The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-05-20
Brooklyn Eagle.

Brooklyn Eagle.
Yes, L am a detective"
Tom Oakley. leaning over the back OF
large stuffed chair In the club parlor,
faced our little group with a cynical smile
playing over his lips. One or two of us
had suspected something OF the kind, but
ali OF US were astonished at his frank ad-
mission. He waited for some comment,
but none Of us spoke.
a consulting detective, If you will, but
nevertheless a detective" he went on.
Il regret the necessity Of the admission,
not for the reason that am ashamed Of
my work, but because my usefulness Is
likely to he somewhat impaired by knowl>
edge Of it. I presume you have the preju,
dice against the work that is common.
Deal with the knowledge I have given
} on here in the club az you see fit.
shall not defend myself, nor explain, no
matter how much may care for the loss
Of associations. However, detectives are
not held in the disrepute they once were
When the principle of setting a thief to
catch THIEF was in application detec-
tive was not the sort Of person one In
vltod tc dinner. That was the days OF
Jonathan Wild and Vidocq. After ali, in
those days it was the man himself and
not his work that was III discredit. Now,
when plays are written to gIorify spies
and detectives, il viii hardly do to hold
the latter In disrepute However, l have
discovered an especial aptitude"
I'VE an thought you were practcing
Jaw remarked one Of Us.
u faithfully tried 10 Tor three years."
replied Tom. and nearly starved. Clients
were shy, having failed to perceive my
great legal abilities Something more
than year ago accident discovered my
detective Abilities and IN the year follow.
ing I made more Of an income three
tmes over than in the three preceding
years.
Give US tho accident, Tom" demanded
Harwood.
You know Weltwerter, the brewer?"
added Tom. well, something more than
a year ago an employee sought me to bring
q suit for damages against him for in
juries received at the brewery Weltwer-
ter is a good fellow, and I thought more
would result from his sympathies than
from a suit, especially as l wasn't alto
gether clear that contributOry negligence
could not be proved against my client
The brewer was away at his country seat
at the time, but l wrote him and prompt
ly received Il reply TO the effect that he
would be at his city house on O. certain
night not far away, when, IL l would
call, we would talk the matter over. His
house was IN Bedford avenue, q double
house, occupying several lots, with his
stable on the rear street. Arriving at the
appointed time ] found WeltWerter and
his wife In great distress and undue ex-
element
Their house had been robbed. How
much time had elapsed since the burglary
they could not tell, but It was with
In two weeks, since the brewer had visited
the house two weeks previously and there
were no signs Of robbery then All OF
their plate was gone, which, together with
other Valuables, made substantial loss,
but these things, however much value In
money they represented, were nothing
compared with the loss of certain papers,
over which Weltwerter made great
moan, declaring that in It the guiding pur-
pose Of his life was gone.
Immediately on the discovery Of the
robbery the brewer had sent for the pc
lice detectives, and was waiting for them
when l arrived At my suggestion all
went over the house. We found a base
ment window, at the back of the house.
broken. and the rear door open. Evident
ly the thief or thieves had mode their en-
trance through the widow and had open
cd the door from the inside. A spoon on
tine floor near the door, an article of little
value outside of II, another on the walk
leading 10 the carriage house led us to
follow IN that direction, and on the floor
OF that house found several unlmportaut
articles, apparently thrown away. 1t
seemed TO me that all the booty had been
transported 10 the stable and removed at
leisure from there, because more was
taken than two mon could have carried
at once. Going back to the house, all IN
dications to me were that whoever the
person was, he was familiar with the in
terror OF the house. knew the location of
the valuables and had gone about his
work With precision born of that knowl-
edge. The Valuabies- plate and papers
had been locked in q large safe in the
dining room The safe doors were open,
and the lock uninjured, 50 that it was
clear the thief knew the combination. l
pointed oUt all three things to the brewer.
But he was COMPOUNDED. lie could fix on
no person. for only himself his wife and
his daughter Leila knew the combination.
His servants. including his coachman, had
accompanied him TO his country place and
had not been absent day or night.
In the course Of our examination w
reached The large music room, On the 9TH
er side of the hall and IN the rear Of thu
uarl0r. As the Weltwerters were al! mu
steal, it was the principal gathering place
OF the family when at home. There was
81 piano here, 4 ViOlOncello In q frame,
rack for Viulins and q closet IN the rack.
i'm fact there were instruments about
sufficient 10 supply a good sized orches ira.
The brewer, who had been looking over
these instruments, and had attempted TO
unlock the closet in the violin rack, sud
denly made an outcry. The lock Of this
closet had been broken. He flung open
the door eXcitedly TO find that 1t was
empty. From his outCries and the words
passing rapidly between him and his wife.
I gathered that a valuable violin had b en-
stolen, that 1t was an Amau, for which he
had paid a vast sum, and that 1t was his
own pet instrument
"N lille the brewer was lamenting his
loss 1 observed on the plano several
sheets of music. Though I know abso-
lutely nothing about music, I took them
mp, and saw that it was not printed, but
manuscript music, and that on the bot
tom Of one sheet, but partially covered
with notes, was written these words:
The gentleman relieving you Of some Of
your valuables begs to submit that there
are here grave errors Of composition. Go
10 your graphophone and listen to how it
ought to be"
Abruptly asking the brewer If he had
a photograph in the house, he indlffer emit
Iy pointed to a corner where I saw ar in