Year: 1878

nc CtoFs q LStS-tiFe Clio.


"PlI tell you of an incident I never
reflect on without egret," said retired
old detective, the oner day, whilereciting
some of the stirring occurrences of the
early days of San francisco.


&" The life of detective is not one of
excitement merely It is sometimes
crossed with events as wild and startling
as ever gave coloing to romance. No
emotion, no passion phase of character,
is hid from us. Ne learn to play upon
the feelings, the hates and affections Of
men and women as uneTingly as the
pianist on his instrument. While the
casuist would hesitate to take advantage
OF this, the necessities we are under COM
pei US to omit 10 opportunity which may
lead Us TO success.


say this because the incident am
about to relate reveals what woman
viii DO when excited by jealously and
thirsting for revenge.


We were on the track Of p man who
had robbed an Hsvana jeweler of almost
incalculabe wealth. He had fed his
native island, and we were informed by
the Cuban authorities that in all probs
bility he had made his way 10 this coast.
At that time this city was full Of Cubsns
and adventurers from all parts of the
world. One couple, peculiar from all
the rest, excited the attention of the
then limited fashionable world, and be-
came the pets Of society. Their lavish
expenditure and almost eastern magnifi-
cence of apparel and equipage excited
the admiration and envy, it may be, Of
their fashionable acquaintance. They,
too, were Cubaus. The man, inheriting
all the peculiarities Of the Spaniard, was,
in personal appearance, a type OF his
race.


But I can not describe to you the
woman that passed as his wife. She was
the most beautiful creature ever saw
the idea of the poet when he psinted 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 en-
her face and brow, and in the dark, lumi
nous eyes q 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, aud we searched for him
incessantly. But, asif to balk our ex-
ertions and put to shame our efforts, this
is all we could learn. The Spaniard was
the only person who answered the de-
scription of the criminal. But Whist
folly to suspect him the petted courtier
of society-the millionaire he would
only laugh our suspicious to scorn. But
still we hung around him. By a strange
magical influence, it was impossible to
I divorce ourselves from the belief that he
was the party we were in search of. Thi
constant attendance at the places he
frequented, this lowering around the
/ sphere in which he moved, made us at
last acquainted with the fact that his
wife was unhappy and ill-trested by her
/ husband.


" He had begun to neglect her, and
pay assiduous court to a fashionable
nypph du pare. One night we saw him
enter the theater with the fair American,
and, entering a private bsx, was paying
her the most devoted attention. Shortly
( afterward a woman, whom we at once
/ perceived was his wife, but evidently
disguised, entered, and, passing around
/ the dress circle, took a seat directly
facing him. By a strange coincidence
she was right by me. She locked at the
couple in the bsx long and earnestly; her
face, which we eopt' from our posi-
tiOn, graduaiiy "a "a an i-5l7.f Expression
of the most fearful anuy indictive passion
l ever beheld, Accustomed as 1 was to
every phase of human emotion, it appalled,
me. At last she arose and left the theater,
followed by an attendant. Now was cur
time. 1 got up as quietly, and was by
her side when she reached the street.
/ was determined on a stroke of policy,
/ which, if l read her countenance Alright,
would place the man in our power. If
was mistaken it could do no harm. Actu-
ated by the impulse, placed myself in
front of her and raised my hat.


GO Madame, pardon mep


90 What do you want, sir, and who
are you?'


q" My name is -. This is my friend,
Mr.. -. We are detectives, and in
search of the robber of the Havana
jeweler. We believe you can point out to
us the man.


''' csnl canp


" 1t was almost shrek, so fierce and
bitter were the words.


/ Come with me-eome with me'


1t is useless TO detail what followed.
The next morning the fashionable world
was shocked by the intelligence of the
arrest of Don D. R; but it was
still more surprised TO hear that he was
betrayed by his pretty wife. We recov-
cred nearly $1,000 in jewelry and gold
But to the poor woman the result was
terrible She was but the victim of his
perfdy, but the moment she saw him
arrested, all the old love that had ruined
her returned. She chung to his neck
with a wild, frantic despair that was
terrible to see. The anguish of that
young face will haunt me 10 my dying