The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-11-17
,continusd from yesterdays News,


After a diligent examination OF every
inch OF tho shop--inciuding every safe.
and case, and shelf-I came to the con-
ciusion that the place had been entered
in the usual way. by using the keys of
the place. or fabricated duplicates or
those keys. This idea was utterly fall.
lacious. but IL is as we'll to Sotice It.
searching, for which l had nothing TO
show. Warned by experience inanother
case, tried TO discover some means by
which the keys OF the place might have
been got out of Mr.. Fsirley's possession;
and fnding that they had positively
never been out OF his hands even for a
minute, 4 was forced TO suspect the man
who generally called for them in the
morning and opened the shop The man
had already plainly told me that he
knew he would be suspected, and alto
gether conducted himself so like an inno-
cent man that 1 was brought "a this con-
clusion only with the greatest reluctance,
a feeling in which his employer warmly
Joined. This, however, did not prevent
me from arrestingl the man and search
ing his house, as well making strict
inquiry into all his connections and nis
actions before the robbery. All this ac-
tive work on my part produced nothing.
We found no trace Of the stolen articles.
no trace of thieves, and no evidence that
the keys had been copied or used in any
way. These facts are not very credi-
table to me. but I give them TO show that
a detective In not omnipotent. TO show,
indeed, how grievously | was blundering.
and what . simple matter would have
put me right. / will here go back and
give the facts of the case as they were
Afterwards revealed.
When the girl entered the shop with
her brooch TO mend, she did not enter
alone, but had by her side the Shsfild
Blade himself. The moment theytwere
within, and while the girl was in tho act
Of closing the door. the Blade squatted
down on his knees between her and the
door. and close TO the outside OF the
broad counter. When the brooch bust
ness had been arranged the girl left the
shop. closing the door after her. and
leaving the Blade still squatting close In
in front OF the counter. and therefore
invisible to the shopman. When the
shopman returned to the back-room to
finished his interrupted meal. the Blade
wriggled across the foor-etili on his
hands and knees. and therefore below
the lire OF the window In the door OF the
back-room-towards a big showcase fac
ing the counter. This case was fully
ten feet long, and was fitted with six
doors--three below OF panelled wood. and
three above Of plate glass. The upper
half was fitted with mahogany shelves,
which were covered with plate goods; the
lower half was a kind OF cabinet, which
was stuffed principally with pattern and
odds and ends necessary 10 the trade,
but not needed for display. Noiselessly
opening one of these lower doors. the
Blade wriggled himself into the bottom
half Of the case feet foremost, cursing
under his breath the noise made by his
feet among some brown paper at the
other end OF the case, and then az coolly
drawing close the door behind him. This
daring scheme was near being de-
tected at the very outset as any scheme
ever was The inside OF the door had
no handled or protuberance OF any kind,
and even by digging his nails into the
edge OF one OF the panels the Blade could
not efYectually close IL. He got the door
close. but could not get IL ''snecked."
though he fought till the very sweat
oozed from his shortcut scalp. This
was a simple difficulty which was entire
ly unforeseen, and the Blade In the des-
pair OF the moment expected nothing less
than instant detection, and return TO
tho panel survitude he had just quilted.
Yet even here a singular chance saved
him. About twenty minutes passed. and
then he heard the shopman open the
glass door OF the back-room, and show
out the child who had brought him the
tea. As soon as he had done so the
eye OF the shopman fell on the unfasten-
ed door OF the case. The Blade heard
him pause in front OF il. and gave him
self up for lost; but all the man did was
to put down his hand. grasp the handle
of the door. and shut 1t with sharp
bang. without once dreaming OF looking
within, or trying to account for IL being
unfastened. Another curious chance
saved the Blade later In the evening, for
Mr.. FairIey audibly told the shouman to
look in the bottom OF the big case for
something, and a moment after counter
manded the order by saying that the pat
tern had been taken downstairs the day
before.
As soon as the shop, was vacated and
locked up for the night, Sheffild Blade.
with long sigh OF relief, crawled out
of his hiding-place, rubbed his cramped
limbs. and then seated himself comfort
ably on one of the high counter chairs.
and supped heartily on some bread and
cheese with which he had provided HIM
self Then he explored the shop; cursed
a great deal, especially at the inventors
of iron safes and then gathered to-
gcther as much OF the stray jewellery as
was worth carrying away.
All that he said must remain unrc-
corded. but as his disappointment at the
loCklnE away VI Anc utort VI Ailt JtWti-
cry was keen, the talking must have
been both lively and energetic. He. had
a dscent-sized pile. IL II true, but moth
ing like what he considered a fair re-
ward for such risk and ingenious plan
ming.
But seeing that the cunning robber
was hermeticallv sealed up with the
valusbles. ~ may he thought that he was
reckoning a little too fast. OF what use
would the whole treasures OF the Bank
of England be to a thief who was az safe
~ locked up as It's gold? Let VIZ see. The
Shefheld Blade had little hops OF getting
out OF prison easily. but he had made
some provision for the plunder In
receys in the back psrt Of the establish
ment was . closet having one deep.
square window-that IL, hole through
the wall. two and s-hslf feet deep and
nine inches square. strongly guarded BY
one solid bar OF iron. sunk deep into the
stones. BY thrustins his arm zap To the
socket In this curious little window. the
Blade could juet show his dirty paw out
side and no more. He could telegraph,
and grip. and motion, but could at the
same time see nothing: added 20 which
was the slight drawback that no article
obove four and a-haif inches In BREADTH.