The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-12-15

On morning ] received the Following note
esa the Chief:
Il should DO very much obliged II you
would help an Acquaintance of mine. who
loes not wish to employ an ordinary detec-
tive, In Q search for some lost diamonds.
It = out Of your usual line. I know. but the
reward II very handsome, and I thought
you might be kind enough to take the mat
Ter up. a. you have nothing else on hand
3ust now. Also. although I don't like the
man-his name is Robert Moss-I should be
glad to assist him, II I could. In return for
some valuable help he once rendered me-"
To please Sir Edward I wrote saying that
Z would dc what I could. and Mr.. Moss
\ called on me the same day.
y It did not need more than a casual glancs
20 see that Moss must have originally
written Moses" His face and bearing
showed his race. and showed 1t In its least
pleasing form. Though a comparatively
young man, his figure was full and heavy.
his face coarse but strong. with thick, no.
ticeably red lips. and bold. staring black
eyeA Altogether I was not progressed In
his favour.
II want you to investigate q most extraor-
binary affair for me-" he began excitedly.
ct have always been able to manage my
own business hitherto. but I acknowledge to
being fairly puzzled now. 1 hear that you
are very clever At ~unraveling complications.
20 perhaps you may be able to get hold OF
. clue: at all events It il my last hope"
I could see he was q little scornful OF my
capacity and my sex, and that made me
the more keen to do my best.
You must know that 1 am Q dealer In
precious stones, principally diamonds" he
went on. II have n office in Hatton Gar
den, but that has been such q happy hunt
!, ing ground for London thieves lately-you
win, no doubt. remember two robberies
there within the last six months-that. for
-->>A~- ~~F~xr T oFton eann fhA nYfnCfnal
part OF my stock at my room In the Gray's
Inn Road"
rs the question Of greater security your
only reason for doing this?" I asked. He
looked at me sharply.
well, perhaps not entirely. I am not q
diamond merchant in the regular way. you
know. I am looked upon in the Garden as
. mere nobody. Apparently. I have very
little business. But I do a good deal in a
quiet way. I get orders from private col
lectors or gentlemen who understand some
thing about diamonds themselves. and are
particular to have only perfect stones. i go
70 Amsterdam and other c%enters, and hunt
up what they want. and they have the
stones set according to their own fancy
Then It may happen" 1 said. that at
times you have stones in your possession
representing 4 considerable amount OK
money!
20 course. And. as luck would have II. l
had the p~rettiest lot Of diamonds yester-
day that / have had for a long time. 1 had
collected them or an American millionaire.
who was going to have them made into a
neckIet for his wife. He had been diamond
6igEing himself at one time at Matto
Grasso, IN Brazil. and knew what he was
doing, 20 I couldn't palm OF anything Sec
ond rate on him."
Otherwise, no doubt. you would nave
Zone So" I thought. Aloud / SAID:
you eay you had the diamonds yester-
day3 Do you mean that they were lost or
stolen. them
II don't know what to think" he aid
tive been half OF my head since It hap
pened, for I shall be ruined II they aren't
found. They're gone-dtsappeared entireiy,
without leaving a trace. but how they couio
have done so I haven't the least IDEA It's
more like magic than anything else"
"Pshaw.' 1 said, a little contemptuously.
FOR he looked nervous and half afraid
''Some of our London thieves are clever
slough to get along without any OK inc
black arts"
you don't know all yet he said, SOL
\umnly. Walt until I have finished. and then
- n you will be as ready with an ex-
p nation"
Il have q bed -sitting-room in the Gray's
Inn Road, on the ground floor, with a cellar
underneath. The cellar IL long. but mar
row, with no window or ventilation OF any
k106s Inc only means Oh aQmlttdnCe 10 II ID
BIZ q trap-door in the floor of my room,
which would not be eeen by any one COM
ing In, a. the bed has been placed over 1t.
I ehould say the existence of the cellar Is
not known to anybody, except myself and
my l~andlady. When I first took possession
OF Il. Il had apparently never been used.
It was in this convenient hiding-place 1
would on occasions deposit any valuable
collection OF stones"
.An6 Won had nut the diamonds ,there?'
''Yes. Yesterday morning I received the
last stones which a up the required
number. and. having nothing to do at the
Ofnce, I came back to the Gray'S Inn Road
with the little canvas bag in my pocket.
I locked the door OF my room, counted the
stones again to see that the number was
correct, and then put them away In the eel
iae."
..Howf Have you q safo there, or what
hind OF . receptacle?'
sNone. The cellar Il q hiding place IN
itself. I could not have q better. There 10
q drop Of about seven feet to the moor. n
no means Of getting into It. OF course. I
could haye had q ladder put there. but that
would have called attention to the place.
ana implied that ! meant to use It, which I
particularly wished to avoid"
but how did you manage. then. when
you wanted to 60 DOWN." I naturally IN
Quired.
At hayo never been down. I had an In
eeutous srraneemsut made Gke \ vtndfA1s.