The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-03-08
Stories of Strange Cases Solved in Secret BY
Banker-Detective- BY ROBERT CARLTON BROWN.

dica,ed the hardwood floor, without a
rug and with no possible creViee IA
which even pin could lodge. We
are shut in on all sides with three.
foot siding. There is no place Tor the
gem 10 be concealed.
IAN of which proves that n IS not
here. doubt IL il is even in the thea
TOR AZ this moment. IL was clever,
very clever replied Poe, stepping TO
the side of the young lady. on ner
knees, still searching. There Is NO
use. he snid to her
" This is Mr.. Poe Christopher Poe
her father introduced in iurried tone
:. You have heard me speak of MN
Hes Just arrived from Hamburg,
"Oh, yes. You saw the stone drop
Just nowip the girl asked quickly, her
eSSs : Yes. ss.'' but. Sp reaily, there is no use
looking Poe's tone possessed
strange Gnahty. He bent to remove
the light chain of fine gold which stisl
clunp TO the gnrdeuia, and made a
casual examination OF ~.
"Nipped off with pair OF, pliers,
he smiled. "A common trick, easily
executed by fifty men in Paris: Your
tightly pinned scarf prevented 1t from
dfopninp or being stolen in the crowd.
You felt nothing. | suppose. on the
wav from the carriage to the en-
UI was n bit anxious. - she admitted,
turning up her flushed face. 81 pressed
the level tightly through the scarf,
Now that Won speak OF 1T; did feei
something cold touch the back OF my
neck an instant, but / felt quickly
for the chain and found il safe, only
protruding slightly above my scarf In
the back.
:" And already severed by pair OF
pliers cone ealed in clever hand,
added Poe. lit has happened often,
this nipping You were pressing the
stone with your hand on the scarf The
thief knew he could not get the gem
in the crowd; he waited for you TO un-
pin the scarf when you were safe III
the box and of your guard. The stone
slid down, and dropped the moment
YOU threw the wrap back and leaned
forward: but, naturally, you did not
notice il nj the exact instant of rail-
ing; several seconds passed before the
discovery. and that was all the thlef
needed.
",You don 7 mean that the thing is
stolen. It's surely here somewhere. IL
couldn't have disappeared from the
box in that instant.
Certainly no person saw 1t dlsap-
pear" replied Poe II WAS watching
tue Curtain hyoeiAJ AZ va" NV
There was no one in the passageway
behind the box, and surely no thief in
side it,
'sThen how could the stone have
disappcaredi' cried the girl. =" You
can see at n glance there are NO cracks
or crevices it could have slipped
through or lodged in -
"That S the only assurance l nave
that it is stolen,' answered Poe. bend
ing his short waist, and picking a
small splinter of wood. not a quarter
OF an inch long, from the leg OF char
near the doorway.
.'But it's absurd TO think that any
one could have stolen the jewel IN the
second il dropped to the floor before
/ stopped TO find 1t. -
''As much AS ten seconds elapsed
after the icwe: ss,. struck the floor
before you began looking for it. Miss
BlondelI Much can be done IN that
space Of time But the performance
is beginning" He broke off abruptly
a. the lights ware turned out in differ
ent parts of the house,
Father! they must leave the lights
on!' cried the girl eve can't lind
the jewel in tho dark
alt is quite useless answered Poe,
with a careless shrug of his shoulders,
"The stone is probably on it's way to
Montmartre by now. You see, Blon
dell, - he turned 10 the wavering
father, 'the floor slants down TO the
framework in front: it is quite bare
The stone could not have rolled up
hill and out into the passageway. Sc
sether. As the chain was cut on the
way from the carriage 20 the door, We
must believe the stone is stolen
''But il seems impossible declared
BlondeIl, lowering his voice, as the
curtain went up. and the audience
found itself with diverted interests, the
majority more concerned In. the stage
box tablcau.
at couldu' Z have bounced up three
feet and over onto the stage, ii couldn I
have been picked up by the gentleman
abruptly, his brows shot up on hi
forehead and the satirical wrinkle
again appeared, joining the corners o.
his nostrils and lips. lie had glanced
toward the other box, and found j
empty. For n second he fingered tn,
splinter of wood in his pocket, tn
wrinkles deepening and his eyes fixed
Turning short, DC said in Low
tone to Blondcl. '"Wait for me at Pal
ais 'Orsay;'' then he bowed absent.
TO the girl. ducked through the plus
|
! As he sat in cab five minutes later
on his way 20 music hall in Rue d
| Cliehy, Christopher Poo looked am
acted more like a bored Frenchnan j.
search of pleasure than anything else
/ Had the Jehu who drove known th
truth about his fare, he would bay
been more particular in mis- work, an
would never have dared TO juggle wit
| the little taIimeter At his side. Blu
Poe, glad TO be relieved OF his des
duties, and enjoying his holiday i
Paris, kept no worry book in which {
write down such daily vexatioBs a
crooked taximctcrs.
As he sat back in the cab and drov
through the fascinating streets of ol
Paris. he was both sorry and happ
that he had stumbled onto so interes
ing n crime.
The cab dropped him before a pop,
lar Clichy music hall. and he steppe
into the managers small office I
front
~ want the names OF all the lege
demhin performers on your circui
Only those not working now; anv a.
out Of the ordinary. Monsieur Flenrv,
II he -aii having shaken hands roriiail