The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-06-10
A Man Of Nerve.

ICopyrlght. 1905, by T. c. McCurel
On the +. and o. steamer Bonny
Castle, bound for Calcutta. we had
Lord Monson, lord high commissioner
for British Burma
/ He had little baggage. He was ac-
companied by only two servants in.
stead of by ten or twelve. He didn't
put on the pompousness and the side
expected Of him. Instead Of the Icy re-
serve looked for and expected he
showed an inclination to mlngle with
the other passengers. For this come
praised and some criticised him.
We found Lord Monson dlgnified. but
at the same time pleasant. 1t proved
to be easy to obtain an introduction TO
him. and he was by no means cad or
a snob. Among the lesser magnates
were an Indian judge, civil service
commissioner and several military Off
GERS, but they were given but very lit
tie more attention by my lord than the
ordinary passengers. There was much
chagrln over this fact, but It had to be
endured. Taken altogether, we were a
pretty jolly lot. and we became quite
proud of the fact that we had live
lord among us. and It would have been
one Of the pleasantest of voyages but
for what / am now about to relate.
On ell long voyages by steamer the
first class passengers are supposed to
hand over their money and jewelry to
the care Of the purser. few men
| who are carrying large amounts of
cash do this, and n few ladies may put
a portion Of their diamonds IN security.
but 1t is rule observed more in the
breach than the observance. The men
feel safe in retaining at least few
hundred dollars each, and the women
must keep out enough Jewelry to make
an appearance at the dinner table.
AS soon rs the second day out we
had a robbery on board. A passenger
who had q stateroom to himself was
robbed by some one who entered 1t.
The robber got $400 In cash and about
thousand dollars worth OF dla-
monds. The loss was at once reported
to the captain, but as there was not
the slightest clew to the perpetratOr
nothing could be done about 1t except
to advise the victim to keep quiet and
wait and watch. This was done. aud
the robbery was known to only two or
three persons for day. Then came n
second.
During the dinner hour a second
stateroom was robbed. This was occu-
pied by two men who sat side by side
at the table and who had been warm
friends long before embarking. While
| this robbery, which yielded over n
thousand dollars. was pretty well hush
| ed UP, the captain took steps to try
to find out the guilty party. 1t was
laid to some of the servants Of the
ship, just as 1t would have been laid
to some of the servants of house
ashore. There were 190 of us, and yet
the captain went on the principle that
we must all be honest because we were
aboard of his craft
Nothing is more uncomfortable among
n large number of passengers than a
mystery of this kind. They know that
a thief is among them, and each one
feels that he has right to suspect an
other. 1t was reported that my lord
was very much perturbed; that he said
this and said that; that lie was doing
his best to help the captain solve the
mystery. Meanwhile two more state
rooms were robbed. The trick was
done while their occupants were on
deck in the afternoon looking at a
wreck. We now became one OF the
surliest. suspicious and most uncom-
Portable lot OF people ever housed In
together.
SO far as was individually con
cerned. I solved the mystery next day
| after the double robberv I WAS sIttinp