An Artist In Crime

An Artist in Crime by Rodrigues Ottolengui

[Copyright, 1896, by G. P. Putnam's Sons.] 

"Randolph, your repeated allusions to Miss Remsen in this connection, and especially your insinuation that I would ask her to be an accomplice in such a piece of duplicity, and that she would consent, are distasteful to me in the extreme. If you will pardon my saying so, it is a poor entertainment to offer a guest."

"Oh, I meant no offense, old man, I assure you! We will drop the subject, of course."

This was followed by a silence. Mr. Randolph was at his wits' end to find a way to force Mr. Mitchel to talk. He felt that nothing had been accomplished. Mr. Barnes, however, thought differently, for he had at last come to a positive conclusion. From Mr. Mitchel's tone of voice and the words of his last speech the detective felt certain that whatever part Mr. Mitchel himself may have played in the robbery Miss Remsen was innocent. He also wondered whether the conversation would now drift back to the ruby. Perhaps it would not have done so had not Mr. Thauret, who, up to this point, had scarcely spoken during the progress of the meal, once more broached the subject.

"I beg pardon, Mr. Mitchel," said he, "but your remark just now, that there is something special about the lost ruby, has greatly excited my curiosity. Unless you have some private reason for not doing so, I beg that you will tell us the history of the gem, if it has one."

There was a pause, during which Mr. Mitchel looked at his plate and seemed as though studying a problem. Mr. Randolph was delighted that Mr. Thauret had come to his assistance in this unexpected way, and as he observed Mr. Mitchel's hesitation it seemed to him that there was a contest going on in his mind between a powerful desire to talk on his hobby and some prudential whisper that silence would be better. The detective also waited with some anxiety, a piece of a sweetbread on his fork, carried but half way to his mouth.

"Well, gentlemen," at last said Mr. Mitchel, "I will tell yon the story." Mr. Barnes took the tidbit from his fork with a smile that showed his teeth as they bit it incisively. "First join me in a glass," continued Mr. Mitchel. "Drink this ruby colored wine and pledge me that you will not repeat what I say. This only because I do not wish to attain the unenviable reputation of being a romancer, as I certainly should if some reporter should hear and publish the story now while the loss of the gem is fresh in the memory of all."

The pledge was given, and Mr. Mitchel continued:

"That you might better appreciate this stone, I might begin with a dissertation on rubies, explaining to you the difference between the true oriental gem, which is rare of any magnitude, and the poorer specimens, known as spinels. However, you would only accuse me of ventilating knowledge which has come to me through the study of my hobby. I will come at once to the story of the lost jewel. Just where it was first found is not accurately known, and of its earlier history I can only tell you what has been told me. You may believe as much or as little as you like. The history then begins with the finding of Moses in the bulrushes and the subsequent gift to him of this ruby by the daughter of Pharaoh. Thus we hear of it first in the royal house of the Egyptians. There was another gem, the exact counterpart to it. This Pharaoh had among his treasures and wore upon state occasions. With the exodus of Moses and the Israelites the ruby passed out of Egypt. From that time for many centuries its history is not marked by any great event, save that we learn that it was kept by the high priests of the synagogue and so passed down from generation to generation. One odd fact I must not forget. The deep red color, as you know, is the most prized. The color of this ruby at the present time is the most perfect in existence. Yet, so the story goes, at first the matched pair of gems were of a pale rose color."

"Do you mean us to believe," interrupted Mr. Randolph, "that the color has deepened with time?"

"I do not ask you to believe any thing. But it is not time that is supposed to have improved the color. With the conquest of Jerusalem this jewel fell into the hands of the Romans, and so in time came into the possession of Caesar. In his courtship of Cleopatra he soon discovered that extraordinary woman's passion for resplendent jewels, and he was audacious enough to present it to her. Fearing that this might be readily traced to him when the jewel was missed, as it would surely be, he told her secretly of his purpose and then tied it about the neck of a pigeon, which flew with it directly to the [unclear] Cleopatra, who awaited the arrival of bird on the rooftops. The pigeon, when nearly home, was attacked by a hawk and Cleopatra ordered one of her archer to slay the larger bird with his arrow. This the man attempted, but struck the pigeon, which fell, bleeding and dead at the queen's feet. She at once removed the gem, which was covered with blood and dyed with it a rich red."

"But, Mr. Mitchel," said Mr. Thauret, "surely a ruby could not absorb blood?"

"It is the history of the gem." Mr. Mitchel spoke in so odd a tone that one almost thought that, carried away by his love of precious stones, he had imbibed some of the superstition connected with them. He spoke as though he believed the tale. Mr. Barnes began to understand what Mr. Randolph had meant when be said that perhaps the desire to possess a rare stone might tempt this gentleman to commit a crime. Mr. Mitchel continued:

"I need not follow the story of Cleopatra. It is too well known. But there is an incident that has not been written in the general history of her career. There was an Egyptian priest who was madly in love with her, and in a moment of impulse he dared to tell her of his attachment one day when alone with her. She seemed slightly amused at his ardor, and asked what he, a poor priest, could offer her, who had rich rulers at her feet. In desperation he answered that he could give his life. The queen laughed and said: 'That is mine already. But you priests claim to be all wise. Find me the mate to my great ruby and perhaps I will listen to your love pleadings.' To her intense surprise the man replied: 'That I could do if I dared. The gem which you have has but returned to its proper place. It was once Pharaoh's. He also had the mate to it, which from him descended through kings to Rameses the Great. It is buried in his coffin.' 'Get it for me,' was the terse reply of Cleopatra, given now as a command rather than a request.

"In fear the priest went into the pyramid and stole the jewel. When he presented it to Cleopatra, she cried out at him: 'What fool's trick is this? Do you think this pale stone a match to mine?' The priest explained that hers had been dyed red in the blood of the pigeon. 'Ah, so!' she replied. 'Then this one shall be also a richer red. You promised me your life once. I claim it, and in your blood this stone shall be steeped till it matches the other in color.' She carried out her threat, and the two stones were once more mates."

"What an absurdity!" exclaimed Mr. Randolph.

"Do not say so," said Mr. Thauret. "We cannot tell what may happen in this world."

"The next change of owners was when Cleopatra killed herself. One of her handmaidens stole the two rubies, but she herself was taken, a slave, to Rome and sold. Her purchaser discovered the rubies, took them from her, and then secretly murdered her, lest she might tell that he had them. From this time on they have gone by the name of the 'Egyptian gems.' I need not give you the whole list of robberies and murders that have been connected with the two stones, though I have the written record complete, with names of all the victims. Suffice it to say that for years no one was the gainer by getting possession of them. They have always been impossible to sell until I bought this one, which is the first time either ever was offered honestly in the market. Before this each new owner had obtained the jewels either by theft or murder and dared not admit that he had them. Another curious thing is that no one has ever succeeded in hiding the jewels so that they could not be found. They have been secreted between the stones of a wall, they have been sewed under the hide of an ass and hidden in other equally obscure places, yet always the next thief has found and taken them."

"Ah, that is interesting!" said Mr. Thauret. "But tell us frankly, since we are pledged not to repeat what we hear, do you suppose there is any power inherent in the stone which attracts persons to their discovery?"

"I cannot say, but that is one of the claims. This seems to be substantiated by recent events too."

"How so?"

"Well, my usual interest in large gems led me to police headquarters when that woman Rose Mitchel was killed, after having been robbed. The jewels, you remember, had been quickly recovered and are still in the hands of the police. I was allowed to see them, and the ruby in that lot is undoubtedly the mate to mine."

"You think that it was the presence of that stone which led to the discovery by the police of the satchel containing the jewels?"

Mr. Thauret seemed much interested, but Mr. Mitchel merely shrugged his shoulders for answer, though it seemed plain that he did hold that opinion. Mr. Barnes wondered whether Mr. Thauret's interest was due to the fact that, having stolen the jewels, he was astonished to bear of so strange an explanation of their recovery from the hotel where he and hidden them. Yet the man's next words seemed to dispel such an idea. He said:

"You may believe in that sort of thing, Mr. Mitchel, but I, who have only modern ideas, cannot accept any such theory. The fact that the stones have always been discovered when hidden has led those who know the history to mistake a chain of coincidences for evidence of supernatural power within the stones themselves. I think I can readily account for the series of hidings and findings."

"I should be "pleased to have you do so," said Mr. Mitchel.

"Have yon never read Edgar Poe's tale, the one where a letter is stolen and hidden? The detectives failed to find it, though it was in plain sight all the time, but another man did find it. He went upon the correct theory that the thief, knowing that a search would be made, and guessing that all obscure places would be explored first would hide it in some commonplace manner. He visited the apartments, and found the letter in the letter rack. Now this is ingenious, but Mr. Poe here gives us a bit of special pleading and a curious anomaly at the same time. He wished to show that an obscure corner would be a bad hiding place, and so worked out his result. At the same time he draws a skillful thief who baffled expert police, and yet who hid his letter where the first man with brains easily found it. This is the anomaly. Where the article is small, as is the case with this lost ruby, there is but one safe place for the thief to hide his stolen property. "

" And that place is?" asked Mr. Mitchel, himself betraying interest.

"Upon his own person, where at all times he could be on the alert to thwart the searching committee."

"Ah, you are forgetting," said Mr. Mitchel, "that idea was not overlooked by Edgar Poe. In the tale the man was waylaid by officers in disguise, who bound him and then searched him. If the letter had been about him, it would have been found."

"Not at all. The letter was placed in an envelope, which had been turned, and then mailed so that on the reverse it received the postal imprint. This foiled the detectives when they examined the letter rack. It would have fooled them in exploring his pockets if found with other letters similarly addressed. On the other hand, had it been in his pocket the man who finally obtained it could have done so by creating a confusion in the street which attracted the man to the window. It would have been difficult for him even to guess that it was in the pocket. Besides with the ruby it would be simple, since it is an article that can be disposed of at a moment 's notice."

"Very true," said Mr. Mitchel, "but" - Here he paused for a moment and seemed abstracted. Quickly recovering, he said: "What was I saying? I have lost the thread of our conversation."

"Mr. Thauret suggested that the thief could keep the ruby about him," replied Mr. Randolph.

"Ah, exactly! Now I remember. Well, I should say that it would be a hazardous undertaking. I believe, had I stolen the gem - as, by the way, Randolph, you suggested - I could do better than that."

"Ah," said Mr. Randolph, "this is getting interesting. Come, tell us. How should you hide the jewel, supposing that you had taken it?"

"That is a leading question," said Mr. Mitchel. "I prefer not to answer it. Walls have ears, you know." He said this in a significant way that made Mr. Randolph uncomfortable for a moment. Mr. Mitchel at once continued, "I will say this, however, that the thief, whoever he is, cannot profit by his theft."

"Why not?" asked Mr. Thauret.

"Because there is not another gem in existence save those two which are so absolutely perfect in color. In fact, they are the standards by which rubies are valued. It is claimed that the expression 'pigeon blood ruby' owes its existence to the staining of one of these gems in the manner described. Dealers sometimes cut a pigeon's throat to compare the blood with the color of a gem being appraised. The significance of this is that the stolen gem cannot be sold as it is because it would be recognized, and I have notified all the great dealers in the world that my 'Egyptian gem' has been stolen. If it were attempted to have it cut up, the lapidary would at once report the matter, as the reward offered by me is greater than could be earned by recutting the stone."

"Suppose that the thief himself is a gem cutter?" asked Thauret.

"Even then the perfect color would at once tell the first dealer to whom he applied that the 'Egyptian gem' had been recut."

"The thief might be a patient man, and all things come to him who waits," replied Mr. Thauret.

"True," said Mr. Mitchel. "But mark my words, the 'Egyptian gem' will not be sold by the person who has it now."

"Especially if that person is yourself," said Mr. Randolph.

"Just so," answered Mr. Mitchel. The conversation now drifted to other things, and shortly after, the dinner being over, the three men separated. As Mr. Barnes was about to leave the main dining room one of the servants handed him a note. Supposing it to be from Mr. Randolph, be opened it at once and was surprised and chagrined to read:

When Mr. Barnes next plays the eavesdropper, he should be careful to observe whether a mirror reflects both sides of a portiere which he might suppose would conceal him. Mitchel.

"The devil take it!" muttered Mr. Barnes. "I wonder at what point he discovered my presence. Was that last part - about his having warned all the dealers - thrown in gratuitously for my benefit and to lead me to suppose that some one else stole the stone? If so, why does he now let me know that he saw me?"

CHAPTER XIII.

MR. BARNES GOES SOUTH.

Mr. Barnes now began some researches into the past history of Mr. Alphouse Thauret. Obtaining the date of his first registry at the Hoffman House, he found that to be about a month before the train robbery occurred. binding the expressman who had brought his baggage to the hotel, it transpired that it had been taken from in English steamship, yet the name Thauret did not appear on the list of passengers. As it was certain, however, that the man must have arrived by the ship it was evident that Thauret was an alias. Mr. Barnes copied the ship's list for future reference. A search for he name Rose Mitchel was fruitless, though extended to the passenger lists of all arriving steamers for two months prior to the murder.

Believing that Mr. Thauret must have some communication with foreign friends and hoping to obtain some clew by the postmarks of any such letters,

Mr. Barnes arranged an espionage of the man's mail. But though the hotel clerk reported to him daily for several weeks there was not one foreign letter. As to money, Mr. Thauret appeared to be well supplied, playing his board bills promptly with checks upon a neighboring national bank, in which it was ascertained that he had deposited to his credit several thousand dollars.

Thus after a long investigation Mr. Barnes was chagrined to admit that he had discovered nothing save that Mr. Thauret had come across the ocean under an assumed name, and even this meager knowledge was a mere matter of interference.

Though baffled in this direction Mr. Barnes had been more successful in another effort which he essayed. This was a line of investigation which he inaugurated hoping to discover the whereabouts of the child Rose Mitchel, who was so skillfully kept in hiding. He had first instructed Lucette as to the part she was to play, and that young woman, anxious once more to stand well with her employer had exerted herself to her utmost, entirely succeeding in her mission. This was to obtain some of the writing of the child. "Go to the house again," Mr. Barnes had suggested, "and get into conversation with that same servant who met you at the door on your first visit. Then in some manner obtain a specimen of the child's writing. An old copybook would be just the thing." Lucette carried out these instructions to the letter, and by bribing the servant girl at the school obtained exactly what the detective had suggested, a copybook in which little Rose Mitchel had practiced writing.

Armed with this, and selecting a specimen which seemed best suited to his purpose, Mr. Barnes next bribed the mailboy at the Fifth Avenue hotel to examine all letters addressed to Mr. Mitchel until he should find one in the same hand. It was not until early in March that this patient work resulted in success. Then one day the boy reported to Mr. Barnes that the expected letter had at length arrived. The postmark indicated that it had been mailed at East Orange, N.J.

"So that is where the little bird is hidden," said Mr. Barnes to himself when this information reached him. Summoning Lucette, he sent her to East Orange with these instructions:

"Now, my girl, I'll give you another chance to redeem yourself. You are to go to East Orange and find that child. The most promising plan in through the postoffice. I will give you a note to the postmaster that will aid you. Should a letter be sent to the child either by Mitchel himself or by Miss Remsen, you will learn of it through the postmaster. The rest of course will be simple."

"But suppose," said Lucette, "that the child's letters are directed under cover to the parties with whom she is living? What then?"

Will be continued.

A Water Sprinkler

In Which the Ypsilanti Business Men are Interested.

The Damage Case Was Tried in the Circuit Court Today and Has Been Taken Under Advisement.

The case of George W. Hays vs. Wm. H. Sweet, Harlow P. Wells, et al., was heard in the circuit court today. The case grows out of the death of a child of Mr. Hayes' caused by his being run over by a sprinkling wagon owned by the Business Men's Association of Ypsilanti. The accident by which the boy was killed occurred in 1896. It appeared from the testimony that before the death of the child the father sought legal advice relative to the matter. While the child was dead in the house, the Business Men's Association through Messrs. Sweet and Wells sought to make a settlement with Hayes. He claims that they agreed to give him a $100 in cash and take up a big subscription for him and also that Mr. Sweet promised to give his wife a new dress. After a settlement had been agreed upon, Hayes said he had placed the matter in the hands of John Lawrence and he could not settle without his consent. John P. Kirk as attorney for the Business Men's Association communicated with Mr. Lawrence and the settlement was made the association paying Mr. Lawrence his fees, the funeral expenses of the child and gave Hayes $60 in cash.

The Hayes' claim that a big subscription was to be taken up for them and that Mr. Hayes was to receive permanent employment at their hands. When nothing more was forthcoming the Hayes' sough to bring suit against the Busniess Men's Association of non-fulfillment of the alleged agreement. Attorney Lawrence was applied to but owing to his previous connection with the case he would not take it. Mrs. Hayes testified that Mr. Sawyer told her he would assist Mr. Lawrence with the case. But the complainant finally engaged Lehman Bros. & Stivers. The matter has been dragging along ever since. When the plaintiff's case was finished, Attorney Kirk asked that the bill b e dismissed for the reason that a settlement having been effected before such a case as the present one could be bought restitution must be made the defendants and they be placed in the same condition they were in before any settlement was had. The plaintiffs claimed that settlement with the father did not prevent the mother from receiving damage also. The case then went on, the defense calling ex-Mayor Wells. He related the circumstances of the settlement with Hayes, said the money which was paid in settlement was advanced by Mr. Sweet, and had to be raised later by subscription, but he knew of no promise to raise any more money for plaintiff. He told of Hayes' agreement to be appointed a special administrator for the child and the signing of a receipt by Mr. Hayes acknowl-