Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-28
A DETECTIVES EXPERIENCE.
A Doubt Upon the Accuracy Of PEG
ple's Suspicious.

THE experience of a detective leads a
man to doubt nearly all statements made to
him as to the accuracy of the suspicious of
persons who have sustained a loss of prop
erty, especially Of money and jewelry," said
a headquarters detective sergeant this
morning, land one or two instances of
| recent cases investigated will serve as Illus
trations, and prove a warning to those who
are hasty in their judgments as to the acts
of others.
"A friend of mine came in one day and
stated that several valuable rings had been
stolen from his house. They belonged to
his wife and she was positive that she had
placed them in certain place in the btu
reau drawer. There had been no strangers
in the house since the rings were missed,
and suspicion fell upon the servant girl,
where it seems SO often to rest in such
cases, either justly or unjustly, though the
family were disinclined to believe her
guilty.
"As the rings could not have disappeared
without hands 1 suggested the usual known
causes of the disappearance of such artl-
cles, such as sneak thieves, male friend
of the servant, etc. All were met with neg
alive responses. Finally 1 asked If they
had sold any of their old garments to deal
ers, and was told that bundle OF clothes
had been sent to the Central Union MISSION
few days previously. Following this clew,
I went to the mission and found the rings
awaiting claimant.
1T seems that my friends Wife had
placed the rings between the layers of old
clothes as they lay on the shelf In the
closet, and had entirely forgotten about
them. She had gathered up the clothes in
bunch and sent them to the mission with
out a thought that she herself had placed
the rings In them. Fortunately for her,
they had fallen into honest hands.
"a lady clerk in one Of the departments
complained that she had had stolen from
the room in which she was employed dia-
mond ring. She declared with the utmost
, positiveness that she had left it lying upon
the marble basin at lunch hour, when she
had washed her hands, and did not miss it
until she returned. While her positive
statements, with suggestions as to her hav-
Ing had the ring inadvertently drop from
her finger, or that she had lost it elsewhere,
failed to shake her belief and placed the
other clerks In the room under more or
less suspicion, 1t was thought that she was
mistaken, or else some stranger had come
into the room at noon hour and had picked
up the ring.
Although she declared that she had
made thorough search at home. We request
ed her to renew 1t. an particularly examine
the clothes she had worn on the day OF the
alleged theft. She did SO and found the
ring caught inside of one of the fingers OF
q long evening glove she had worn the
night previous to the day of the discovery
of her loss. In stripping the glove on her
arm and hand the ring had come with II,
and she had thrown aside the gloves with
out missing It. Apologies were no DOUBT
in order at the department the next day.
This last case shows what detective
has to contend with, as nearly a whole day
had slasped with the ring ON her hlnger
and she unaware of it. Being in the habit
of taking it off at lunch hour she jumped
at the conclusion of having repeated the
operation on the day in question.
81 was called to an apartment house In
the northwest recently to Investigate a COM
plant of an alleged theft of roll of money
from the bureau drawer In the fat of one
of the occupants. This lady also stated
with the utmost positiveness that the roll
was in the drawer at the time a carpenter
and his assistant, a boy. had been IN the