The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-02-13
A LORD xNc TWO LADIES.

| scotland Yard ha0 case on hand that
| needed to be handled with the utmost del
icacy, and it was handed over to Insuec-
tor ones.
Jones was red-headed, homely-look!ng
man, seemingly more fitted in every way
to handle q crowbar in a quarry than TO
work up a delicate case in police mat
tiers. but as a matter OF fact he was all
finesse to his fingers ends.
Inis case was one wherein Lord Bath
more 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 il, but Lord Baltimore
refused to because he denied the bills
though they were sent in by some OF the
most prominent jewellers in the trade
! Not only did the younger lord deny the
bills and damn the people who sent them
but the daughter of Lady Jane SyTnonds
and the wife of Sir John Bevis likewise
/ denied certain bills incurred al the same
time and while in the company of the
lord.
When inspector Jones came to interview
the six anxious creditors, they told plain,
| straight stories. Lord Baltimore had
called in company with the ladies at a
certain date. He needed no introduc-
! ton, and ne was wei known. but he
had introduced and thus guaranteed the
ladies'
In each instance they had been search
ing for birthday gifts and nothing but
the choicest ana the best would satisfy
them. That three people OF title should
call at once was enough 10 make a shop
! Keeper gasp for breath, ana that the trio
| should condescend 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 at any
| shop in London. and it was really too bad
that the trio could not be induced TO pur-
! chase three or four times what they final
| ly selected
The bills had not been sent until three
| months later, and they were almost
year old before the various firms dared to
add that part payment would be source
Of qualification. Then it was that the
! derials were made. and thosesdenials put
the creditors in a hole.
1t isn't considered proper form in En-
| gland to serve a titled debtor as they
serve delinquent malefactor. He o.
she must be treated in gingerly way I'M
| I'll the last hope is gone. 1t was the fat
denial of each one of the trio that sent
| spector Jones to work.
It was four weeks before Inspector
Jones made his first report, and it ran
| as follows:
Il find that all the purchases were made
| in the same week, though on different
| dItcrlOOHS. Il nave neiU al
with each debtor, and all deny the pur-
/ chases. Indeed, have proof 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 conspirators. and he ran up
/ against a 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 well
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 affidavits.
| 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
! because it was a year old.
| AS beginning he visited the pawn
shops, and after long hunt he had the
good luck to turn up string of pearls
tnat had been included among the pur-
chases. But in the end it led to nothing,
fur the description furnished by the
, pawnbrokers failed to tally with the per-
sons of the three accused.
Inspector Jones, without being able to
advance anything but general reasons, got
a further stay of proceedings. He had
iibGitlOii NOUiu oiOp Oll the
right clew if given time, and the cred
itors reluctantly conceded that if they
went to law and were beaten they stood
a good chance of being mulcted in heavy
damages.
y year went by and the Inspector seem
ed no nearer the end of his case. Then
| luck stepped in to aid him.
Business of another nature called him
over to Ireland, and one night he found
himself hung up in a small town with
only one thing to do to pass away Ions
evening. That was to attend a play 10
be given at the town hall by a second
rate provincial theatrical company.
Two short plays were billed, and be-
tween them Prof Fairfax was to per-
form wonderful feats in juggling and i'm
personate many well-known characters.
The inspector attended, and his interest
was only $3.50 until the representations
began. Then IT quickened, and by the
time the professor had turned himself
into Lord Baltimore the detective was en-
thusiastc
There was the DRESS, gait the voice and
the gestures of my lord to T. as anyone
who knew him must say, and the ap-
plause that followed was all that could
have been hoped for An hour later In
spector Jones was interviewing the pro-
fessor in Jail and saying:
Now, then, my man, I've got you at
last and you might as well make a clean
breast of it. l suspected a trick of some
sort, but hang me if / thought an actor
would have the cheek TO do it
The professor wasn't easy game, but 1t
all came out at last and II was thing
to excite admiration in its way.
While playing under another name at
one of the London music halls the pro-
fessor had planned the affair. He excelled
in the art of making up, no matter how
bad his acting was. and having f1eo to
back his scheme. ne induced two actresses
of his acquaintance to go in with him. }
He counterfeited Lord Baltimore so
closely that he even entered one of the
clubs and was addressed on the street
When he had tested his disguise he went
shopping with the ladies. and the result
was haul of $4,000 OF the finest jewelry.
He would have doubled ii had not the
nerve of one OF the women failed
The professor had a business head on
him. Not one single article was pawned.
The pearls had been stolen from one of
the women and pawned by the thief. The
idea was 10 let a couple of years go
by before converting the plumber into
cash.
The three impersonators were arrested,
and the property recovered. and the trio
are etiIl playing to large. If not over
fastidious. audiences in male and female
prisoas-CyrUs Derickson.