The Little River news., 1922-02-08
True Detective Stories TRIANGULAR FLAW

THERE was as little doubt that Lord Herbert Laurence Sheffield belonged to the nobility as there was about his natiolality-and that was apparent immediately from his monocle and his spats. Every shop keeper along the Via Shiaia in Naples knew his lordship, and every one of them admitted that a more repre- sentative member of the British aris- tocracy had never visited Italy.
 Lord Herbert was not only lavish with his money, but it was whispered around the Grand Hotel di Napoli that his daughter, Sylvia, soon was to be married to one of the richest men in England.
 Therefore when the English noble man wandered into the establishment of the largest jeweler in Naples some two months after his arrival in the city and asked to be shown some dia- mond necklaces, there was an immedi. ate scurry to wait upon him. Finally the proprietor himself requested Lord Herbert to come into his private of- flee while he took from the safe necklace valued at 45O,0OO francs, the property of client who was in finan- cial straits.
 T would like to purchase something to give my daughter for a wedding present. explained the Englishman, and the jeweler nodded, for the rumors of the engagement had already reached his ears. I'm afraid, though" con- tinued his lordship, that this neck lace Is little more expensive than I can afford at the moment. I don't doubt its value, but I'll have to have little time to think it over."
 Certainly" agreed the jeweler. T will be pleased to hold it as long as you wish and, should you desire to see and examine it again, I will be very glad to bring it to the hotel at your convenience"
 That would be excellent" assented the visitor, but I naturally do not wish my daughter to know anything about the transaction. The whole mat ter is to be surprise to her."
 A few days later, in response to Lord Sheffield's request, the jeweler took the necklace to the Grand hotel and found the Englishman alone in the room. After very careful ex- animation of the diamonds terms were agreed upon and Lord Sheffield had just produced his letter of credit from his wallet when girls voice was heard in the corridor, just outside the door.
 My daughter exclaimed the Eng lishman. "She mustn't know any, thing about this," and he swept the necklace and the wallet into the draw. CT of the desk before which he sat. A moment later Sylvia Sheffield came in and announced that her fathers tailor had arrived and wished to see him at once. Excusing himself with the state- ment that he would be back very shortly, Lord Herbert left the room and his daughter followed him imme- diately.
 When half an hour had passed the jeweler began to wonder what was de- taining his client, but he didn't worry in the least because his necklace and his lordship's wallet were there in the drawer of the desk, right under his hand. The transaction involved too much money to warrant any impa- tience, so it was not until two hours had slipped by before the jeWeler rang for the hotel clerk and requested to know what was detaining Lord Shef- field.
 His lordship and Miss Sylvia left the hotel nearly two hours ago. was the reply. "They had received a cable gram from England"
 Sensing that he had been robbed, the jeweler tugged at the drawer of the desk only to find that it was locked, but a moments examination of the next room sufficed to show that the wall against which the desk was placed had been pierced and that the whole procedure had been plot to lift the necklace and make quick getaway.
 Lvigi Bonfi, one of the shrewdeSt detectives in Naples, was immediately placed in charge of the case and tele. graphed to Rome to have the pair ar. rested. Sheffield, anticipating such a move had planted two confederates in the capital, and by the time that the police had found that their alibi was ironclad the real criminals were we'll on their way northward. Then fol- lowed one of the longest chases in continental detective history.
 Finally, after more than eight months, he located them in London, only to be met by the downright denial of the Englishman that he had ever used the name of Sheffield or had ever been in Naples. He accounted for his possession of number of unset dia- mOnds by the statement that he had bought them in the Argentine and ex- hibited bill of sale covering the gems.