Mountain advocate., 1914-03-27
'PT RIGHT 1912 BOB8S- MERRILL CO

Within a week we were secretly en-
gagged. ! supposed that he was an
American army officer on special duty.
him about our troubles and my wish to
help Juan. My mind was made up by
that time-I would sell my jewels be-
fore my brother returned to prevent
me. l told this to Captain Hanska. He
offered to help He said that he must
go to England the next week. and In
England he could sell them to much
better advantage than in Port OF Spain.
Agreed trusted him absolutely, you
see. Then he told me that he could
dispose Of them more easily, and for
more money, II he appeared to be the
owner. So I made out and signed a
bill OF sale, describing in detail every
piece to the last ring and pin, and
transferring them absolutely to him.
Now know what foolish thing did.
For that made the Jewels his property
in law, as surely as though he had
bought them from me.
THE steamer on which he planned
to sail for England-he told me-was
due to leave Port OF Spain on Wednes-
day morning. On Monday night he
visited me and took away the jewels.
He said that he wanted to register
them in advance with the purser. He
promised to come again on Tuesday
night. He did not appear. ! learned
the next morning that he had left on
Tuesday for New York. l started for
the pier from which the Southampton
steamer sails, In order to see II there
was any mistake. On the way, met
friend of the family who had been
waiting to warn me. He had found out
about Captain Hanska's career in Cara
cas-. He proved to me that the captain
was an adventurer and almost a pro-
fessional gambler. Then understood.
told no one about the jewels until
Juan came back; but | wrote a letter
to Captain Hanska in care of the
steamship company. Somehow, 1t
reached him. He answered II with a
cold letter, claiming the jewels abso-
lutely and stating that he bought them
from me.
THAT arrived just after Juan came
back from Caracas. Juan had not
succeeded in raising money. The plan.
tation went into bankruptcy. That is
the matter with my eyes. They had
always been troublesome. But now
gave them a real disease by weeping.
(Here, as Miss Estrilla made her
statement, she spoke broken phrases
about another loss. The police ques-
toned her infinitely to discover what
she meant Upon finding that she re-
ferred merely to the loss OF a whole
hearts love, they dismissed this part
of her statement as immaterial, and
did not enter it upon the record.)
Il told Juan. of course. He was very
kind to me. He did not reproach me.
But we could do nothing, he found.
Captain Hanska had landed in New
York-the passenger lists showed that
II was certain that he had struggled
the jewels into the United States with.
out paying duty; and we confirmed
that afterward We decided to 20 to
the United States and see II we could
get them back--if not the jewels, at
least the bill of sale-because II the
diamonds we're in our possession with
the bill of sale destroyed, we could
prove by half the people in Port OF
Spain that they were ours. We were
safe in stealing them from him-per-
fectly safe. For he would not dare
complain to the New York police,
since If he claimed them publicly, we
could have him arrested for Snug
Cling.
Juan thought that all out. We took
what little money we had left and
started for New York, telling our
friends that we were going to settle in
New Orleans. Juan wrote to our
uncles in Caracas and secured the New