The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-17
MOUSE STOLE NECKLACE.
A Buffalo story With a Sherlock
Holmes Flavor.
From the Buffalo Times.

From the Buffalo Times.
Some three months ago the consum-
nation of one of the strangest cases
with which the police department of
this city has had to deal was reached,
and although headquarters men are
mum in regard to it, the facts have
leaked out, as strange incidents al
ways will, and apart from the names
OF the principals, the story, as here set
forth, is true account of the case.
One day last March a message was
sent to headquarters asking that a de-
tectlVe be sent to the office of Mr.
Smith, we will call him, without loss
OF time, and limiting that a crime of
most extraordinary cleverness had been
committed. Detective Sergeant Jones'
he will not permit his right name to be
used-was detailed on the case and in
the course of the next hour called at
the address mentioned in the message
he was met at the door by Mr.. Smith,
who appeared to be laboring under
great excitement He closed and lock-
ed the door of the private office and
then turned to the detective said: "You
are the man from headquarters. are
you not?' And receiving a no5 IN the
Affirmative went on: MY wife has
been robbed of 5000 worth of diamonds
which must be recovered and it is i'm
perative that the most absolute silence
be kept with regard to the matter l
know very little about it myself, but
L Will take you to my wife, who will
explain everything which you may
wish to know. / simply know that
my wife last night wore a diamond
necklace which had been lent to her by
her sister, whose husband is my bit
terest enemy, both in a personal and
business way. She took off the neck
purpose of arranging her dress and
laid it upon a small table in her
| dressing room. She was absent from
the room for about five minutes and
! when she returned the necklace was
gone. She Immediately called me and
together we searchd high and low, but
no trace of the missing Jewels could be
found. From all we could learn, no
one had been in the room during my
| wlfe'S absence. None of the guests,
and, by the way, l should. say that
some sort of an entertainment was go
| ing on, had left the drawing-room from
| the time my wife let it until she re-
| turned and all the windows of her
| dressing room We're locked. That is alb
solutely all can tell you, but perhaps
| you may be able to get a clue by ques-
| tioning Mrs. Smith. If you will come
with me l will take you to her now"
During the recital Jones had sat
| quietly watching Smith, and now he
said; Before we go to Mrs Smith I
would like to ask you few questions
and if you will answer me without
reserve We may get at a solution of
| the mystery sooner than you antici-
| pate or at least we may get a clue
to work on. You say that your broth
er-ln-law, whose wife lent Mrs Smith
the jewels, is your bitterest enemy. In
what way is he your enemy and what
makes you think SOP"
In the first place he was nv rival
for my wife's hand before we were
married, and when he heard that we
were engaged he married her sister
out of spite and their married life
has been very unhappy In fact, a
divorce has been limited at several
times. Then, he is in the same bust
ness as myself, and there is keen com
| petition between US, he, on his part.
DONG all in his power to ruin me,
but up to the present time have been
able to withstand all his attacks and
my business has materially increased
to his detriment during the last six
months. This fact has increased his
bitterness against me and through ev-
cry means possible he has endeavored
to turn my customers away from me-"
Your wife and his wife are good
| friends, you say?"
The dearest of friends and that
fact makes me uneasy, for it is my
| opinion that he used his wife as a
catspaW to get me into his power.
In plain words, 1 believe that he in
duced his wife to loan those diamonds
to Mrs. Smith and then by some
! means gained possession of them him
/ self. When it becomes known that
they are lost and 1 am unable to re-.
place them. and at present all my
available capital is in my business,
he will sue me for their value or,
! perhaps, bring a criminal charge
against me, either of which would send
me to the wall"
Did any one see him about your
! place that night?"
No one whom 1 can discover. Still
it would not be hard for a man to go
to a window. of my wife's dressing
room, which is on the ground floor
without being seen. 1t is almost COM
! pletely hidden from view by trees
but even supposing he did gain the
window unobserved the fact remains
that the window was locked before and
after the discovery of the theft"
A few more questions were asked
and then two men proceeded to the
residence, where they were met by
little woman with a tear-stained face.
who was introduced to the detective as
Mrs. Smith. Nothing new was got
from her except that they employed no
! servants and that when she was alb
! sent from her dressing room, after lay
ing the necklace upon the table, she
was in the next room and had heard
a noise as of something dropping.
/ When she returned to the room and
found the diamonds gone from the ia
bic she Immediately thought of the
noise she had heard and looked upon
the floor, but, as is known, she found
= nothing.
During the next week Detective Ser
I geant Jones learned that the brother
in-law had been absent from his ac-
! customed haunts upon the night of the
disappearance of the jewels and also
/ that he had rented a box at the safety
deposit vaults the day before. In adj
dition to this, he discovered that the
! lock upon the window nearest the Ia
BILE where the necklace had been placed
( had been tempered with and there was
( the print of a boot upon the window
I sill. Several times in that week Mrs.
I Smiths sister requested the return of
( the necklace. To account for her haste
she claimed that her husband had eX-
pressed a desire to see it. This latter