The daily Alaskan., 1913-01-09
An Important
 Leak
By THOMAS R. DEAN


 position as clerk in large diamond house. The diamonds were received in the rough and ground in a department for that purpose. They were sold both at wholesale and at retail, the whole sailing being done upstairs and the re- tailing on the ground floor.
 One day just before closing the doors were ell locked and every em- ployee was ordered to a large room where the head of the firm spoke to us, He told us that there was a leakage of diamonds in the establishment and we must all be searched. This was done, but didn't learn that diamonds were found on any one.
 The leak continued-that was eyi- dent from the fact that number of methods were adopted for catching the thief, though all of them were fall ures A detective was introduced on the premises who went to work with us as an employee. We rarely had any change in the force, and pew man going to work among us, at time when goods were missed, made me suspicious of this person-Erhart was his name-and I fell to watching him. soon saw enough to convince me that he was what I took him for.
 In order to facilitate matters, the firm offered a reward of S2,5OO for evi- dence that would convict the perpe- trator of the theft. It struck me that the reward would be more effective than Mir. Erhart. But I hadn't much confidence fin either. Doubtless the thief had found some ingenious way of getting away with the plunder, and diamonds are so small that they could be removed without much chance of detection.
 l was working on a small salary doing boys work Boys are the most observing creatures in the world, and I was no exception to the rule. was not confined to any one department. l was doing odds and ends In all parts of the building. It struck me that l would like to earn that S2,JOO, ] was ambitious to set up fin some kind of a small business of my own, and the re- ward would be far more than enough capital for any l would think of going into.
 Nevertheless l did not go about the matter deliberately or methOdiCally. l didn't know how to make a beginning I supposed the detective would know all about that, and I enyied him his experience.
 About the time the diamonds were missed mice began to appear on the premises. Traps were set in different places, and every day one or more mice were caught But somehow the num- Der of mice didn't seem to diminish Then a cat was introduced. The cat, SO far as could be seen, didn't catch any mice, but the traps did.
 That gave me a suspicion that the mice might possibly have something to do with the missing diamonds. For my part would rather trust a cat to catch mice than a trap. have known mice to go all about a trap and let it severely alone The next time l saw mouse in trap I noticed that it had been caught in such way as to kill 1t. Indeed l couldn't find that one of them was ever caught by the foot or the tail or in any way that would not kill it.
 My suspicious having grown tn this direction, | resolved to watch one of the traps. But this was easier said than done. The traps were placed in secluded corners. Any one could go to them at any time, but they were not in position to be watched, I gained nothing by this idea.
 One day I found a mouse In a trap and concluded to throw 1t out did so and tossed 1t out through a window In the rear, where 1t fell in the small space between our building and the one behind 1t. | leaned on the window sill, looking down to see where 1t fell and to my surprise I saw sash that 
 stood about foot above the ground raised. a hand reach out and take the mouse in.
 The problem was solved. The dia- monds were removed In the mice.
 After taking time to consider what l should do I went to the head of the firm and told him that l could tell him of the way in which the diamonds were removed, though did not know who stole them or who received them I was told that if my information should lead to the detection of the thief would be paid the reward. then gave an account of my suspicious as to the mice being the means of conveyance for the diamonds, how ] had thrown out the dead mouse and had seen it taken In through a base ment window.
 was relieved of further responsi- bllity in the matter, the management of the concern using It's own methods to trap the guilty parties, They put a confederate in the building into which the dead mouse had been taken, who watched for the reception of another mouse, while a watch was also set on every tran. It was not long before