The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1911-05-26

" e; g: =. . ;.: :: : :::: ~: >:
- istic designation the
preliminary facts
were tnese: For perhaps a year and
d nan one OF New York's many smart
sets-since the days Of Ward McAllis
Ter the four hundred has grown to con.
slderably more than four thousand
naa been mystified and annoyed by a
series of totally inexplicable robberies
evidently perpetrated by some person
OF persons who either had the entree
or who knew perfectly the habits Of
tnose forming the coterie In question
TIE trouble began with a notable
'ewel robbery at Mrs. Ayers cotillon
and dance, the thief getting away with
q hundred thousand dollars worth NJ
gems. Next, while Mrs. Kendig's din.
ner guests were at table some one"
looted the upstairs apartments to the
tune OF half as much. Then came the
loss OF priceless balas ruby at the
minor mansion, said ruby having
oeen passed around among the guests
Tor admiration, but which never came
back to its owners hands. These cases
occurred in town. But neither were
certain country places immune: the
Jordan place at Wheatley and the
Madren camp" in the Adirondacks
being noble instances where the loot
was almost fabulous In value owing to
the pleasant habit peculiar to Ameri.
can women Of carrying around with
them all their portable wealth in dia.
monds, pearls, and rubies, even to
such inadmissible places as a so-called
bungalow" in the woods.
Although the losses must have to.
tailed nearly a cool million, the pluto.
Gratis most concerned had been con.
tent to pocket their losses without
"squealing" to the regular police or
at the cost Of national notoriety
through appealing to the Pinkertons.
However, patience ceases to be
virtue even among those delectable
ones who possess more money than
they can possibly spend-or squander.
So when. after some months of bliss
full quiet, during which period the
guilty gang or. the equally culpable
individual had been fattening on the
last haul, the Batterman cottage" at
Newport was entered and its fair
guests despoiled of gauds appraised at
q quarter million, the masculine ap-
pendages OF these fair ones resolved
that 1.-THE thing had gone far enough"
Above all they dreaded that vulgar
thing called "publicity"-to occupy the
public eye in that way savors too
much of Reno. But rigid and Judi.
cious probing was determined upon;
to the discreet but none the less mer.
CHESS investigator. Finney Valentine,
late inspector Of police. the task. of
ferreting out the guilty was COM
mitted.
After pocketing q fat retainer, lis.
tening to the accounts Of the various
robberies, and securing a fairly accu.
rate description Of the chief articles
Of stolen jewelry, Valentines next
move was to call for lists Of the house
guests who had been present at the
various functions In both town and
country.
Many-indeed most-of these names
he was able to "blue pencil" at a
glance as being, like Caesars wife,
beyond suspicion, although sleuth-like
he made ample allowance for a well.
known fact in criminal annals,-that
even the wealthiest sometimes have
strange obsessions and queer indif-
ference to the rights of meum and
tuum. Naturally, also, he found the
same people appearing again and
again, at dance, or dinner, or house.
party, and in one way that fact help
ed to narrow the scope Of his investi-
cation.
But after some days and nights of
careful winnowiRg and elimination, by
q sort Of reverse process Of natural
selection, the master.detective was i'm
pressed by the fact that one mans
name was invariably present on every
occasion where the robberies had oc-
curred,-a name OF almost nStional
IN old Knickerbocker So
ciety and Affiliations. that of Roslyn
Cavanna. Other men and women came
and went; some were guests on two
or three occasions yet missing on
others. But the name Of young Ca
wanna was never wanting at those
fateful times.
OF course, the fact might be ascrib-
ed to pure accident or the merest CO
and yet-obviously 1t were
wise to look into the antecedenss OF
Mr.. Roslyn Cavanna, son Of q sire now
deceased, born to considerable wealth,
! high roller" from his college days,
4 daring cross-country rider. polo
player, and yachtsman,-some said
reckless gambler on the race-track or
over the green tables, and q daring 1
but unlucky Spectator on the street."
to have long since dissi-
pated q half million inheritance and
reported to be on the lookout for q
rich wife to recoup his bankrupt for.
.aaes.
These and lome other things Nnney |
Valentine jotted down In his casebook.