Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-04-08
A BIT OF
WAX
BY WILLARD BLAKEMAN

an accountant in a banking house; but,
becoming homesick. / decided to return
to America. A few days before sail
ed the head of the firm called me into
his private office and told me that a
client Of the house desired that carry
for him to Boston valuable sapphire.
He would pay me handsomely for its
delivery in that city.
needed the money and accepted the
commission. l called for 1t the day I
sailed, wearing coat with a pocket
in the lining. In which the sapphire
was sewed by an Indian woman who
was called in for the purpose. though
she did not see the contents Of the
pocket or know that there was pock-
ct there
Ny route was by Alden, the Suez ca
nal. the Mediterranean and over the
Atlantic to New York, quite a long
journey and all In the same vessel. |
made the acquaintance of an Ameri-
can lady, Mrs. Gillette. whose maid
was 9 young Indian woman. The lady
told me that shortly before she sailed
the woman-Susan she was called, be-
cause her Indian name was hard to
mountaineering that she was in
tending to sail for America. came and
begged her to take her with her as her
maid. with no compensation except
paying for her passage. The lady,
who was subject to seasickness and
wished some one to wait Oh her. con-
sented. Mrs. Gillette was III in rough
weather. but well on a smooth sea.
Susan took very good care of her.
Since had told no one that l car
ried valuable gem and no one ex-
cept myself and the man through
whom 1t came to me knew where it
was l felt very little fear of losing it.
simply wore the coat in which 1t was
sewed by day and used it for a pillow
by night, so that 1t was always either
en- my back or under my head. But
enc thing occurred during the voyage
to cause me to suspect the possibility
of any one being on my track. One
day when about to enter my state
room l noticed something white not
as big as a pea on the floor directly I'M
der the lock. have no idea what in
duced me to pick 1t up, but l did so
and, crushing 1t between my thumb
and forefnger. found it to be wax.
Could any one have been taking an
room door? l dismissed the sugges-
ton at once as farfetched.
We had left Gibraltar and were
nearing the Azores when one morning
l awoke with head swimming SEN
sation. smelled a peculiar odor in the
room. l put up my hand to grasp my
coat, for felt that my head was with
out support. and was Mortified to find
the coat was not there. l arose and
looked about the room for it as best
could, but it was not in the room.
tried the door and found it locked.
The key had concealed under my
mattress. 1t was where had placed it.
The remembrance of the bit of wax
had found came back to me as the
only clew to this robbery. If an i'm
preston had been made for key the
key must have been made aboard the
ship. 1t could not have been FLED
without the filing being heard. Doubt
less 1t had been made in the ships
workshop. | went below and asked
the man In charge of the metal work
ing shop If he had been called to make
a key. He said that he had not, but,
after some thought. said that one of
the stewards had been in the shop
filing something. He remembered the
steward. and we found him.
l reported the matter to the captain.
who called the steward before him
and obtained a confession that he had
been tipped by a lady's maid to do
some filing on key. When called
upon to identify the lady's maid he
pointed out Mrs. Gillette's Indian girl.
Susan.
Before Susan got wind of the mat
ter a stewardess took her In charge and
another went through her effects.
My coat was found among them, but
the sapphire was missing. We were
obliged to tie rope around Susan,
threatening to put her overheard. be-
fore she broke down and told US where
she had concealed it.
No blame whatever was attached to
Mrs. Gillette. She had not the slightest
conception that her maid was not only
a thief, but had entered her service
knowing that she was about to leave
Cor America on~the same steamer as
/ and believing that carried the sap
phire.
This Is the explanation of how SUI
san acquSed this information. She
had been chambermaid in the hotel
where the owner of the sapphire stay
ed and had suddenly entered the room
and had seen him handling it. She
had watched him and had seen him
60 to the bankers. There she had sue
ceeded in making the acquaintance Of
the woman who had done the sew
ing on INV coat This was enough.