Hattiesburg daily progress. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 18??-1909, 1903-10-22
A LORD AND
TWO LADIES
BY
Cyrus Derfckson

oNOECwOEOrOSOO
Scotland Yard had case on hand
that needed to be handled with the ut
most delicacy. and it was handed over
to Inspector Jones Jones was red
headed, homely looking man, seeming
ly more fitted in every way to handle
crowbar in a quarry than TO work
mp delicate case in police matters,
but as matter Of fact he was all
fnesse to his fingers ends. This case was
one wherein Lord Baltimore refused to
pay his just debts to certain tradesmen.
Some lords refuse to pay their debts
because they can't raise the money to
do it, but Lord Baltimore refused to
because he denied the bills though
they were sent in by sSme of the most
prominent jewelers. in The trade. Not
only did the young lord deny the bills
and damn the people who sent them,
but the daughter of Lady Jane Sy
monds and the wife Of Sir John Beyis
likewise denied certain bills incurred
at the same time and while in the com
pany of the lord.
When Inspector Jones came to inter
view the six anxious creditors, each Of
whom had been let in for at least
$1,000, and some of them for three
times that sum. they told plain.
straight stories. Lord Baltimore had
called in company with the ladies at
certain date. He needed no introduC-
ton, as he was well known, but he had
introduced and thus guaranteed the
ladies' In each instance they had been
searching for birthday gifts. and moth
ing but the choicest and the best
would satisfy them That three peo-
pie of title should call at once was
enough to make a shopkeeper gasp for
breath, and that the trio should con
descend to select literally of his stock
and bear their purchases away with
them made him weak in the knees for
an hour afterward Lord Bathmore's
credit was good for 10000 at any
shop in London and it was really too
bad that the trio could not he induced
TO purchase three or four times what
they finally selected.
The bills had not been sent until
three months later, and they were nj
most a year old before the various
firms dared to add that part payment
would be a source of qualification
Then it was that the denials were
made and those denials put the credi-
tors in a hole. 1t isn't considered
proper form in England to serve ii
tied debtor as they serve a delinquent
malefactor. He or she must be treated
in gingerly way until the last hope is
gone. 1t was the fiat denial Of each
one of the trio that sent the case to
Scotland Yard and put Inspector Jones
to work. 1t looked like a conspiracy,
and it was possible that a trick had
been played on the jewelers.. 1t was
four weeks before Inspector Jones
made his first report, and it ran as fol-
lows:
Il find that all the purchases were
made in the same week. though on diff.
ferent afternoons. | have had an in
terview with each debtor, and all deny
the purchases. Indeed | have proofs
that Lord Baltimore was in Paris all
that week and that at least one of the
ladies was out of town for the whole
month We must either believe that
these three persons are liars and con-
spirators or that there has been series
of queer mistakes
1t was far longer before Il second and
final report was sent in Inspector
Jones did not believe the trio to be
liars and conspirators. and he ran up
against stone wall at once. In each
and every case my lord and his lady
friends had been waited on by the head
salesman or one of the house. and in
each and every case was we'll known
by sight. The jewelers. couldn't be
sure of the identity of the ladies. but
that it was Lord Baltimore who hon
ored them with his presence they were
ready to take their atfidavits Inspector
Jones begged to differ with them, but
he realized that he had work on hand
before he could prove his point. 1t
made the case all the more difficult be-
cause it was a year old AS q begin
ming ~ visited the pawn shops. and
after long hunt he had the good luck
TO turn up string of pearls that had
been included among the purchases.
But in the end 1t led to nothing, for the
description furnished by the pawn
brokers failed to tally with the persons
OF the three accused.
Inspector Jones, without being able to
advance anything but general reasons
got further stay of proceedings. He
had an intuition that he would drop on
A ,.;.x a =
creditors reluctantly conceded that if
they went to law and were beaten
they stood a good chance of being
mulcted in heavy damages A year
went by and the inspector seemed no
nearer the end of his case Then luck
stepped in to aid him. Business of an
other nature called him over to Ireland,
and one night he found himself hung
up in small town with only one thing
to do TO pass away long evening
That was to attend a play to be given
at the town hall by second rate pro-
vincial theatrical company. Two short
plays were billed. and between them
Professor Fairfax was to perform Won
derful feats of Juggling and imperson-
ate many well known characters.
Tie inspector attended, and his in
terest was only so so until the imper-
sonations began. Then it quickened,
and by the time the professor had turn
cd himself into Lord Baltimore the de-
tectice was enthusiastic There were