Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1908-04-16

The police, naturally and properly
first to find the criminal, regarding the
recovery Of the property almost as a
secondary consideration. OF course I
want the thief caught If possible and
properly punished, but still more I
want the cameo"
Certainly it is a considerable loss.
Five thousand pounds
"Ah, but don't misunderstood me! 1t
isn't the monetary value of the thing
that 1 regret. AS a matter Of fact, l
am Unidentified for that already. Clar-
idge has behaved most h%onorably-
more than honorably. Indeed, the first
intimation I had Of the loss was a
check from him for $4,000, with a let
ter assuring me that the restoration to
me Of the amount 1 had paid was the
least he could do to repair the result
of what he called his objectionable
carelessness."
"Is anybody suspected?" asked Hew-
lit.
"Claridge won't admit that he sus-
poets any one, though he believes that
whoever it was must have watched
him yesterday evening through the
back window of his room and must
have seen him put the cameo away in
his desk, because the thief would seem
to have gone straight to the place. But
I half fancy that in his inner mind he
is inclined to suspect one Of two peo-
pie. You see, a robbery Of this sort is
different from others. That cameo
would never be stolen, I imagine, with
the view of it's being sold. 1t is much
too famous a thing. A man might as
we'll walk about offering to sell the
Tower Of London. So that it really
seems more likely that it has been TAX
en- by somebody who wishes to keep it
for mere love Of the thing-a collector,
in fact, unless, indeed, an ordinary vul-
gar burglar has taken it without know
ing its value"
"That isn't likely" Hewitt replied.
can ordinary burglar, ignorant of it's
value, wouldn't have gone straight to
the cameo and have taken it in prefer
ence to many other things of more APP
parent worth, which must be lying
near in such a place as Claridge's."
"True. l suppose he wouldn't. AL
though the police seem to think that
the breaking in is clearly the work of
a regular criminal-from the jimmy
marks, you know, and so on"
"Well, but what of the two people
you think Mr.. Claridge suspects?"
"Of course l can't say hat he does
suspect them. [ only fancied from his
tone that it might be possible. He
himself insists that he can't in justice
suspect anybody. One of these men is
Hahn, the travelling agent who sold
him the cameo. This mans character
does not appear to be absolutely ire
proachable. No dealer trusts him very
far. Of course Claridge doesn't say
what he paid him for the cameo. These
dealers are very reticent about their
profits, which / believe are as often
something like 500 per cent as not.
But it seems Hahn bargained to have
something extra, depending on the
amount Claridge could sell the carving
for. According to the appointment, he
should have turned up this morning,
but he hasn't been seen, and nobody
seems to know exactly where he is"
eyes. And the other person?"
"Well, 1 scarcely like mentioning Mr..
Woollett, because he is certainly a gen.
tleman, and l believe in the ordinary
way quite incapable Of anything in
the least degree dishonorable, although,
of course, they say a collector has no
conscience in the matter of his own
particular hobby. He lives In cham
bers in the next turning past Claridge's
idge's back window If he likes. He
examined the cameo several times be-
fore l bought it and made several high
offers-appeared, in fact, very anxious
indeed to get it,"
"Now, let me see. Mr.. Woollett's
rooms, you say, are near Mr.. Claridge's
place Of business? Is there any means
Of communication between the roofs?'
eyes, I am told that it is perfectly
possible to get from one place to the
other by walking along the leads"
VERY good. In regard to Mr.. Clar-
idge's assistant now. Do you know
anything of him?"
"Only that he has always seemed a
very civil and decent sort of man.
Honest, l should say, or Claridge
wouldn't have kept him so many years.
There are a good many valuable things
about at C%laridge's. Besides, the man
has keys Of the place himself, and,
even If he were a thief, he wouldn't
need to go breaking in through the
roof"
$50 that" said Hewitt, I'VE have, di-
rectly connected with this cameo, be-
sides yourself, these people: MI. Clar-
idge, the dealer; Mr.. Cutler, the as.
sistant in Mr.. Claridge's business;
Hahn, who sold the article to Claridge.
and Mr.. Woollett, who made bids for
1t. These are ALI" :
"All that I know of. Other gentle
men made bids, I believe. but I don't
know them"
There was unwonted excitement at
Mr.. Claridge's place when Hewitt and