The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-02-23
TELLTALE PICTURES.
Paintings That Have Done the
 Work of Detectives.
BROUGHT CRIMES TO LIGHT.

Instances of Where the Canvas Of an
 Artist Led to Confession of Guilt.
 Wonan's Portrait and a Stolen
 Diamond Ornament.
 An artist who had suddenly become almost famous by his production of a painting exhibited at the Royal acad- emy was one day called upon by a man whose visit was productive of the most extraordinary and undreamed of consequences.
 The picture represented a lonely stretch of beach, upon which the sea was beating in long, creamy rollers. In the foreground, bending over a dead body, was man. with wild express sion on his face and with a naked knife in his hand. A ships boat, evil dently 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 east aways upon a friendly shore. The one had murdered the other SO that the treasure might be his.
 The painters visitor was gray hair ed, wild eyed man.
 "ln heavens name. sir," he gasped out. "how did you learn the dreadful story that you painted? l see you know all. I 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 mur- 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 in England than ''The Doctor" by Luke Fildes. yet there are proba- bly very few people aware of the fact that that selfsame masterpiece was the means of bringing, to light the per- petrat1on of a crime that would other wise never have been known.
 A certain doctor in large town com mitted suicide. and among his papers was letter which ran as follows: "I have today seen Luke Fildes' Doctor The picture represents medical man watching by the bedside of child 1t has so haunted me that 1 am going to take away my own worthless life and make confession at the same time. When Arthur's"-his brother's-.'boy died l 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 1 acted. as Fil.es' Doctor is so evidently doing. with the use of all the skill that lay in my power. I hastened the boys end and so got the money. l can bear it no more''
 A well known artist was commission ed to paint the portrait of lady in ex- alted circles who boasted the posses sion of a most unique jewel in the form of pendant. The lady was very anxious that this heirloom should be included in her portrait. The artist. of course. complied with her request.
 Shortly after the painting had been completed a 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. it so 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 jewellers shop that seemed familiar to him. It was diamond and ruby pendant. Where had he seen it before? He ran- sacked his brain, but could not remem- Der.
 He returned to his hotel and hap pened to take from his portfolio a sketch of the portrait he had made years ago of the lady with the pendant.
 Ina moment the enigma was solved. Thespiece of jewelry he had seen was the peculiar pendant that his fair sit ter had been so 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 jewel of the English lady. Inquiries were at once set on foot with extraordinary re- suits. The jeweler in the bazaar con- fessed to having given years ago quite insignificant sum for the jewel. which hS had bought from stable man in the employ of neighboring -rajah. The stableman was sought for and turned out to be none other than a famous English cracksman who had apparently turned honest. but who. nevertheless. confessed to having been the thief of the jewel that had been so miraculously discover ed.-Pearson's KTy f~T-