The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1900-01-03
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was wandering through the grounds
of London exhibition one evening
when short, foreign looking man,
clothed In evening dress, approached
me and said in low tone:
Have l the honor Of addressing Mr..
Godfrey VanceY'
lie handed me n letter, saying alb
ruptly: BE good enough to read this
letter 1t will serve to introduce me-"
The communication was from Count
Antonio Delarocca of Milan. whom l
had aided some months before by car
rying off for him n famous Greek
statue from an English country house.
1t was very brief and merely said
sir-This letter will introduce to you my good
friend. Herr Fritz Moskovtz, who is anxious for
you to undertake for him difficult mission.
have told him that you are the one man In Eng
land who hope TO carry on; such work with
success and. wishing you all good fortune, be
Heye me, yours, DELARoocA.
We left the exhibition grounds at
once, going to my abode.
"In the first place, my good sir" he
exclaimed, talking in an excited under
tone-"in the first place | must tell You
that this business Is difficult almost to
the point of lmpossibilty. Friday morn
ing next about o'clock Count Rode
holtz will cause to be posted or post
with his own hand at the pillar box
facing his house in Percy street, May
fair, n certain letter addressed TO the
Berlin foreign office. 1t is absolutely
vital to me and TO the cause | represent
that that letter should never reach its
destination, and am commissioned to
pay $4,000 to the man who will hand
that letter to me intact-exactly as he
finds It,"
as not a. IN. rather an unusual
hour for the dispatch of diplomatic
COMMUNICATIONS
MOST certainly II is. but the cUaut
is not like other men. For the past
four years-in fact, since he first came
! to the embassy-he has been In the
habit of posting this document between
3 and o'clock Friday mornings"
81 presume that the obvious and old
fashioned method of obtaining the let
ter by force Is out of the question.
Otherwise we might waylay the per
son posting the letter. oyerpower him
and depart with the document"
"Useless, quite useless, for II would
simply mean that the outrage would
be discovered almost Immediately, and
then the contents of the letter would
be telegraphed to Berlin, defeating our
plans most entirely. No; the essence
of the whole affair my good sir, is that
the letter should be removed and hand
ed to me without the embassy people
having the slightest knowledge of the
fact"
Next morning went to Percy street,
Mayfair, to survey the ambassadors
house. Thlrty-one Percy street, the
mansion In question, was n dull look
ing, gray abode exactly similar to the
other houses In the street. Facing the
house on the other side of the street
was n pillar box-the receptacle, it
seemed, where the count was In the
habit of posting his communications to
Berlin.
Had the pillar box been a receptacle
easily shifted the matter would have
been as easy MS smoking n cigarette,
for we should simply have had to d.
vert the policeman on the beat away
from the street by means of fictitious
drunken disturbance, and then we
could have driven up In n van and
carted the box away. But must think
of something else.
And then of sudden there flashed
upon me an idea, coming whence |
knew not, but IL seemed to me that
voice spoke In my ear, and this Is
what It said:
Substitute another pillar box on the
opposite side of the street. Placard
the genuine box with n notice saying
that II is temporarily disused and that
letters are to be posted opposite. Clear
the streets OF the police by means OF
n row and wait with van at the cor
| ner Of the street till the document IN
posted. Swoop down, collar the box
| and drive off,"
Jumped into cab and drove to
certain hostelry in the East End where
| knew I should find plenty of my pals,
who for few dollars would throw
| themselves into any adventure of the
kind.
| In a few words conveyed to them
what | wanted done. Two of the men,
burly fellows, known as Jim Thursday
and Bill East were to devote their
powers to quarrellng and getting run
| In" Mt the corner of Percy street, while
another two were to keep watch at the
corners Of the street. The remaining
man, Tom Rogers, was to assist me In
depositing the pillar box and removing
II when the time came.
Then a new difficulty arose. How
was the pillar box to be obtained?
"what is to be done about getting
boxY' asked the men. There was ST.
lence for a moment, and then East,
scratching his head, said grufiiy:
"Try old Bennett, the iron found
er In GOODBYE street, wot got five
years stretch for passln fash coin.
'E's out on ticket now and IL up to
maxim fancy pillar box as soon as
wink at yer"
Having hidden them hold themselves
at my disposal for final instructions,
went straight to GOODBYE street, where
found the worthy Bennett In surly
mood owing to slackness of trade. He
smiled when | asked him il he could
build for mo pillar box to the govern
ment pattern In the time at our dis