The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1912-01-20

possibilities but charged with delusive
signs Of beckoning trails that he in
stnctively knew led TO nowhere. lie
was still treading lightly the mazes
of the case. One false step might be |
fatal, and he preferred to remain in |
crouching attitude OF watchfulness. !
ready to spring from cover at the |
proper moment.
Much as he deplored his enforced |
inactivity, he nevertheless had faith |
in the final outcome. A quick mental |
survey of the case convinced him that |
the first necessity was to find the |
maker of the paste stones. Whoever
made the duplicate Maharanee would
surely recall having done so. There
we're few Europeon firms that could
have made the stone. It was doubtful
whether any American manufacturer
could have turned out substitute to
fool the eyes of Mrs. Missioner, even
| for night. It is hard enough to get
the compact brilhance of the diamond
in a small paste gem; infinitely more
| difficult is it to manufacture coun-
] ltl ltll Mdhhl dlEtts lDlANE hltM NudI
whoever copied the cut and luster of
| that marvellous stone was an expert
of high caliber. No faint simmer of
] glass could have availed to deceive
Mrs. Missioner The laboratory fire
that cleaned from the duplicate was
the work of years of experiment. and
only in Paris, Britz believed, was the
art Of manufacturing paste gems suf-
ficiently developed to bring forth a
satisfactory duplicate of the Mahara-
nee.
Three weeks, at least, must elapse
before word would come from Logan.
The emissary sent abroad was himself
n diamond expert. Before entering
the Detective Bureau, he had been a
foreign agent Of the United States
Treasury Department. If the dupli.
cate necklace was manufactured
abroad, Logan would find the manu-
facturer without delay. Bri.z had
faith in his man, and no waited inn
patiently through three weeks of tor
ment for the first cablegram. II came
finally, and he opened It with nervous
fingers.
missioner necklace manufactured
from drawings by three firms. Orig
inal never in possession of manufac-
turers."
Britz let the telegram iutter to the
floor.
"I knew IT." he burst forth They
wouldn't have dared to take the orig
inal out of the safe without immedi-
Ately replacing Il with the duplicate" +"
He picked up the message and
burst into the Chiefs room.
Read it," he exclaimed.
The Chiefs eyes drank in the
words, but his brain failed to grasp
their underlying meaning.
"I don't see that this proves any
thing" he remarked.
'Tt proves everything" volleyet
Britt. 1T proves that the thief was {
clever draughtsman. It proves tha
he spent weeks sketching the neck
lace, stone by stone, and 1t proves
too, that he went to Paris to have tn
I duplicate made"
e 1T proves all that" agreed tn
= Chief. But who had the opportunit,
+ to see the necklace a sufficient mum
j. Der of times and long enough to maxi
S the sketches? Who but Miss Hol
!, comb?"
81 will find someone who had al
3 most as good an opportunity" Brit
! returned confidently.
s And If you do, what will It mean?
+ asked the Chief.
: 1T will mean something to worl
on" the detective said.
:. The next twenty-four hours Brit
a spent in the quiet Of his home
his mind focused on the prof
, lem before him, trying to map out hi
line of procedure. Plan after plan h,
, discarded as worthless. He could hav'
struck out blindly in the hope o
stumbling on trail, but that was no
u Brtz's method. Crime mysteries were
to him scientific problems TO be solved
s by scientific means. Step by step h
J. went over the ground already covered
n and then swept the outlook with thu
o keen searchlight of his mind.
J. BY a process of elimination he trie'
o to sift the real thief from the groul
l. of suspects on whom his mental ei
u forts were concentrated. He was uI
+ able to drag forth the culprit. Then h