The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-10-30
The Tell-Talc
Gloves
o@
BY EVELYN LEE


Folsom case if 1 had not met the Sis
ter of the party principally at interest,
her brother Gregory Folsom. He was
s high class wholesale diamond sales
man, had over 100000 in diamonds
and pearls ready to start on a long
trip, when between the hours of seven
and twelve, while the pair were at q
theater, a slick thief had forced a
door in their fiat, had burst open the
safe with that terrible instrument OF
cracksman ingenuity "the drag" and
had departed with the chamois strip
in which the gems were stored.
was at the time a stenographer
and private secretary to the chief OF
the detective bureau, was consider
able of a favorite with my superior
and had natural liking for mysteries.
Such the Folsom case was in the eyes
Of four Of the most noted experts
of the department, who visited the
scene of the burglary and came back
shaking their heads. seriously, with the
announcement:
sNo clew."
It was the following day that the
chief hailed me at my desk in ban
tering sort of way. "See 4.ere, Whar-
ton," he observed. "you have done
some good theorizing in your time
and have expressed longing for some
real detective work. How does this
puzzling Folsom case strike you? The
big four have thrown it In the air on
no thoroughfare' basis. The big
jewelry firm has offered $4,000 re-
ward. Why not take a hand and earn
enough to make you feel comfortable
for few years."
I had a talk with the head of our
crack professional quartette soon
afterwards. Blake Muriel was his
name and he had done some marvel
lous things in the Sleuth line, but ne
was short and snappy in his replies
to my interested inquiries.
Don't wing any hopeful flight on
that mixup," he advised. "1t's simple,
but trackless. One person broke into
the house, forced the safe and walked
of. It was neat, quick job. In one
thing, however, the criminal, for such
he was, and an accomplished one at
that, beat us to it. We relied on finger
marks. There wasn't one"
Two hours later I visited the fiat
where the crime had been committed.
It was Gregory Folsom himself who
met me at the door, and when l had
introduced myself as a special in
vestigator from the bureau he cordially
and courteously invited me into the
fiat. he looked anxious and de-
pressed, showed me the forced door
and that Of the safe, and was about
to make my departure when beauti-
full girl entered the room.
"My sister," he introduced briefly.
And then: "Eunice, this is man from
the detective department. have told
him all I know"
The charming creature bowed to me
pleasantly. Then to her brother.
"Did you mention the man whom. /
noticed hanging around the building
day before yesterday?''
"Why, no." responded Folsom. 'You
can't describe him.
, "And the gloves, Gregory"
: "Ah, yes, the gloves! I didn't think
Of that" said Folsom, and his sister
left the room and returned with pair
Of kid gloves in her hand. "We found
these in the hail." she explained, "wad-
ded up, as if worn for some purpose
and then thrown aside"
I examined them carefully. They
showed creases and peeling where
they had evidently been used for
some rough work. They were I'M
mensely large, quite beyond the num-
bers kept in the average glove stock.
They were brand new. Studying
them closely, I discerned that they
must have fitted to great splay hands.
Another discovery they were brand
new and workmanship upon them
showed that they had evidently been
made to order.
Something in my manner seemed to
inspire pretty Eunice Folsom with
curiosity and hope. 'Do they give
YOU any clews," she inquired eagerly.
And in response turned back the
inside of one glove. Across it was
stamped the name Of it's maker, Jules
Lefarge, % Conway street"
Every much so," said. "You have
furnished full start in the quest for
a man with remarkably large hands,
who wore those gloves so as to leave
behind no tell-tale finger prints"
Within an hour I was at the estab-
lishment Of Jules Lefarge. 1t was no
trick for him to Immediately recall
supplying dozen pairs Of gloves made
to order for a man with very large
hands a month prior. They had been
delivered to Benjamin Stole, 912 Park
Row. hurried thither to learn from
the landlady that the man with the
big hands had paid his bill the day
previous and had departed. But
letter had arrived that very same