The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1912-04-25

the teamster, and went out.
) Meantime Kirby had sent his
list of the guests who had given
up their rooms on August sew
enth:
George M. Weaver. Jr.. Utica,
N. Y, we'll known to hotel people
and vouched for by them.
Walker Parker, New Orleans,
ditto.
Mr.. and Mrs. Charles Hull;
quiet elderly people; first visit to
hotel.
Henry M. Gillespie, Locke. N.
Y. Middle-aged man: new guest.
G. F. Willard. Chicago; been
going to hotel for ten years;
vouched for by hotel people.
Armed with the list, Average
Jones went to the Hotel Denton
and spent q busy morning.
i've had little talk with the
hotel servants" said he to Kirby,
when the latter called tn make
inquiries. "Mr. Henry M. Giles
pie, of Locke. New York. had
room 16S. It's on the same floor
with Mrs. Hale's suite, at the
farther end of the hall. He had
only one piece of luggage, a suit
case marked III. M. G.. That infor-
nation ] got from the porter. He
left his room In perfect order ex-
cept for one thing: one of the
knobs on the headboard of the old
fashioned bed was. broken off
short. He didn't mention the
matter to the hotel people,"
What do you make of that?'
ut was a stout knob. Only a
considerable effort of strength ex-
erted in a peculiar way would
have broken 1t as 1t was broken
There was something unusual GO
ing on in room 1858, all right"
Then you think Henry M
Gillespie, of Locke, New York, IA
our man."
mo-" said Average Jones.
| The Westerner's square Jaw
fell. "Why not?"
because there's no such per.
son as Henry M. Gillespie, OF
Locke, New York. I've Just sem
there and found out"
Three stones of the fire-blut
necklace returned on the current
of advertised appeal. One was
brought In by the night bartender
of a sporting" club. He hat
bought 1t from q man who hat
picked 1t up in a gutter; JUS
where, the finder couldn't re
member. For the second a Soutl
Brooklyn pawnbroker demanded
(and received) an exorbitant re
ward. A florist in Greenwich
Connecticut, contributed the last
With that patient attention tt
detail which is the A. b. C. of de
tective work, Average ~Jone.
traced down these apparently in
congruous wanderings of tn,
stones and hten followed them al
back to Mrs. Hale's fire-escape.
The bartender's stone Offered
no difficulties. The setting which
the pawnbroker brought in hat
been found on the city refus,
heap by a scavenger. 1t hat
fallen through a grating into tn,
hotel cellar, and had been sweep
out with the rubbish to go to tn,
municipal dump" The apparen
mystery of the florist was lucit
when Jones found that the hote
exchanged it shop-worn plants
with the Greenwich Floral Com
pany. His roaming eye, keen fol
every detail, had noticed a row
of tubbed azaleas within the
ground enclosure of the Denton
Recalling this to mind, it was easy
for the Advisor to surmise tha'
the gem had dropped from the
fire-escape into tub. which was
shortly after, shipped to the flor
list. Thus it was apparent tina
the three jewels had been stripped
from the necklace by forcible con
tact with the iron rail of the fire
escape at the point where Aver
age Jones had found the color
of precious metal. The stones
were identified by Kirby from ;
peculiarit yin the setting, as the
end three, nearest the clasp a
the back; a point which Jone,
carefully noted. But there the
trail ended. No more fire-blu,
stones came in.