Connecticut western news., 1909-04-08
HOW THE THIEF
 GOT IN AND OUT.
9 Ossssssssssssesessssses
By T. ANTHONY WINNING.

1 was telegraphcd to come at once to the country residence of Hugo Van Vliet, and. being a detective. I knew 1t meant that my professional services would be required. Mir Van Vlict met me at the station and while taking ne to his house in his runabout motor car told me what had happened. He had a number of guests in his house, near ly all of whom were, like himself, yer. wealthy. It was his first ScaSon there the house having been recently finish cd, and he had opened it with what l." considered q distinguished circle C. friends. They were all high class s. ciety people with British lord throw n in to give the party eclat.
 Nearly every night some one of l.. guests had been robbed of either me! ey or jewels CT both. After the fir Disappearance he had euioined all Ui them to be careful to lock their doors and had bolts put oh every door. For few nights after this there were no rUbbcries, lut then they commenced again. The Britisher's Qord Mannr:- lcigh) lady had been robbed of some superb jewels. The singular part of it was that after the valuabes were talk en, though the thief could only have .es- capped by the door, 1t remained locked.
 While all were at dinner l was shown the rooms, examining the ap- breaches, the connections with other rooms, the windows and lastly the locks and bolts. This done, sent for the host
 MT. Van Vliet," I said, "I presume there are times when your guests arc 'out of doors amusing themselves"
 Yes. both morning and afternoon"
 The maids get through putting the rooms in order In the morning, I sup pose, and in the afternoon the upstairs Is deserted?"
 "Yes."
 Some one at such time has fixed the rooms to be entered"
 Then 1t must be one of the serv. ants"
 The thief Is not one of the servants. l suspect one of your guests"
 You are mistaken"
 every well. l will accuse no one. must either catch the rogue in the act or the case goes by default. No one has yet seen me. Tonight 1 will sleep in the village, and tomorrow l will ar rive as one Of your guests. have my evening dress with me and can make a prescntable appearance. 1 shall be a trife brusque in manner, for 1 shall hail from the far west. My wealth will be my principal claim to your friendship. I will be John Rogers, a mine owner"
 As Mir Rogers 1 arrived the next afternoon, went to my room and moved the bed so that by putting out my hand I could switch on the electric lights. Then 1 dressed and went down to dinner. At table 1 talked a good deal of my mines and my taste for jewels. Speaking of the latter, 1 said that 1 had q great fancy for sapphires and was making up a lot of them to have made into necklace to take back west 10 my wife for an anniver- sary wedding present. 1 said l kept those I had collected with me and would be happy to show them after dinner. At this Mir. Van Vliet drowned, the conversation was changed, and the jewels were not produced.
 That night when all the others had retired 1 went to my room, locked and bolted my door, put a small box under my pillow, then went to bed and lay awake waiting. About in the morn ing I heard a slight mouselike sound so slight that 1t was scarcely distin- -s-I-- indications of some one fumbling about the room. 1 had left no valuables on the dresser or in my pockets, so the thief must come nearer. Presently l fancied hand slipping under the mat tress, but this might be fancy. What was not fancy was a grasp on-the box under my pillow. I caught the arm of q figure kneeling beside the bed Then l turned on the lights. I held woman, and that woman was Lady Mannerleigh.
 "Ah." said, q supposed his lordship was doing these jobs"
 Jumping out of bed I pushed a but ton. A servant on watch answered the summons.
 Stay here with this woman," I said, "and don't let her go out"
 I went softly into the hall and saw a white figure slip into Lord Manner leiEh's room. Mannerleigh had evi- dently been watching. I locked his lordship's door and, returning to my room, stood watch over the countess while the servant went for MT. Van Vliet. When he came he received the surprise of his life.
 When the enrl and his lady had been turned over to the pOlice-he was an English valer and she a lady's maid with forged letters-I showed Mir. Van VliCt q little hole in the dCor of every room that had been entered, except the thief's, which had been plugged, over the lock and bolt. each end of the plug having been dabbed with white enamel like the door so nicely as to be almost unnoticeable. Through the hole a wire with a joint had been pushed. When the joint was inside