The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-11-12
NE morning I received the follow
ing note from the chief;

mine, who does not wish TO employ an
ordinary detective. in a search for
some lost diamonds II is out of your
usual line I know, but the reward is
very handsome, and / thought you
might be kind enough to take the mat
ter up, as you have nothing else on
hand just now Also, although / don't
like the man-his name is Robert Moss
Il should be glad to assist him, If
could. III return for some valuable help
he once rendered me-"
To please Sir Edward ] wrote saying
that / would do what / could, and Mr..
Moss called on me the same day.
II did not need more than a casual
glance TO see that Moss must have
originally been written Moses" His
face and bearing showed his race, in
its least pleasing form. Though a COM
paratlvely young man, his figure was
full and heavy, his face course but
strong. with thick, noticeably red lips,
and bold. staring black eyes. Alto
gether l was not prepOssessed in his
favor.
Il want you to investigate a most
extraordinary affair for me-" he began
eXcitedly. Il hear that you are clever
at unrdveiiug complications, so perhaps
You may be able TO get hold Of a clue;
at all events it is my last hope"
/ could see he was a little sc0rnful OF
my capacity and my sex. and that
made me the more keen 10 do my best.
You must know that I am a dealer
~ precious stones, principally dia-
mOnds,' he went on. Il have an Office
IN Hatton Garden, but that has been
such happy hunting ground for Lon
don thieves ldtely-yOu viii, no doubt,
remember two robberies there within
the last six months-that. Tor greater
safety, / often keep the principal part
81 my stock az my room IN the Grays
Inn Road
Then il may happen" 7 said, that
at times you have stones in your pos
session representing Il considerable
amount Of money!"
"Of course. And. as luck would have
II. ] had the prettiest Tot of diamonds
yesterday that ! have had for long
time. / had collected them for an
American millionaire, who was going
10 have them made into "a necki"t For
his wife lie had been diamond dig
ginS himself at one time at Matte
Grasso in Brazil, and knew what he
was doing, SO I couldn't palm of any
thing second rate on him"
Otherwise. no doubt, YOU would
have done sO," l thought. Aloud I said:
You say you had the diamonds yes
terday. Do you mean that they were
lost or stolen thcn?"
Il don't know what To think" he
said. I've been half off my head since
il happened, for l shall be ruined IL
they aren't found. They're eone-dis-
appeared entirely. without leaving a
trace, but how they could have done
50 1 haven't the least idea. It's more
like magic than anything else.
"PShaW!' I said, a little contcmptu-
ously. for he looked nervous and half
afraid. some of our London thieves
are clever euugh to get along without
any of the black arts"
You don't know all vet" he said SOL
EMMY. Wait until ] have finished.
and then see IL you will Do as ready
with an explanation.
Il have n bed-sitting-ro in the
Grays Inn Road, on the ground tioor
with a cellar underneath. The cellar
is long but narrow, with no window or
ventilation Of any kind; the only means
of admittance 10 it is b. trap-door
in tho floor of my room. which would
not be seen by anyone coming in. as
the bed has been placed over il.
should say the existence of the cellar
is not known 10 anybody. except to
myself and my landlady. When I first
took possession of il, it had apparently
never been used. Il was in this con-
venient hiding place ! would on occa-
sions deposit any valuable collection OF
stones"
And YOU had put the diamonds
there?"
Yes. Yesterday morning I received
The last stones which made up the re-
quired number, and having nothing 10
do at the office 7 came back 10 the
Gray'S Inn Road with the little canvas
bag in my pocket 1 locked the door
of my room, counted the stones again
10 sec that the number was correct.
and then put them away in the cellar"
How? Have YOU a safe there, or
what kind OF a receptacle"
None. The cellar is "a hiding place
i'm itself. / could not have a better.
There is a drop of about seven feet to
the floor, and no means Of getting into
il. OF course / could have had a lad
der put there but that would have
called attention 10 the place and i'm
piled that l meant To use il. which l
particularly wished 10 avoid"
But how did you manage, then,
when you wanted to go DOWN." I nat
urally inquired
Il have never been down. had an
ingenious arrangement, made like d
Windlass. whereby 1 could let down
any packet until I heard it touch the
ground, and wind it up again when I
required it. The handle was fastened
on the inside of the trap-door, so that
nothing could be seen even by anyone
who might look under my bed"
How does the trap door opeu?" I
asked.
In the usual way, with a sunk
handle"
is there a fastening OF any kinda
bolt or lock and koy:'
No. II would not have given much
greater security, and I should have had
70 call in outside help 10 have anything
OF the kind done"
You let down the bag OF diamonds
into the cellar in the ordinary way, I
presume, when YOU came in. How long
was 1t before you missed them?"
II intended taking them round 10 my
customer this morning, and when, after
breakfast, l pushed the bed on one side
and opened the trap door I saw the
end of the chain dangling loose. There
was nothing attached to il. The lea
Their pouch with which Il was always
weighted and into which l dropped
my Valuables had gone-and the dia.
mOnds, Of course, with it,"
4 suppose it is not possible that the
chain had been broken He shook
his head decidedly.
Quite impossible. II was nearly q
new one, and though the links were
small IL was very strong, and well
made, apable Of bearing a much
greater weight than what I had at
tached to it."
Did you make an examination Of the
cellar?"
las far as I could by the light of d
candle. for you see I could not so
down without sending for a ladder,
and / thought l had better keep the
matter as quiet as ! could for the pres
ent" I nodded approvingly.