Year: 1878

Al lCll JOu vi dH luCluelJ
never reflect on without regret"
said a retired old detective, the
other day, swhile Freciting some of
the early days Of San Francisco.


"The life of a detective is not of
excitement merely. 1t is sometimes
crossed with events as wild and
startling as ever gave coloring to
romance. No emotion, no passion
or phase of character is hid from
us. We learn to play upon the
feelings, the hates and affections of
men and women as unerringly as
the pianist on his instrument. While
the casuist would hesitate to take
advantage of this, the necessities
we are under compel Us to omit no
opportunity which may lead us to
success.


Z" say this because the incident
| am about to relate reveals what a
woman will do when excited by
jealousy and thirsting for revenge.


"We were on the track of a man
who had robbed an Havana ieweler
of almost incalculable wealth. He
had fled his native island, and we
were informed by the Cuban author
tiles that in all probability he had
made his way to this coast. At
that time this city was full of Cubans
and adyonturers from all parts Of
the world. One couple, peculiar
from all the rest, excited the atten-
tion of the then limited fashionable
world, and became the pets of soci-
ETY.. Their lavish expenditure and
almost Eastern magnifcence of ap-
parel and equipago excited the al-
miration and envy, it may be, of
their fashionable acquaintance.
They, too, were Oubans. The man,
inherlting all the peculiarities of
the Spanlard, was, in personal ap.
pearance, type Of his race.


"But | cannot describe to you
the woman that passed as his wife.
She was the most beautiful crea-
ture ] ever saw-the idea of the
poet when he painted the dark-eyed
maiden, Khorassen, was realized in
her person. She seemed to me like
some living, beautiful idol for men
to worship. The tint of the olive
was on her face and brow, and in
the dark, luminous eyes a wealth
of affection; but, they told, too, of
spirit resentful of injustice, and
fierce in wrath as the glare of her
native sun.


"By the devious path we pursued
when on the trail of the criminal,
we traced 'our man to this city.
We knew he was here, and we
searched for him necessarily. But,
as If to balk all our exertions and
put to shame all our efforts, this is
all wo could learn, The Spaniard
was the only person who answered
the description of the criminal,
But what folly to suspect him -
the petted courtier Of sooiety-tho
millionaiPe-he would only laugh
our suspicious to scorn. But still
we hung around him, BY a strange
magical influence, it was impossible
to divorce ourselves from the belief
that he was the party we were in
search Of This constaRtattendance
at the places he frequDnted, this
lowering around the sphere in
| which he moved, made us at last
acquainted with the fact that his
wife was unhappy and ill-treated by
her husband.


Gle had begun to neglect her,
and pay assiduous court to a fash
ionabl6 nymph du pave. One
night We saw him enter the thea
ter with the fair American, and,
entering private box, was paying
her the most devoted attention.
Shortly afterward a woman, whom
we at once perceived was his wife,
but evidently disguised, entered,
aud, passing around the dress-cir-
Gle, took aseat directly facing him