The Washington herald., 1914-12-20


Bushels. We calculate that he
does the customs out OF something like
$50, 600 year, reg'lar. Though how
he does it the Lord sonly knows, for
he's watched and followed every step
he takes, but there's never any getting
to suspect; but suspecting doesn't make
good to the revenue what he does the
country out of, so Bingham's given or
ders that he's to be caught this time,
or thereu be several vacancies in the
force before September. That's what's
we're over here. He's over, too. Came
on the Carmania two weeks ago tomor-
row, and there hasn't been a moment
since that one of my deputies hasn't
had an eye upon hIm-here, and in
Amsterdam, too-but it's no go. We
can't get the goods on him, nohow-
he's too fly"
you're quite certain, of course, that
he is over here for the purpose of buy
ing diamonds this time, and not as a
little blufr to throw you on the track
OF some one else?'
Dead sure he amt. Makes half
dozen trips to Amsterdam every year.
Had him shadowed and made sure of
that: so. when he started over this
time, me and my mates hiked IT off to
Amsterdam ahead of him while he was
fooIing around in London. and laid the
pipes to get him foul the moment he
appeared. Turned up in Amsterdam
two days after we got there, and we
never lost sight of him from that mo-
ment. Made for one of the biggest
diamond dealers there, bold as brass,
not caring a hand who saw him-walk-
ed in, remained there for an hour and
walked out again; but in that time, as
have means of knowing-means that
l can't tell you, because 1 promised the
party who gave me the information
that I wouldn't give him away-he
bought something like $15O,OOO worth
of diamonds and paid spot cash for
them"
"Phew!" commented CIeek That's
what you call a pretty considerable
bunch on your side of the water, isn't
it? Did he walk out with his purchase
on his person?-or no; of course he
didn't. You'd have been on him like
a thousand of bricks IL he had tried
those tactics, and the inquiry regard
ing evidence would have ended then
and there, for you managed to have
him searched, of cOurse?"
sure! He hadn't gone fifty yards
before one of my men hiked II for the
hotel where the old blouser was put
ting up, got into his room, hid him
self. and the moment Solly came in
dropped down on him with a chloro-
formed sponge and had him limp in
less than no time. Then he let us in,
and we went through the place and
the man like a streak of creased light
ming. Not a diamond on him; yet he
hadn't stopped anywhere after leaving
the dealers he'd bought the things
from. OF course. we wouldn't have
touched 'em IL there had been; we
wouldn't have dared. He could have
land, where he had bought the things
at their market price, so there was
nothing illegal in his having them. But
grabbing 'em wasn't our game. We
wanted to have positive evidence that
they were in his possession, because
I'd cabled over a cipher message to
New York the minute the purchase was
later that he had the sparklers with
him when he started for home. But.
as l said before. it was no go; we never
found a blasted diamond"
Couldn't the man who told you
about the purchase tell you what had
become of them? Or was he merely
confederate. do you think, who had
shipped them of according to instruC-
tiOns as soon as you and your men
stagted of to follow this 'Solly""
Search me"' replied Swithers. "AIl
! know is that he said he didn't know
where they were sent. nor when
couldn't even tell If they had been re-
moved from the dealers custody yet
or not. But they were. For the next
morning Solly left for England-and
us after him-put up at the Savoy gave
all his time to sightseeing. going to
theaters and things like that, and to-
morrow he's to sail to New York on
the Mauretania. Sent his trunks on
ahead OF him this morning; but you
can bet your life we didn't let slip any
such opportunity as that Being an
international affair. and me and my
deputies the accredited agents of the
United States Customs, ii didn't take
us long to get permit to search those
trunks the moment they turned up at
Liverpool. No go again, Not a dia-
mond in 'em-nOthing more, in fact,
than just what Mr.. Solomon Rosen-
stein had brought over with him, ex-
cepting a silk dress and couple of
dozen pairs of kid gloves for Mrs. Sol
omon ROsenstein. which lie will open
ly declare and pay the duty upon
them when the vessel arrives at New
York. But he's got $15O.OOO worth of
diamonds somewhere about him, and
he'll carry them on board that ship to-
morrow to a moral certainty"
1T seems to me that that ought to
be sufficient evidence 10 go upon" said
Cleek. You know he has the stones,
SO it ought not to be impossible for
the customs officers to find them when
the vessel arrives. The laws Of your
government will, in such a case, sane
tiOn the searching of the effects and
person of everybody aboard the Mau-
retania upon its arrival; so, IL he has
a cOnfederate-among the passengers
or even among the crew-there would
be very little chance of that confed-
crate carrying anything ashore"
Rats! That's no catchr" said Swith-
ers with a sarcastic laugh. We've
done that little caper before-when
we've been almost as sure as we are
now that he'd carried the things over
but we never found anything, and
he got the sparklers ashore and past
tho customs in spite of US. Knowing
he's got 'em don't improve matters To
tell you the truth. it makes 'em worse
in this particular instance; for when
l cabled over about the purchase and
then was obliged to cable again to say
that he had left Holland and we had
no positive evidence how and when he
had got the diamonds out of that