Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-07
SPREAD GEMS ON HIS WAY.

fined family, called at the Beaver street
office of one of the large export houses
and presented letters of introduction
ents in Australia. Among them was one
from the bearers father, a leading bust
ness man of Melbourne. The young man
stated that he desired to secure a situa-
ton with the New York firm. The head
of the house, who knew the applicants
father we'll through business dealings,
concluded, after considering the matter,
to place Mr.. Maplewood-that is not his
real name-on his office staff.
The young man made friends rapidly
among the clerks and was soon voted a
most ~companiOnable sort of a fellow, as
he had an open-hearted, generous man.
ner, a ready wit and a purse that seemed
always we'll lined with money.
Maplewood lac been with the firm
three months, when a valuable consign-
ment of OpalS was received for disposal.
The gems were placed in his hands and
he was instructed to call on the Maiden
Lane jewelers. and see what he could do
toward selling them. After two days
MaplewoOd reported that he had been
unable to find a market for the opals at
the price called for by the consignee.
He was then old to make another trial,
Offering the jewels at a lower figure. His
second effort was also unsuccessful. The
firm thought the young mans failure a
little singular, but concluded that Maple
wood had not had sufficient experience in
New York methods of transacting BUSH
ness to make a good salesman, and there
fore relieved him of further action in the
matter.
1t was about this time that stories of
a sensational character began to float
to the ears Of the head of the firm in re-
gard to Maplewood's life in the Tender
1Ojn II annG1ra1 that the vOJlnQ man
had been cutting quite a dash in the all
night resorts uptown.
One of these stories related to a wild
orgie that had ccurred at a Sixth ave-
nue. restaurant much frequented by the
fast set. which resulted in the arrest of
the young man and his soubrette COM
panions. Through the efforts of his
friends Maplewood was bailed out, and
when the case came up in the police court
it was disposed of so quietly that the
newspapers did not get hold of it.
Another of these stories represented he
Australian as the central figure in a
gambling scandal that came near dis
rupting one OF the prominent social clubs
of the city.
These reports concerning MapleWood's
doings naturally interested the head of
the firm, who forthwith engaged the ser
vices of a detective to look up the young
mans career in the city. The latter dis
covered that this gay Lothario had been
paying court to six young Women to
whom he had given expensive presents of
jeWelry, and upon whom he had spent
considerable money in the way of fine
dinners and theater parties. In addition
to these young women Maplewood had
been ensnared by chorus girls, to whom
he devoted much time and cash.
1t had become noised about the Ten
derloin that Maplewood was the son of a
very rich farmer and was in possession
of a magnificent income.
One morning, after all this information
had been spread before the head of the
export house, young MaplewOod was dis
missed from the office by his employers.
Not many days passed before the clerk
who mad succeeded him reported that the
of opals which Maplewood
had taken out to sell. was short in weight
according to the invoice which had been
with the goods. Maplewood,
when called to the office to explain the
matter. Drofessed to be very much sur
priSed, but afterwards admitted that he
had left some of the stones with a ieWeler
for examination and had forgotten to call
and get them before he was discharged.
He left the office and an hour or two
later returned with a quantity of opals,
but even these did not bring the con-
siSnment up to the requisite weight. Ma
pleWOOd then declared that he had over
looked a second jeWeler, with whom he
had left some of the jewels. He left the
office and soon brought back enough
opals to make up the original weight.
The lot was then turned over to a ieweler
in town, who, after examination. report
ed that a majority of the stones were
merely imitation gems and were there
fore practically worthless. A few days
later a number of bills were presented to
the house from jewelers., who stated that
they had sold the imitation Opals to
Maplewood as their representative
For business reasons the exporter who
had employed Maplewood did not wish
to embarraSS the boys father by having
him arrested, so he called the young man
into his office and told him that until the
steamer sailed for Australia he would be
under the surveillance OF a detective. A
cable message was then forwarded to
Melbourne instructing Maplewood. ST.,
of his sons theft and requesting that the
sum of $1,000. which represented the
amount of gems which the young man
had made away with. should be for
Warded at once to New York, together
with a sufficient amount of funds to pay
the boys expenses home. The next day
the money was cabled to this city. and
the following week Maplewood was
shipped back to Australia.
1t was subsequently learned that Ma
plewood had pawned the opals which he
had purlOined from the firm and had
spent the proceeds on the fair %enslavers
Of the Tenderloin. He had also made
awav with a large sun of money which
his father had given him to start ir
business. From advices received from
Melbourne it appears that the young mar
had become involved in a number OF
shady transactions in that country, and
had given his father so much trouble that
the latter had concluded to send him tc
America to get a new start in life. The
experiment, however, was a failure, and
the young man returned home like the
~prodigal son, but did not receive on his
arrival the same sort of a reception,