reason to connect thai
fact with it's disappearance.
ST must say that that is a great dea
~ ~. o. IL.
: any Of the other stories that hav,
> heard of the mysterious disappearance,
- said as the inspector paused to refill
y, his glass and ask me to do likewise.
- eyes," he said dryly, "the truth i
- more commonplace up to certain poin
than the sort Of stories that strange
will find floating about Kimberley, blu
I still dare say you have found in you
:. own profession that it sometimes has
~ way of-to put it in sporting languag
:, giving fiction seven pound handi
- cap and beating it in canter."
- For my own part, answered
~ with an affirmative nod, "my none
&c would go on fact every time There
~, - fore it would go on now if were bet
- ting. At any rate may say that non
!, of the fiction that have so far hear
=, "a has offered even reasonable explana
y, tion Of the disappearance of that dia
We We mond, given the conditions which 20
-, 10 have just stated, and as far as can Sc
- !, admit that 1 couldn't give the Re
- =. hottest guess at the solution of the mys
~ ~ terry
- 'That's exactly what said to mysel
=, e after l had been worrying day an
-, =, night for more than a week over it,
-, said the inspector, "and then, )" he wer
-, on, suddenly getting up from his sea
80 and beginning to walk up and down th
~ room with quick, irregular strides. "a
=, of sudden in the middle of yer
- much smaller puzzle, just one Of th
- common |. ID. B. cases we have almos
y every week, the whole of the work tha
co was engaged upon vanished from m
~ mind, leaving it for the moment pei