Year: 1870

to use very original phrase-,just
stepped out of band-box. He sat with
his legs under my mahogany, or black
oak, aad slipped Amontilabo, and ate
broiled woodcock, precisely as though
they were his daily fare. The doctor
would not, perhaps, have been considered
exactly the associate for a man in my po-
sition, the head of first-class CONNER
cial house--barring all egotism-but |
would have de6ed any one, by his looks
to have named his profession.


In two words, the doctor was protes.
sional detective, and in the line of his
business, had just done me a service which
the amount Of money had given him did
not pay for, and had extended the civil
ity of an invitation to dinner. at my own
house, for several reasons, one being that
| thought him quiet and entertaining
gentleman, and another that he had, by
his penetration and good management,un-
ravelled Il matter that had troubled me
very seriously for some weeks-not so
much by the loss of the money involved,
as from the fear lest the discovery should
inculpate some of my confidential employ
es in the counting house, not one OF
whom, when the affair first occurred,
could | look ON with suspicion, or think
of as guilty, without feeling Of intense
pain, all of them having been many years
with me, and endeared by faithful service.
Before 90 on with my main narrative,
perhaps it would be well to tell how |
came to employ the doctor on my behalf.
Although having no connection with the
tale, it will show wise heads-as they
think themselves-can he bothered with
a simple thing when unused to the busi-
ness.


From the day that | first came into
our house, as partner, have always at
tended to the cash and banking business
myself. all moneys, checks, drafts, etc,
passing through my hands or accounted
for to me- In three-and-twenty years
experience | never had an error but
which, on careful revision, could be recti-
fed, nor had any moneys ever been lost
or stolen.


You may Judge, therefore, OF my SUR
prise when, one day-it had been Il very
heavy cash day-on making up my ac.
count, | found myself two thousand three
hundred and fifty.seven dollars short.
There was no such amount entered in any
way that could possibly have made an
error in, and nothing in all my transac-
tions upon which to base my deficit. |
had but ,one place in which to put
my money during the day, and that was
in a drawer of my desk, solid old fash
ioned structure, attached to the building,
and put up when the Office was built, for
ty years before. Had the desk been one
Of the modern, tlimsy affairs, might
have thought that somebody could have
spirited the money out in some way, but
even the idea of a false key did not har-
monize with the. old fashioned lock and
and carried the key in my pocket, and
was rarely out of the office during the
day, except half an hour for lunch. and
then there were never fewer than three
or four persons in the same room At
night | invariably removed every dollar
to the safe, 30 that any appropriation of
funds must be made in the day time


This was the state of the case the day
that | was two thousand three hundred
fifty-seven dollars short. | went through
every pocket and available place on my
person, though | knew that | never put
any money about me, and then closed my
account with the deficit. making up my
mind not to speak of it that day, but to
consider it until the morrow, before |
asked advice. The morrow came, and,
utterly discomposed, admitted to my.
self my inability to straighten it and cal.
led in for advice Mr.. Conway, our old
and confidential ok-keeper, in whose
judgment | had great reliance Mr.. Con-
way did not, like the famous Dutch
squire, weigh the two accounts, and give
judgment in favor Of the heaviest, hut he
did almost as we'll lie footed up the
column ,of figures three or four times,
counted my cash-balance as often, looked
at me over his spectacles, and told me the
account was wrong-two thousand three
hundred and ffty-seven dollars short
That's all the satisfaction there was from
Mr. Conway. After this, pledghg him
to secrecy, thought it better to consult
nobody else, but watchfully wait events
charging the amount, as | was bound to
do, to myself personally.


How much, for days, this matter
troubled me, cannot relate; but, like
all things else, after two weeks had gone
by, and no elucidation had come to me
it began to wear away, when one day |
was amazed and Mortified to find another
deficit of nine hundred dollars. This time
| remembered some of the very missing
bills, and knew that they had been taken
from my drawer, had not left the key
in it one moment while was absent from
the room, and all day there had beer
present at least two persons beside my.
self and there had been also people
coming and going all the time, but these
were separated from me and the clerks by
railing, 80 that it was impossible foi
any person calling on business to ap.
proach nearer to my desk than ftteer
feet. This time | consulted with my
partners, and, after numerous theories-al
OF which fell to the ground-we conclud
ed to call in the aid of some reputed, able
detective officer; and having applied in
the proper quarter for such a person, We
were recommended to Mr.. Peter Schli
dorg, gentleman, who by the wink h,
gave me when had told him the Who'll,
story, and the assertion that, "We1l fl,
this job in half an hour" convinced IN,
that he would achieve nothing. Mr.
Schlidorg commenced his operation BY
glowering upon my employees, one by one
and looking into my money-drawer, an,
handling the money lovingly, so that
somewhat feared that he meant to confis
cate it as part of the evidence and end
ed by settling upon poor old Conway ,wh,
he mysteriously informed me, was tn,