Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-08-19
The Stolen Diamond

a missing finger, club foot, Oh
any mark made by his trade, such as
the mark on the hand of a barber,
where the scissors had constantly
pressed against the roof of his thumb
should be careful lest these means OF
Identification are not the means of his
downfall. Most OF the cases which
have come under my notice have been
cases where the culprit has had some
bodily deficiency which has left ifs
mark on something with which he has
come in contact The experience
which l am about to relate embodies
this truth, and had not the criminal
In the case had the misfortune of los
ing one-half of his-but l am anticipat-
ing events.
l had just returned from the cont
nenJ, where | had been sent in con.
nection with the Duchess of Mentopes
stolen jewels, and was prepared to en-.
Joy rest, when received wire from
my chief asking me to report at once.
Upon arriving at the office he told me
that robbery had been committed at
the summer home of Mr.. George Mid
dleton, the millionaire oil magnate, and
that detective had been wired for. AS
to the particulars, only one diamond
had been stolen. a magnificent stone of
great value intrinsicaily and of meal
eulable worth to the family as an heir
loom.
Mr. Middleton's place was somewhere
up the Hudson and set out at once
When l arrived | was at once taken
to Mr.. Middleton, who appeared very
much upset over the affair, not so much,
he assured me, on account of the value
OF the stone, but it had been so long in
the family and had SO much to do with
the history of the family, having been
passed down as an heirloom from one
generation to another, that he viewed
the loss as a very great calamity. The
points Of the case were briefly as fol-
lows: On the previous night he had
taken the diamond from the safe to
show it to some of his guests, and Mrs.
Middleton, who was to wear it at a
ball on the following night, had taken
1t from him, and, not thinking 1t nee
essary to place it in the safe for so
short a time, had taken { to her bed
room and put it in small casket on
her dressing table.
The next morning before going down
stairs she thought she would see if it
was all right, aud was astonished to
find the casket empty. There were
many guests in the house, and at my
request l was to be introduced as a
friend of Mr.. Middleton Before going
into the drawing-ro room l asked if be
would be good enough to give me some
particulars about his guests. Let me
see" he said there are about twenty
guests, mostly gentlemen. With the
exception of three they are old friends
of the family and above suspicion. The
remaining three are gentlemen of high
character. One of them is a Russian
count, who came to me with letters
from intimate friends abroad, and one
OF the others is an Englishman whom
/ met in New York, and our kindred
tastes led me to invite him here a few
weeks; the other is 4 gentleman from
town. greatly interested in dynamics
and whom met In my club. These are
the only acQuaintanees that are here
whom have met during the last year.
was then taken to the drawing
room and introduced to most of the
guests. among them the three new &C
auaintances. l gained nothing thai
night and noticed nothing suspicious
about any OF the guests. l was rather
inclined to think that the robbery haC
heeu committed from the inside, by
either one of the servants or one OF tn,
guests. as all the doors had been found
fastened on the morning after the rob
berv. and no one knew that the dia
mond was in the house (it was Away!
kent NJ the bank but the members o.
the household and the guests to whom
il had been shown on the night OF tn,
robbery. In the morning asked III,
servant who brought me my coffee an,
rolls to come In. and questioned hin
as to the guests. and II he had notices
any Of the servants were in troubl,
over money matters.
Nov" said to him. have you no
ticed anything peculiar about any .
the guests2 No matter how trining :
may appear to you, it may be the means
OF providing me with clue"
He thought for a moment and theI
said that he had noticed nothing on
OF the common. He had just gone on
OF the room when he reappeared ans
told me that he had noticed one thins
about enc OF the guests, but X coulC
have nothing TO do with the robbery
He had noticed that one Of the mer
had always had his shoes cleaned while
they were on hts feet He always col
lected all the shoes and took them down
10 be cleaned. but Mr.. Dane. ''the MAJ
who always talks about machinery ant
electricity to Mr. Middleton. always
came and had them cleaned on hi:
feet"
In the evening l had another tall
with the man and asked him TO give ms
an account OF everything that happen
ed on the night OF the robbery. He tolt
me shat the gentleman had been out al
day, and In the evening Mr.. Middleton
had sent an order TO him 10 bring SONS
apples into the drawing-room; thes'
apples were OF special kind growI
en- the place He had taken them int
the drawing-room and it was soon aftel
this that Mr.. Middleton had gone ana
fetched the diamond from the safe.
made a mental note OF these facts