Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-06-06
WHO STOLE
THE JEWELS?
By DAVID WALTER CHURCH
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

sum hunting up rascals. In other
words, he is a detective. When we
were drinking our coffee and smoking
1 asked him to give me the most i'm
portant case in which he had ever
been employed.
You mean the most important to
my employer or to me-"
"Well, let it be the most important
case to you"
"An right. I'll give you the VIII
Hams case"
I saw his wife look up at him, evil
IDENTIFY with an intent to stop him, but
he told the story all the same.
Mrs. Williams came to the of
fee one day-she was a widow-and
stated that something was occurring
in her house she wished investigated.
| She possessed a number of valuable
| family jewels, which she kept in
safe imbedded in the wall on the sec
ond story of her dwelling. She alone
knew the combination, and yet the
jewels were gradually disappearing.
She had a governess for her children.
a Miss Elizabeth Ward, whom she sus.
pected. 1 having been detailed on the
case, she was giving these facts to
me. At this point I interrupted her.
az thought you said, Mrs. Williams,
that you alone know the combination.
How can Miss Ward open the safe
without it?'
"Possibly in this way: She has a
brother who is a skilled mechanic in
the service of a safe and lock COM
pany. He visits her frequently, and
suspect that either he has instructed
her in lock picking or she conceals
him in the house and he watches his
opportunity to pick it himself u9ob-
served
at struck me that to discover the
truth all she had to do was to watch
and she would catch either Miss Ward
or her brother stealing the jewels. But
If she preferred to pay detective for
doing it l was quite willing. l was
introduced into the house as a nephew
Of Mrs. Williams, from distant land,
and, Of course, to Miss Ward.
1T found the governess a very at
tractive young lady. Had I not felt
very sure she was an adventures
should have fallen in love with her.
Indeed, I'm not sure but Don't like
to hear 1t, Ell, dear? That's quite
natural. I'll switch of from that part
of the story, though Pm sure you have
no reason to be jealous. Well, took
up my residence for few days or a
few weeks, as the case might require,
and was assigned a bedroom directly
opposite the safe in which the jewels
were kept.
at didn't take me long to find out
that Miss Ward was as smart as 8
steel trap, and made up my mind
that to catch her-or her brother,
which was the same thing-I would
have to be awake every night in the
week. But she seemed worried. With
the true detective instinct, saw
through that. I inferred that her
brother was dominating her, compel
ling her to keep on with the theftsr
while she feared this scheme would al
last be detected and one or both would
spend term in the state prison. Al
any rate, she was worried.
81 remained awake all night for sew
eral nights in succession, and as had
no excuse to remain in bed all day
gave up the plan of catching the thief
in the act and determined to try and
worm myself into the confidence OF
Miss Ward and see II l couldn't gel
the secret from her. I found bel
quite willing to be courted and"-
"Horacew interposed Mrs. Jones.
"Pardon, my dear" Then to me: "My
wife can't bear to hear me speak Of
my premarital affairs"
"Of course she can't" chimed II
with Mrs. Jones. ''How would you
like your wife to talk about her OWL
premarital affairsY
Gum! That's different. But to g
on with my story. didn't get much
from the governess, and while i was
making up to her Mrs. Williams re
ported that she had lost another jewel
: Meeting Miss Ward after this theft
I found her In a very bad humor
| Why could not understand, for mel
Their she nor any one else had beer
caught stealing. She astonished me
by coming out bluntly:
"'Mr. Detective if you wish to find
out who is stealing the jewels change
your ROOM
= "You could have knocked me dowr
with a feather. knew I had met my
match and answered never a word.
went to Mrs. Williams and told her
would take a room farther from the
safe. She gave me one at the end OF
the hall where could see without
being seen, the light, which was kept
burning low all night, being directly
over the safe.
"Time passed, during which 1 was
getting impatient at doing nothing
though 7 was not dissatisfied at being
kept Ia the house with Miss Ward
One night heard a light tap at my
door. Putting on a dressing gown,
opened 1t. Miss Ward was standing
in a dark corner and pointed toward
the safe. There stood Mrs, Williams
: fumbling with the lock.
ashes asleep whispered Miss
Ward.
"Mrs. Williams opened the safe, tool
out something, closed the door and
went away. The mystery was solved
E As a sleepwalker she was transfer
ring her Jewels from the safe to a t1r
box in her bedroom closet"
'What became of Miss WardT ]
asked.
Jores looked at his wife, and both
smiled.