Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1910-01-14
TELLTALE PICTURES,
Paintings That Have Done the
Work of Detectives.
BROUGHT GRIMES TO LIGHT.
Instances Of Where the Canvas Of an
Artist Led to a Confession Of Guilt.
Woman's Portrait and Stolen
Diamond Ornament.

Artist Led to a Confession Of Guilt.
Woman's Portrait and a Stolen
Diamond Ornament.
An artist who had suddenly become
almost famous by his production of a
painting exhibited al the Royal acad-
emy was one day called upon br a
man whose visit was productive Of the
most extraordinary and undreamed Of
consequences.
The picture represented lonely
sletch OF beach, upon which the sea
was beating III long, creamy rollers. In
the foreground, bending over II dead
body, was man with wild eXures-
sion on his face and with a naked
knife In his hand. A ships boat. evi-
uently Just beached. was also in the
picture, and by the side of the mur-
dered man was bag of gold. The pic
ture portrayed the advent of two cast
aways upon a friendly shore. The one
had murdered the other so that the
treasure might be his.
The painters visitor was a gray hair
ed, wild eyed man.
In heavens name, SIR" be gasped
out how did you learn the dreadful
story that you painted? see YOU
know all. | murdered my mate Bill to
get the money that was his. | threw
his body into the sea. | don't know
what impulse led me to the academy.
The first thing saw was your picture
representing the scene that took place
thirty years ago"
Needless to say, the picture had been
the outcome Of Imagination. Yet muir.
der Will out, and the guilty conscience
OF the man who had killed his comrade
for lust Of gold had convinced him
that the painting was no coincidence,
but was indeed the actual portrayal of
a dastardly and unwitnessed crime.
There is probably no picture better
known Ia England than THE Doctor"
by Luke F'ides, yet there are proba-
bly, very few people aware Of the fact
that that selfsame masterpiece was the
means of bringing to light the Der
petratfon of crime that would other
ViSc heNSi nave Deeu hllOWn.
certain doctor in a large town COM
mitted suicide, and among his papers
was q letter which ran as follows: Il
have today seen Luke Fildes' Doctor
The picture represents Il medical man
watching by the bedside of child 1t
has SO haunted me that | am going to
take away my own worthless life and
make confession at the same time.
When Arthur's"-his brother r's-"boy
died came into money that my dead
brother had settled on him. He died
as all the world thought of acute pneu-
monia. Yet his life might have been
saved had | acted, as Fildes' Doctor
is so evidently doing, with the use of
all the skill that lay in my power. l
hastened the boys end and SO got the
money. can bear it no more"
A well known artist was commission
ed to paint the portrait of lady in ex-
allied circles who boasted the posses
sion of most unique jewel In the
form of a pendant. The lady was very
anxious that this heirloom should be
AhetuuCu Az htt poi llult Ht al llSl, VI
course. complied with her request
Shortly after the painting had been
completed daring burglary was per.
petrated, with the result that the lady
lost her heirloom, and no trace of the
thief or thieves was forthcoming.
Years passed by, and the lady gave up
all hope Of ever seeing the precious
heirloom again.
Now. 1t 50 happened that the artist
who had painted the portrait of the
lady mentioned had occasion to travel
in India
In the course of his wanderings he
came to Bombay and, as every visitor
| to that place does, strolled through the
native bazaar.
Suddenly his attention was riveted
| by piece Of jewelry In a jewelers. 8
shop that seemed familiar to him. 1t
| was a diamond and ruby pendant.
| Where had he seen 1t before? He ran
sacked his brain, but could not remem-
| Der.
He returned to his hotel and hap
! peutu ~ tdht tTOlu HIS pOItAoIi d
sketch Of the portrait he had made
years ago Of the lady with the pendant
In a moment the enigma was solved
The piece Of jewelry he had seen was
the peculiar pendant that his fair sit
ter had been 50 anxious he should in
clude in his portrait.
He hurried off to the chief Of police
and told that worthy what he suspect
ed-namely. that the bazaar he had
visited contained the long lost jewe
of the English lady. Inquiries were a
once set on foot with extraordinary re
suits. The jeweler In the bazaar con
fessed to having given years ago O
quite insignificant sum for the jewel
which he had bought from Il stable
man In the employ Of neighborine
rajah. The stableman was sought fol
and turned out to be none other thar
famous English cracksman who ha(
apparently turned honest. but who
nevertheless, confessed to having beer
the thief Of the jewel that had beer
SO miraculously discovered.-Pearson
Weekly.