Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-10
Martin Hewitt,
Investigator
BY ARTHUR MORRISON.
V.
The Quinton Jewel Affair.


regular criminal class-those.s 1 mean. who
are thieves, of one sort another. by ex-
elusive profession. Still, nobody could have
been better prepared than Hewitt for en-
countering this class when it became neces-
sary. BY some means which 1 never quite
understood, he managed 10 keep abreast OF
the very latest fashions in the ever-chans-
ing slang dialect of the fraternity. and he
perfect master OF the more modem
and debased form of Romany. So much so
that frequently a gypsy who began tas
they always do by pretending that he I'M
6erstood nothing and never heard or
gypsy language. ended by confessing that
Hewitt could rokker better than most
Romany chals themselves.
By this acquaintance with their habits
and talk Hewitt was sometimes able 20
render efficient service in cases of especial
Importance In the Quinton jewel affair
Hewitt came into contact with a very &C
complished thief.
membered. Sir Valentine Quinton, before
he married, had been as poor as only a
man of rank with old country establish
ment TO keep up can be- His marriage.
however, with the daughter of wealthy
financier had changed all that, and now the
Quinton establishment was carried on on
as lavish a scale as might be; and. indeed
the extravaGant habits of Lady Qulnton
herself rendered II extremely lucky
thing that she had brought fortune with
her.
Among 0tner Things nSf JEWELS iudus tdi'o
a collection, and chief among them was
the great ruby, one of the very few that
were sent to this country to be sold Cat an
average price of somewhere about twenty
thousand pounds apiece, l believed by the
Burmese king before the annexation OF his
country Let but a ruby be of great size
and color, and no equally fine diamond can
approach its value. Well. this great ruby
(which was set In a pendant. by the by), TO-
gether with a necklace, brooches. bracelets.
earrings-indeed. the greater part OF Lady
Qunton's collection-was stoIen: Inc sop-
berry was effected at the usual time ana IN
the usual way in cases of carefully planned
jewelry robberies. The time was early
evening-dnner-ume, in fact-and an en-
trance had been made by the window to
Lady Quinton's dressing room. the door
screwed up on the inside, and wires artfully
stretched about the grounds below TO over
set anybody who might observe and pur-
sue the thieves.
On an investigation by London detectives
however, a feature OF singularlty was
brought to light There had plainly peen
only one thief at work at Radcot Hail. and
no other had been inside the grounds.
Alone he had planted the wires. opened the
window. screwed the door, and picked the
lock of the safe. Clearly this was a thlet
of the most accomplished description.
Some few days passed. and, although the
police had made various arrests. they APP
reared to be all mistakes. and the sus-
pected persons were released one after an
other I was talking of the robbery with
Hewitt at lunch. and asked him If he had
received any commission 10 huhl lof 'he
missing Jewels.
NO Hewitt replied: II haven't been
commissioned They are offering an I'M
mense reward, however, very pleasant
sum indeed have had short note from
Radcot Hall informing me of the amount,
and that's all. Probably they fancy thal l
NAV take the case up as a specuia Ion, Out
that is a great mistake I'm not oesin anIa
and | must be commissioned In regular
manner hit or miss, II I am to deal with
the case. I've quite enough commissions s
going now. and no time to waste huh'iDs
for a problematical reward
But we were nearer clue 10 the Qulh-
ton Jewels than we then supposed.
we talked of other things, and presently
rose and left the restaurant. strolllns
quietly toward home. Some little distance
from the Strand, and near our own door,
we passed an excited lrishman-wlthout
doubt an Irishman by appearance ana taIh
who was pouring a torrent of angry com
plafnts in the ears of a policeman. Inc
policeman obviously thought little or me
mans grievances, and with an amused
smile appeared 10 be advising MIN 10 70
home quietly and think no more about II
we passed on and mounted our STAIRS.
Something interesting in our CONVEX sa..oiI
made me stop for little While az Nv IN
office door on my way up, ana "hiIe l
stood there the Irishman we had seen III
the street mounted the stairs. ne Wa d
poorly dressed but sturdy-looKlne IeHoM.
annareutly a laborer, IN a badly worn oess
S,,i+ az clothes His agitation sun heio
him. and without pause ne iiii'iieu1''e''
burst out; ,,..,o-, NIL, 10 N,stber
This is Mr. Hewitt" said. "Do you
want h!mf' .,,r, ,
Isnake to the polls, an they Ian at me- De-
cob Foive days have I lived In Lonoon'
an It's nothin but battle. murdher and sud
dben death for me here all day an livery
day! An the polls say I'm dhrunk' s..n,-
"a fust posstble that the police might De
right.
"They say I'm drunk. sor." he continued;
but begob, I blieve they think I'm mad.
An me being thracked an foIeyed an cog
ged an waylaid an poisoned an blandand-
hered an kidnapped an murdered an TOT
why do not know
And who's doing all thisY"
"Sthrangers. sor-sthrangers IT'S
a stranger here I am mesilf an ivy they
do Il bates me. onless do be 80 ike the
Prince av Wales or other crowned he'd they
thry to slaughter me. They're layin' for
me IN the sthreet now. misdoubt not, ana
fwat they may thry next can tell no more
than the lord mayor. An the polls won
listen TO mel
This, l thought must be one OF the very
common cases of mental Authorization
which one hears OF every day-the belief of
the sufferer that he is surrounded by enc
mics and followed by spies. 1t rs probably
the most usual delusion of the harmless lu-
matte.
put what have these people done?'
though amused What actual assaults have
they committed and when? And who told
you TO come here?
Who towld me. is Ut? Who but the pay
Ter ou:side-in the street below! explain
ed 20 I'm, an seq he: All. you go an take
a Shape seq he; you go an take a good
Shape. an they'll be all gone whin we wake
up But they'll murdher me- seq /. oh,
no" seq he. smilin' behind av his ugly face.
oh. no. they won't: you take ut aisy. me
frind. an go home! Take 1t aisy, is ut, an
go homer seq l. Why. that's just where
they've been last. a-ruinationin' an a-turn-
in av the place upside down. an me strook
on the head onsensible mile away. Take
ut asy, is ut, we say, whin all the demons
in this unholy place is tumpin' me every
minut in places promiscuous till / can't tell
where 10 turn. descendin' an vanishin'
marvellous an onaccountable? Take ut
aisy, is utT SEE /. Well, me frind.' seq he,
I can't help ye; that's the marvellous an
onaccountable depar tmint up the stairs for
nnst We Misther Hewitt Ut is seq he
that attinds TO the onaccountable depart
mint. him whit by minut ago. You &C
an bother him. That's how l towld
sir"
Hewitt smiled