The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-19
SUSPECTED THE
WRONG PARTY

A curious case of kleptomania, says
the New York Tribune. occurred not
long ago in a prominent family at their
country place on the North river, which
resulted in an innocent person being
suspected, nearly arrested but finally
exonerated by the fortunate discovery
of the real thief. Oddly enough, how
ever, the culprit himself. far from be-
ing considered accountable for his mis-
deeds, was held in higher estimation
than ever and his crimes were cited
only in proof of his extraordinary
cleverness. For we humans" said
Mary, the cook bristling with indig-
nant partisanship at the unjust sus-
picion which had been cast upon her
friend, the housemaid. "ain't no ac-
count whatsomever in this family
alongside of dogs and cats and birds. :"
Mr.. and Mrs. x. were devoted to an
imals, and as their children inherited
their tastes the house was filled with
an extraordinary collection of pets,
which, according to Mary, the cook,
were treated better than Christuns.
A prime favorite among them was Do
genes, the lame crow, who was the ter
ror of the puppies and kittens who got
on his nerves, but the friend of the
matronly cat and older dogs, who
would often give him lift when he
was tired of hopping on his bad leg, so
that it was no uncommon sight to see
Diogenes ride into the house perched
on the shoulder of Olaf, the Great
Dane, or Pat, the Irish retriever.
"It is very odd,' said Mrs. x. one
morning, coming down to breakfast
with a worried face. II have lost one
of my diamond rings in the strangest
way 1 took it off last night because
it felt tight, and left it on my dressing
table. This morning 1 looked for the
ring, and it was gone. No one has
been in the room except Kate, the new
housemaid, who came to tell me my
bath was ready and who handed me
my dressing gown. OF course, 1 can
not think she took it. but it does seem
odd
mo fool, even. would take valua-
BILE ring in that way" said her husband.
1T has probably rolled somewhere, and
you will find it," But all searching
was in vain. An open window near
the bureau made the only other solu-
tion possible. "a thief may have en-
tered when you We're at your bath, al
though it does seem impossible" Mr..
x. concluded, and advised secrecy. "If
it is the maid" he said, "she will not
stop with one ring"
A few nights afterward Mr.. x.
placed a marked five-dollar gold piece
with some loose silver on the bureau,
this time shutting the window and set
ting the catch, which left the latter
only a foot open. "No one can get
through that" he decided. The next
morning. before going to her bath, Mrs.
x. glanced at her dressing table and
saw the yellow CLEAN of the gold piece
among the silver. She then took her
gown from the maid as usual, and went
into the bath room. On her return she
was startled to see that the five-dollar
gold piece had been taken and the sill
yer left. The matter had now become
serious-that there was a thief in the
house was beyond a doubt. and their
suspicious naturally fell upon the maid,
who was the only person who had ac-
cess to that room at that hour. Mr..
x. advised sending for a policeman,
but his wife contended there must be
absolute proof. So every morning be-
fore the maid entered the room Mr.. X.
slipped into a closet and watched her
proceedings after his wife went to her
bath. For a couple of days nothing
happened, the silver which he left at
night on the dressing table remained
the maid leaving the room
as soon as her mistress. On the third
morning a gold sleeve link happened to
be with the loose quarters and half
dollars which Mr.. X. had tossed upon
the table, and the CLINT of the gold at
tracted the thief as honey does flies
the aperture of the window
peeped a coal black head, looking this
way and that, to make sure he was
Then, with many a firt
and futter in there stepped a stately
raven" Diogenes in propria personal
who, half flying and half hopping, gain
ed the bureau, picked up the trinket,
and with the glittering sleeve fink in
his beak regained the window.
Mr.. X. followed cautiously and
watched to see his next proceeding.
Near the window was a corner of the
veranda roof, around which ran a dis
used tin gutter pipe. This was evil
IDENTIFY Diogenes' treasure house. A
flying jump landed him on the roof,