Evening journal., 1902-11-05
PICTURE CAUSED
A CONFESSION
Some Paintings That Have
Done the Work OF
Detectives

An artist who had suddenly become
almost famous by his production of
painting exhibited at the Royal acad-
emy was one day called upon by
man whose visit was productive Of the
most extraordinary and undreamt Of
consequences.
The picture represented a lonely
stretch OF beach, upon which the sea
was beating in long, creamy rollers In
the foreground, bending over a dead
body, was a man with wild express
sion on his face and with 4 naked
knife in his hand. Aship's boat, evil
IDENTIFY just beached, was also in the
picture, and by the side Of the muir
dered man was a 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.
In heavens name, sir" he gasped
out, "how did you learn the dreadful
story that you painted? l see you know
all. l murdered my mate Bill TO get
the money that was his. I threw his
body into the sea. / don't know what
impulse led me to the Academy. The
first thing / 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 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-
pebation of a crime that would other
wise never have been known.
A certain doctor in large town com
mitted suicide. and among his papers
was a letter which ran as follows: Il
have today seen Luke Fildes' Doctor
| The picture represents a medical man
watching by the bedside Of a child. 1t
has so haunted me that I am going to
J take away my own worthless life and
make a confession at the same time
J When Arthur's''-his brother's-"bOy
died, l came into money that my dead
brother had settled on him. He died
as all the world thought of acute pneu-
monla. Yet his life might have been
saved had acted, as Bildes' 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 well known artist was commission
ed to paint the portrait of n lady in eX-
alted circles. who boasted the posses
sion of a most unique jewel in the
form of a 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 a 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 trave
in India.
In the course of his wanderings hg
came TO Bombay and, as every visitor
to that place does. strolled through tn,
native bazaar.
Suddenly his attention was riveteC
by n piece OF jewelry in n Jewellers
shop that seemed familiar to him. Il
was a diamond and ruby pendant
Where had he seen 1t 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 mad
, years ago OF the lady with the pendant
In a moment the enigma was solved
= The piece of jewelry he had seen wa
the peculiar pendant that his fair site
. had been so anxious he should includ
in his portrait.
He hurried or to the chief OF police
and told that worthy what he suspect
cd, namely, that the Lazaar he had Wis
: tied contained the long lost jewel o
: the English lady. Inquiries were a
once set on foot with extraordinary rC
: suits. The jeweler in the bazaar COL
fessed 10 having given years ago
quite Insignificant sum for the jewe
y which he had bought from n stabIema
3, In the employ of a neighboring rajal
The stableman was sought for, an
turned out to be none other than a fl
nous English cracksman, who had al
e parently turned honest, but wh'
t nevertheless, confessed 20 having bee
o the thief OF the jewel that had bee
IS so miraculously discovered.-Pearson
e. Weekly.
Is OF Two Evils the Lesser.