The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1917-07-13
TheStOlen
Diamond
A Case of Double Detective
Work.
BY DONALD CHAMBERLIN

One winter when congress was In
session l was invited to the national
capital to spend week with my
friend Jim Treusdail In company with
others, forming very pleasant house
party. Jim had not been long mar
MED, and was bachelor. l have
always thought that his wife got up
the affair especially for my benefit and
chat Of Miss Mildred Sweet, Mrs. Jim
desiring to make a match between us.
M she did she had no trouble, so far
rs 1 was concerned, for l had not
been acquainted with Miss Sweet ten
minutes before remarked to myself,
That's the girl l am looking for"
have a theory that good way to
win a girl is to conjure up something
I'm which you and she may have a mu-
fual interest. Fortune favored me In
this wise:
One evening at dinner Mrs. Jim show
ed plainly that something had hap
pened. She said nothing to any of the
guests and when they spoke to her
replied In mOnOsyllables. Treusdail
&abored hard to keep certain amount
OF life In the party, but was not sue
Scessful.
After dinner Jim took me up to
1iftle den he used to hide away in
sxnd told me what was the matter.
His wife had lost a diamond as big
=as a hickory nut. 1t had been handed
down to her from five generations and
been turned over to her ON her we'd
ding day. She had taken 1t out of
Its receptacle to wear 1t that evening
AT a reception that was to occur at
the White House and had left 1t on
her bureau while giving some direc-
&ions about the dinner.
He had no sooner told me this than
&c REQUIRED to me to make a detective
OF myself for the purpose Of discover
ing the thief and to take Miss Sweet
into the business with me. By inter-
assting her In the case I~hoped eventu-
=zlly TO turn that interest from the
gem to myself.
asked Jim good many questions,
but only elected the information that
every servant In the house during his
wlfe's absence from her room was
downstairs and quite busy, most Of
3hem with the preparations for the
dinner. The men guests were all I'm
kbe billiard room. Two of the women
guests were dressing In their rooms
Tor dinner and after that the function
N the White House. A third, Wild
Dw, Mrs. Jernegan, with little daugh-
TER, FIVE years old, had finished her
fpalet and was assisting her nurse to
puf the child to bed.
Mrs. Jernegan was my first choice
fhr the thief. Women who are not
d8Ressed don't run about In another
persen's house, and Mrs. Jernegan was
the only person on the floor at the
time the stone was lost. went to
the White House reception with Miss
Sweet and during the evening told her
about the loss and began to excite her
curiosity as to who could have been
the thief,
1T would be nice thing" / said,
~7r you and 1, working together, could
recover the stone and turn it back to
the rightful owner"
Indeed, it would" she said, "but
how can we do that?"
L don't know that we can, but we
-Gsn try
! confided to her that I suspected
Mrs. Jernegan. She did not especially
f9ncy the widow, but could hardly
!. bring herself to feel that she had
stolen the diamond. 1 told Miss Sweet
that she, being a woman, could keep
m eye on the suspect better than /,
=lrd she agreed to do so.
had a little scheme up my sleeve
TO compel Mrs. Jernegan to show her
cOlors If she were guilty. OF course
that was not proving her guilty or
getting back the stone, but it would
serve for clew. / invited party,
Including Mrs. Jernegan, to visit the
capitol. Miss Sweet was, of course,
with us. After showing the party
through the building l took them up
INTO the dome. There Is a whispering
gallery In this dome in which q voice
speaking on one side can be heard at
6he other. Leaving the widow on one
side Of the dome, took Miss Sweet
halfway round the semicircle, and,
watching till Mrs. Jernegan was sep
arated from the others, I suggested to
Miss Sweet to put her mouth near the
wal and whisper the words, what did
You do with itr'
She did so, and the effect was in
Simultaneous and unmistakable. The
widow staggered, turned pale and look
ed hurriedly about her. When she
turned her eyes upon US we were look
Snz down on to the marble floor far
below. F#EHE
Ny companion was delighted with
xhc success Of my device. she seemed
To be struck with surprise and admira-
ston at what she was pleased to call
my ingenuity. I was more interested
An Miss Sweet than In the thief. dis
claimed any great shrewdness-indeed.
fhus far I was simply lucky. But I
must keep up the illusion. must find
some method Of learning from the wild
ow what she had done with the dia-
RrOnd