Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-02-17
GENTLEMAN
! -. DETECTIVE.


by the chief Of police for detective
work. How the chief secured him for
the purpose no one knew.
Mr.. Travers was TO make himself q
fayorite In society and quietly give
away the criminal element moving
therein. There was not the remotest
chance that The most astute thief, male
or female. could connect him with the
police. In the first six months he gave
tips that drove three or four families
into retirement and false baron into
prison. Then two events occurred ST.
simultaneously to give him trouble. A
lady guest at country house was
robbed Of $4,000 worth Of diamonds
the night before he himself arrived for
a weeks stay, and he had no sooner
seen her than he fell in love with her.
Ii was Edith Meredith who had suf-
fered the less, and Edith Meridith was
the daughter or California million.
aire. He was travelling III Brazil for a
time. and bE wife and daughter were
atopplng In town. An for references,
the father end husband had been q
-four other things, and the wife and
daughter had moved In the best 80
ciety on the slope. One might as welt
have asked for social references from
tile presidents wife.
MIR. Travess found himself In tive
iIxes nt Orce. He was III love, and be
could not give away the fact that he
was playing detective. He gave bis
opinion 81 tbs robbery as did MI other
guests. but be had to stop at that. The
room had been enteres and the jeweiry
taken In the afternoon while all the
guests were On the golf grounds. The
firat suspicious were against the serv-
ants OF courae. Tint IL q thing that
never fails. The servants were ex-
amined and cross examined and put
through the third degree, but no clew
was obtained.
The whole situation was rendered
mighty uncomfortable. Trayers. being
the last conner. and not arriving Until
after the robbery. WINS the only one ex-
empted from suspicion. He could not
act openly. a detective wRs Hcnt for.
hue he could not make himself known
The opinion or the man, after going
over the ground was that some one
had sneaked Into the house by the
front wny. This theory was accepted
by all II did not recover the Iia-
monds. Int Miss Meredith was Bind
enough nCt to take their loss too much
NJ heart. They represented only q
Gays incgae Of her fathers, and he
evuld AFFORD ia lose one day out OF the
sAld.
But aftpF twenty+four hours some
ssher the ory had u be advanced
There wa d second robbery. This 0c
CURED II the evening, while oil the
guests were looking az fireworks on
the lawn. The victim was an old dow
ager. and her loss was also thousands
OF dollars Entrance hy the windows
was impo slhle. Entrance by the front
hall was s'nposslble. The old dowager's
maid had been sitting nv window III
the hall r1stalrs all the time, aud she
had seen hone Of the servants spying
about Taey were suspected again, OF
course. ard again there was a great
ado No w-abaolutely no clew
Another detective came down next
day. and II gave IT as his opinion that
n magpie az tame crow had entered by
way of the window. That no magple
or tune crow had ever been kept
around the hopae made no difference
You could take his opinion or not,
Even amid this excitement Mr.
Travers progressed with his newborn
love. Miss MeFidith seemed smitten
with him also. Perhaps smitten Is too
strong term, but she was very gra
clous. The two talked privately about
the mysterious tobberies. privately ana
confidenfially. They didn't exactly lay
them on to the old dowager. but they
understood what each other thought.
The mysteries did not break up the
house party. as might have been ex-
pected This waa because the third de-
tective who was put on the case no
tilted host. hos lrss and all the guests
that he suspected one Of the servants
and must have week or two to work
up his case. After that Ave peaceful.
happy days and nights passed. There
were no more Eohberies. Ciews were
being picked up like potatoes at dig
glng time. 1t was only matter Of
few days when the guilty one would
be punished and the plumber restored.
At the end Of those five happy days
and nights most Of the guests were
Whispering to each other that Mr.. TRAY
err and Miss Meredith would sarely
make i match Of II. They wakes and
talked by day. and they sat and sighed
ia the moonlight of evenings. and on
the sixth night Mr., Travers went to
bed reasonably satisfied. As be did
not appear up 10 q late hour next morn
ing. and as the same was the case with
Miss Meredith. their doors were forced.
Miss Meredith was gone, and ladder
ne her window showed how she went,
Most OF her wardrobe had gone with
her.
Mr.. Travers hadn't gone lie hadn't
because he was tied and gagged and
couldn't 80. lie had been despoiled OF