La Junta tribune., 1913-01-11
"A PRACTICAL
EXPERIENCE
Ia ObtainiAs . Plaa Hes .
Detective Ssssy
., NATHAN JERnEcAn

A+i-tH-ifta-i-a-a
tive stories may be called literature
| OF course my work involves the inyeu-
tive faculty. and invention involye-
mental labor. often thought that II |
could obtain real cases. such as the
! sharp detective works out. I would be
/ able TO dispense with the hardest part
I of my work. | applied 10 the police
I for such eases. but all gu was the
( tracking Of u thief. q burglar or 5
murderer by some slip uade by the
perpetrator or some one el>e. There
WAS not enough In II to keep q reader
| In anxious expectation through several
hundred closely printed pages
one morning ! bad u real case come
/ TO me without any inquiry. was sit.
/ ting In my study rnckinx my brain fUr
material when u maid entered and told
me there WAS an expre~sman nt the
door with n package for me. went
| downstairs. receiptel for II and. tn InE
II to my den. removed the cover. open.
ei the box aud saw some jewels Re
/ moving tray. there lay twenty OF
thirty stone, apparently Of great value
! examined the address on the wrap
per. thinking that had recelpt.d for
| something intended for another but
there were my name aud address cor
r.cily written In every particular
What did II mcanf Instead Of SPEND
Z ing the rest OF the morning irylnE to
I invent detective story, ! was ur.u-
I pied in endeavoring to explain why
and from whom these jewel. had h,ru
sent me found the job more diflru't
/ than producing a plot. At last ! made
up my mind that must so about ii
meihodlcally Just ~ a detective begins
work Ia criminal ease.
First | went to the express ofiiHr 10
s.e II could learn there who sent the
package. but no one knew nu1 thing
I about IT, The -Npr.ssmcn dou a""p
Z records OF tn. s"ndcrs Of miscclllueuus
parkagrs The next question was.
Are the jewels real or limit gI.Hus
This ! might learn 10y submittinE them
To an expert Hut until the ~ siery
was explained did not care fu have
I auy one bat myself know thai fh.y
were In my possession They might
I b. stolen property. aud had ua mind
/ to 20 To jail ~ the thief How er. !
selected on. ~ few small Stone. 1
/ found in the tray aud took f rp
dealer ia gem, Tor insp-cinu a..
pronounced II genuine.
reiurn--i io ns study. ihr~A 0y-eif
into an .n~y chair aud rEan to
ponder The lcwriry had Ven sent
me by some one wlipm I e. Hot know.
for | had never l-.forr thc hand
writing. Then. cuuld have been no
mistsk. ~ to tb.. int"ut.ou Hut what
was back ~ the Intention
suddenly an explanation 1sshcd on
my brain lik. the iinme NJ q gun at
night The Jewels had bcrr sioicn. and
whoever had stolen them caring Ia
b. cauEh, with them In b. secession.
had sent them away Ars- all. was
not that good sch.u, Internal
machines aud I.oi-"ncd fn..I had been
scn, 10y express aud the .N.pter was
never discovered. The 'laf would
doubtless open commuulr.t.on with
me after the danger their rpsses.ion
would hrins him had passed
Then ih.r. was anoihcr Ssh In my
brain. aud another idea wHs born. l
had a defective case b.fory ne that I
might work ont myself uul max. II
til. them. of thrilling tale How
should | b.riuf Attempt io discover
the owner of the gems Nu Il would
BE- better to my purpose thar I should
max. that a separate problem should
! take the police into my 0uaddenc~r
BY no mcans-a, lcas, tn the denoue
mcnt. when tn. guilty PARTY had ieen
traced through tn. labyrinth n cIr'um
stance aud IN. hero detective. totnt
Ing his finger ni him. cries. Thou art
the man Ny plan would "a. 20 show
up the Ingenuity Of my hero in cvu.
trnst with the stupidity Of the police.
should advertise the Jewels In such
Q why that the thief would rrcownixe
that they were the property IN which
be was intere.tedi No, til he had
time 10 feel n-aurs-i tina, those huuting
I ~
this would involve delay. aud I wss
anxIous to pull the thread OF III, lnvss.
eiwstiOns 1t once. No ! advertised (het
u the party who had ai.dircct-i soaps
pevperty sent by express would -.
6ress me NJ the once of the n.w~patses
containing the al. he would learn sops.
thing to his advantage.
] rec~ived no reply to this. but very
ecou . note came through the mali
stating that certain property had besa
eddre~-ef to me by mistak. aud u I
would ssturn II. asking no auesaSsoA
AAls ~ value would he deducted. ~
was plain from this that my thesry
was corr~rt The jewels had bsso
0eoleu. aud the thief was incllneA -
ortbe me to return them 10 him WITH
out giving him away. To cnse my CO.
scSsucs be said the matter rested a. q
a tnlIy affair that he Wuu not n, itn>~ev