Wallowa chieftain. [volume] (Joseph, Union County, Or.) 1884-1909, 1902-09-11

may appear W yOu, IL may De the uedlS
of providing me with clue"
He thought for moment and then
said that he had noticed nothing out
of the common. He had just gone out
of the room when he reappeared and
told me that he had noticed one thing
about one of the guests, but it could
have nothing to do with the robbery.
He had noticed that one Of the men
had always had his shoes cleaned while
they were on his feet. He always col
lected all the shoes and took them down
to be cleaned, but Mr.. Dane, 1.-THE man
who always talks about machinery and
electricity to Mr.. Middleton, always
came and had them cleaned on his
feet"
In the evening l had another talk
with the man and asked him to give me
an account of everything that happen
ed on the night of the robbery. He told
me that the gentleman had been out all
day, and in the evening Mr.. Middleton
had sent an order to him to bring some
apples into the drawing-room; these
apples were Of a special kind grown
on the place. He had taken them into
the drawing-room and it was soon after
this that Mr.. Middleton had gone and
fetched the diamond from the safe.
| made mental note Of these facts.
Later on l had chat with Mr.. Dane,
and, being myself something of an au-
thority on dynamics, l was able TO In
terest him. was looking at him close
ly all the time we were talking. There
was only one thing that distinguished
him from any other guest. This was
that half of one Of his front teeth was
missing; 1t had been broken off in al
most exactly the middle.
| did not connect Mr.. Dane with the
robbery; in fact, | had up to this time
not the slightest suspicion of clue.
1t was early the next morning that
was put on the scent. had visited the
lawn under the window of the room
from which the diamond had been
stolen. and was looking to see If could
find any trace of footprints on the
beds or the lawn. l did not find any
trace of footprints, but l noticed the
half of an apple directly under the win
dow. | picked it up and examined II
carefully. AS was turning 1t over and
over I was thinking and wondering
how il came there. 1t must have beer
thrown there recently, otherwise il
would have been swept up. Then i
struck me that apples had been eater
on the night that the diamond had beer
s+o,en and | understood that no one
had gone out on that night OF course
Thought some one might have thrown
If there since that night. Then l no
ticed a popularity Of the marks of the
taeth ON the apple. About half of Il
had been eaten, and at every place
where the apple had been bitten
small portion of the apple remained, Z
small ridge about an eighth of an incl
in width and extending the entire
length of the bite. saw in moment
who had been eating the apple 1t was
the man with the broken tooth, MIR
Dane. and the ridge was left where TIT
missing tooth must have bitten. Now Il
occurred to me that it was just possible
that after Mr.. Middleton had given the
diamond to his wife (Which was JUS
after the apples had been brought III
Mr. Dane had followed her and takeI
his partly finished apple with him.
After she had left the room, leaving
+be diamond in the casket, he had gon'
IN and. when opening the box, had pu'
+be annie down, and not knowing ex
octIv what to do with it had opened
the window, which opened after th'
fashion of a door, and had thrown II
down on the grass below. Anothss
thougbt struck me. Why did Mr.. Dane
hove his shoes cleaned on his feet, In
Stead of having them cleaned as the
other guests did? There must be SOM
rooson for this unless it was rad.
osred INV confidential servant whici
u,os Mr.. Danes bedroom, ana III the
uoripg when Mr.. Dane was In thi
drawing.room with his pumps on