The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-01-30
Tracked by a
Human Weakness
o. WILLARD BLAKEMAN

rstars-nalleu ioi
WI twas Mortified at the an
nv "aauept that Leonard Marston had
fonnd murdered in his bed. Sill
waters was a summer settlement
!, wealthy persons who were not there
m;nter but MIarston had remained
mi The usual time, and the tragedy
...urr,-l late in November.
49, bonse had evidently been enter
!. sor the purpose of plumber. 1t was
es,orallv known that Mrs. Marston.
NO was iii the city at the time Of the
-rrlar had n great deal Of valuable
.rolrr Some of this was at the
..untry house, and it was all taken by
=. robbers. as were her husbands
.,rds sleeve buttons. scarfpins. etc.
when the police. who were called in
:. once. came they took possession of
,ho nremises. allowing nothing TO be
,oucbed fill the arrival of Dempsey. a
ao,aetive who was to make thorough
examination
nompsey lad reputation of being one
~ the nast skillful probers of crimes
N America. When he arrived he be-
esn bis search for something the Grim
nal or criminals had left as a possible
eIew There we're no footprints, which
IRA usually considered the most impor-
hnt pointers. Indeed, after an hours
methodiea investigation Dempsey had
discovered nothing. Then his eye
aueht a small object under a dresser
from which Mr.. Marston's belongings
bad been taken.
DRAWING an electric lamp from his
rocket. tie flashed it upon the object
md revealed stud. Taking it up, he
saw That il was a mosaic and recog-
uzed it as one that must have been
made ii Italy. Evidently In taking it
from Tie box In which it and other
articles ef like character had been kept
he THIEF had dropped it and 1t had
rolled under the dresser.
This was the only clew that was
found Dempsey inquired of Mrs.
Narston how many studs of the set
her hus Land had possessed. where they
bad been procured and any other in
formation the lady might give. lie
vas told that there were three studs
ID the set, with a pair of sleeve but
tons T. match. She had brought them
frafa wit no n hAr loS I'll
there during the previous summer.
The design was the same on all the
ruds and the sleeve links. copy of
he head of a statue In the Vatican
aled the Apollo Belvidere.
THAT will do" said Dempsey. 1T
nay be long chase. but If persisted
the thief and murderer will at last
h found"
Dempsey did not begin to probe the
natter till a month after the robbery, |
An he got up circular, copy of
Which he sent to every pawnbroker
nd manufacturing jeweler in Amer
h He gave a description of the mo-
bic stud and a picture of 1t. He got |
kthing from any pawnbroker, but
hm jeweler he received a letter
hting that two studs answering the
ascription in his letter had been made
hto pair of earrings in his shop.
Dempsey responded to the letter in
PRISON and learned that the work had
been done for q woman. She was well
nmembered by the clerk who took the
mler and was described as about
twenty eight or thirty years old, large,
nther nashy in her dress, and her face
and neck had been "calcimined."
From this point Dempsey worked
With a large corps Of assistants, whom
Be employed to go to public places of
,musemens dining places, cabarets-
indeed, such places as are frequented
y the floating population of cities.
Nevertheless a year passed with no
Insults.
At last one Of Dempsey's assistants.
girl about sixteen years old. report
q that friend of hers had told her
nat she had sat next to a woman at
! movie show who wore mosaic ear
mes representing "the head of man
NTH curly hair" The assistants were
Instructed to follow the person II met
With and note the residence. But the
woman with the earrings could not be
pahd. So the game was lost.
but Dempsey went at once to the city
Were the discovery had been made.
afed special corps of assistants and
sent about himself where pleasure
pnns People 60.
ohe evening after dining at a caba-
e' ne was lighting a cigar and about
" move on when a woman entered.
.usned nast him and took seat at a
-0e with her escort Dempsey's eyes
ere out for earrings. and he thought
= 'se the woman wore were mosaics.
ae 'ook seat at a table near the one
which the couple sat, but not near
.aOueh to get close view Of her ear
.a. The man ordered drinks. after
~-sn The couple danced. While they
al. ~ dancing Dempsey took a seat
Aalh few feet of the one the wom-