Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1912-03-14
How the Jewels
Were Carried
Off
By EDNA C. WHITNEY

to Leonard kelp, n detective OF high
standing.
'Well. | reckon I've done my share
Of it," he replied. The crooks study
to beat us and we study to beat them.
It's to be expected that Wen get the
worst Of it sometimes. It's like other
things one has to learn matter of ex.
perience. When | began ! got fooled
lots o times The trouble with me was
that was too smart"
Tell me about one of your curious
eases
"One had only n few years ago had
some points of interest In it, We got
an anonymous letter stating that the
butler and lady's maid at a swell house
In suburban town would run away
ON a certain night carrying a lot Of
plumber in jewels with them. We were
cautioned, however against giving
away the information. All we were ex.
2ected to do was 70 be on hand and
take EN- 10 when they started out.
Well | concluded to go by the let
ter | received. It's best not to take
matter of that kind into your own
hands lest you spoil it all We went
TO the place an hour before the expect
ed exit and waited till an hour after
the time. | was getting pretty tired
and was about To give it up, thinking
the case was one of those bits of false
information detective agents get SO
much of, when | saw figure moving
along the side of the house staggering
under something, | couldn't tell what,
Getting nearer, | saw him put a ladder
up to one Of the back windows, then
throw handful of gravel against the
panes.
81 waited and in a few minutes saw
something white waving In the win
dow The sash had been put up, but
so carefully that | hadn't heard any
noise The next thing | could distin-
guish was something dark coming
down the ladder, but it was so dark
couldn't see things continuously. |
heard slight sound which Judged to
be the ladder removed from under the
window, then saw or heard nothing
more till two figures passed within a
few yards OF where | was standing be-
hind tree | followed In their wake
, and when they got out in the road
could see that they were man and u
woman, the man carrying a suit case
"They took the direction of the rail-
way station, and when they reached
the str II leading down to it they di-
verged, aud | knew just what they
were going to do There was only one
train leading into the city at that hour
of the night, and they had timed their
exit to take it.
"They reached the station ten min
utes before the schedule time for the
train, and | went up on to the plat
form as though intending to take the
train myself | made up my mind as
soon as | looked at them that had
slick pair to deal with. They were
made up first class. No one would
ever have taken the butler for any
thing, but a gentleman, and the maid
must have been prettler than her mis-
tress. They were both in travelling rig,
and, though they probably had on their
masters and mistress clothes, their
costumes fitted perfectly.
Il thought il Lest to take them in
before the train came along. SO | walk
ed up to them and said to the man.
IN trouble you for that suit case.
There was scene, Of course, but
had an assistant ready and called him.
| took the suit case from the hands of
the butler and demanded the key He
gave it to me at once. and, opening the
case, there, sure enough. were the Jew
els mixed In with women's lingerie.
See here, said the fellow, this is
a robbery at an unfrequented railway
station ut midnight Now I'll make
you an offer. We are clipping. and I've
got a hundred dollars i'll my pocket
III give YOU rather than be exposed.
Let us 20 with our property and the
money is yours
Il laughed at him, telling him that |
had been informed of the 'elopement'
and was not to be fooled by his story
The lady's maid was about to 70 into
Mysteries when two girls and two fel
lows rushed out from a dark corner,
one OF the girls shouting. It's all right.
Mr. Detective l put up joke on
them wrote that letter, knowing
they We're going TO elope, but | didn't
know Kit. you'd take il so hard
She put her arms around the elop-
ing girl and tried TO quiet her, which
was no easy job The groom looked
as though he would like TO kin this
joking friend who had brought her
friends with her TO see the fun
AS soon as | saw that it was
genuine elopemeut. with frolic of
youngsters added took the matter
in good part, pronounced it a capital
joke and interceded with the bride and
groom for the ioEer's forgiveness. she
was the brides sister, and it was an
in the family But there wasn't much
time TO make up, for the train whis
tied and i'm few moments pulled up
90 the station The clippers got aboard
and the Young scamps who had played
the Joke fired a volley Of rice and old
shoes mo them as the train pulled out
That's the biggest sell on me | ever
had i'm this detective business
ut was a pretty serious Joke to play.