Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-20
BE SURE YOU GET THE RIGHT STORE
ia FORMERLY SALE SON

pieces which the woman kept here to
give instead of bills for presents at
Christmas and other times.
when all of the jewels had been dis
carded the woman took the bag and
secreted it in a private drawer in
desk. afterward placing the key in an
other hiding place.
About a month later the owner of
the bag had occasion to go to it for the
first time since she had put it in the
drawer in order to take from it a gold
piece which she desired to give as a
present. The key was not in the
drawer
This was about February Is. We
were at once notified and a formal
claim was made for the $4,000 worth of
insurance. We made an investigation
and in May we paid the claim. would
again call your attention in passing to
what 1 said before concerning burglars
and other risks. l don't suppose in this
case burglars were even thought of;
those gentlemen do not generally dis
cover secret hiding places of keys, alb
stract and use them and then carefully
replace them.
"Our investigations showed that
three persons only were supposed to
know the secret hiding place Of the
key. These three were husband and
wife and the wife's maid. The maid
had been with the one family for seven
years; her honesty was unquesiona-
BILE. So was that of the butler. who
had been with the family even longer,
even If there had been any evidente to
show that he knew where the keyhad
been hidden, which there was not
"As | say, we paid, but not befoe 1
had formulated a theory of my own.
believed either that the woman lad
unlocked the drawer taken out lhe
jowelS, replaced the key, then lost he
bag while carrying it on her perspn,
as we knew she often did, or else tlat
a young man, the son of the hou,e,
knew something about the matter.
1T was the last week in December
of that year when the man to whom
the policy had been paid came into this
office, took seat where you are sit
ting now, and, after saying that h,
was almost ashamed of his visit, ten
dered me a check for $4,000, with intetr-
est from May until December.
"At first he did not wish to give any
explanation other than that the Jew
elry had been found. Would not tell
how, when or where. He thought we
ought to be we'll satisfied to get our
money back and quite content to let it
go at that.
81 told him 1 knew we ought, but at
the same time l would like him to tell
me little, If only to fit in to theory
that l had. Then he told me that it
was his custom always at the end of
the year TO clear things up at his down
town office. The day before he had
been engaged in this work in company
with his son. when the latter, who had
been working in the big vault, sudden
ly called to him and showed him tho
bag lying in the far recesses.
1.-THE poor man was very much dis
tressed. He said that he could not
remember ever having received the bag
from his wife to take downtown. and
she could not remember ever having
given it for that purpose. either to
himself or his son. But there 1t was
and
"I did not say anything more except
in thanks for his prompt restitution of
the insurance money, but l had an
idea that he thought, as did, that he
knew who had first taken the bag;
someone who grew afraid when he
discovered that he was being watched
(as he way by our orders for some
time) and had hit on this way of ex-
Treating himself from a tight place"