Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1901-07-25
TELLTALE PICTURES.
PAINTINGS THAT HAVE DONE THE
WORK OF DETECTIVES.

Instances Where the Canvas of mn
Artist Has Led to the Confession of
Criminnl-A Portrait and q Stolen
Diamond Pendant.
An artist who had suddenly become
almost famous by his production of o
painting exhibited at the Royal acad-
envy was one day called upon by
man whose visit was productive of the
most extraordinary and undreamt of
consequences.
The picture represented lonely
stretch of beach, upon which the sea
was beating in long, creamy rollers. In
the foreground, bending over dead
body, was Il man with wild express
sion on his face and with a naked
knife in his hand. A ships boat, evil
IDENTIFY just beached, was also in the
picture, and by the side of the muir
dered man was bag of gold The pic
ture portrayed the advent of two cast
aways upon a.friendly shore. The one
had murdered the other so that the
treasure might be his.
The painters visitor was a gray hair
ed, Wild eyed man.
I'm heavens name SIR" he gasped
out, chow did you learn the dreadful
story that you painted? l see you know
all | murdered my mate Bill to get
the money that was his. I threw his
body into the sea. l don't know what
impulse led me to the Academy. The
first thing l saw was your picture rep
resenting the scene that took place 80
years ago"
Needless to say, the picture had been
the outcome of Imagination. Yet MUIR
der will out, and the guilty conscience
of the man who had killed his comrade
for lust of gold had convinced him that
the painting was no coincidence, but
was indeed the actual portrayal of
dastardly and unwitnessed crime.
There is probably no picture better
known in England than 1.-THE Doctor"
by Mr.. Luke Fildes, yet there are prob
ably very few people aware Of the fact
that that selfsame masterpiece was
the means of bringing to light the per-
petratioh of crime that would other
wise never have been known.
A certain doctor in a large town com.
mitted suicide, and among his papers
was letter which ran as follows: 81
have today seen Luke Fildes' Doctor
The picture represents medical man
watching by the bedside of child. 1t
has so haunted me that am going to
take away my own worthless life and
make confession at the same time.
yI,ny, k,t1, ,,,>eO l.;
died, came into money that my dead
brother had settled on him. He died
as all the world thought of acute pneu-
monia. Yet his life might have been
saved had acted, as Fildes' Doctor is
so evidently doing. with the use of all
the skill that lay in my power. has
tened the boys end and so got the
money. l can bear it no more"
A we'll known artist was commission
ed to paint the portrait of lady in ex-
allied circles, who boosted the posses
sion of a most unique jewel in the
form of pendant. The lady was very
anxious that this heirloom should be
included in her portrait. The artist, of
course, complied with her request.
Shortly after the painting had been
completed daring burglary was per-
petrated, with the result that the lady
lost her heirloom, and no trace of the
thief or thieves was forthcoming.
Years passed by. and the lady gave up
all hope of ever seeing the precious
heirloom again.
Now, it so happened that the artist
who had painted the portrait of the
lady mentioned had occasion to travel
in India.
In the course of his wanderings he
came to Bombay and, as every visitor
to that place does, strolled through the
native bazaar
Suddenly his attention was riveted
by a piece of jewelry in jewelers.
shop that seemed familiar to him. 1t
was a diamond and ruby pendant.
Where had he seen it before? He ran
sacked his brain, but could not remem-
her
He returned to his hotel and hap
pened to take from his portfolio
sketch Of the portrait he had made
years ago o. the lady with the pendant
In nom mt the enigma was solved.
The piece Of jewelry he had seen was
the peculiar pendant that his fair sitter
had been so anxious he should include
in his portrait.
He hurried off to the chief of police.
and told that worthy what he suspect
ed, namely. that the bazaar he had Wis
tied contained the long lost jewel of
the English lady. Inquiries were at
once set on foot with extraordinary re-
suits. The jeweler in the bazaar con-
fessed to having given years ago a
quite Insignificant sum for the jewel,
which he had bought from a stableman
In the employ of a neighboring rajah
The stableman was sought for, and
turned out to be none other than fl
nous English craftsman. who had ap-
parently turned honest. but who,
nevertheless. confessed to having been
the thief Oh the jewel that had been
SO miraculously discovered Pearson's
Weekly.