Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1908-04-16
Martin Hewitt,
Investigator.
Ge Stairway Cameo
Mystery.
|T is now a fair number of years
back since the loss of the IA
nous Stairway cameo made its
By ARTHUR MORRISON.
Published by Arrangement With
Harper q Brothers.
OOOOOOOOOOQ

nous Stairway m made Its
sensation, and the only person
who had the least interest in keeping
the real facts Of the case secret has
now been dead for some time, leaving
neither relatives nor other representa-
lives. Therefore no harm Ill be done
IN making the inner history Of the case
public. On the contrary, y will afford
an opportunity Of vindicating the pro-
fessional reputation of Hewitt, who is
supposed to have completely failed to
make anything off, the mystery sur
rounding the case.
The cameo, as may be remembered
from the many descriptions published
at the time, was said to be absolutely
the finest extant. It was a sardonyx
Of three strata-one Of those rare sar-
donyx canoes in which It has been
possible for the artist to avail himself
Of three different colors of superim-
posed stone-the lowest for the ground
high relief of the design. In size it
was, for a cameo, immense, measuring
sever and a half inches by nearly six.
In subject it was similar to the re-
nowned Gonzaga cameo-now the prop
erty of the ear Of Russia-a male and
a female head with imperial insignia,
but in this case supposed to represent
Tiberius Claudius and Messalina. Elk
perts considered it probably to be the
work Of Attention, a famous gem cut
ter Of the first Christian century.
The Stairway cameo had been dis
covered in an obscure Italian village
by one of those travelling agents who
cou all Europe for valuable antiqui-
ties and objects of art. This man had
hurried Immediately to London with
his prize and sold it to Mr.. Claridge of
st. James street, eminent as a dealer
in such objects. MI. Claridge, recog-
nizing the Importance and value Of the
article, lost no opportunity in making
its existence known, and very soon the
Claudius cameo, as it was first usually
called, was as famous as any in the
world. Many experts in ancient art
examined it, and several large bids
were made for it's purchase. In the
end it was bought by the Marquis Of
Stairway for $4,000 for the purpose Of
presentation to the British museum.
The marquis kept the at his
town house for q few days, showing it
to his friends, and then returned it to
Mr.. Claridge to be finally and carefully
cleaned before passing into the ma
tfonal collection. Two nights after, MI.
Claridge's premises were broken into
and the cameo stolen.
Such, in outline, was the generally
known history of the Stairway cameo.
The circumstances of the burglary in
detail were these: Mr.. Claridge had
himself been the last to leave the
premises at about 8 in the evening, at
dusk, and had locked the small side
door as usual. His assistant, MI. Cut
Ter, had left an hour and a half earlier.
4 When Mr.. Claridge left everything was
4 in order, and the policeman on fixed
4 point duty just opposite, who babe
Mr.. Claridge good evening as he left,
Ssaw nothing suspicious during the rest
Mof his term Of duty nor did his sue
#cessors throughout the night.
II In the morning, however, MI. Cutler,
I the assistant, who arrived first, soon
4 after 8 O'Clock, at nee perceived that
I something unlocked for had happened.
The door, of which he had a key, was
still fastened and had not been touch
ed, but in the room behind the shop
MI. Claridge's private desk had been
broken open and the contents turned
out in confusion. The door leading on
to the staircase had also been forced.
Proceeding up the stairs, MI. Cutler
found another door open, leading from
the top landing to a small room. This
door had been opened by the simple
%expedient of unscrewing and taking off
the lock, which had been on the inside.
In the ceiling of this room was a trap
door, and this vas six or eight inches
open, the edge resting on the half
wrenched off bolt, which had been torn
away when the trap was levered open
from the outside.
Plainly, then, this was the path of
the thief or thieves. Entrance had
been made through the trapdoor, two
more doors had been opened, and then
the desk had been ransacked. Mr..
Cutler afterward explained that at
this time he had no precise idea what
had been stolen and did not know
where the cameo had been left on the
previous evening. Mr.. Claridge had
himself undertaken the cleaning and
had been engaged on 1t, the assistant
said, when he left.
There was no doubt, however, after
Mr.. Claridge's arrival at 10 o'clock.
The cameo was gone. Mr.. Claridge,
utterly COMPOUNDED at his loss, ex-
planned tncoherently and with curses
on his own careIessness that he had
locked the precious article in his desk
on rellnqulshing work on it the pre-
vious evening.
The police were sent for at once, of
course, and every investigation made,
Mr.. Claridge offering q reward Of $500
for the recovery of the cameo. BY
noon all the world was aware Of the
j. extraordinary theft Of the Stairway
cameo.
It was in the afternoon Of this day
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