A BURGLARY AND ITS SEQUEL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 32, 1 November 1907, Page 5

A BURGLARY AND ITS SEQUEL.

'HE MAN FROM THE CUSTOM HOUSE.

If any ono is sceptical concerning, the sleepless vigilance of the New York Customs officers a publisher of this city will bo, glad, to dispel his doubts. ■ ' ' ' The publisher lives in a suburban town. Recently while he and his family were away two burglars drovo up in an express waggon in broad daylight, ransacked the houso, and carried off their booty, oponly without exciting suspicion among the neighbours who watched their operations; ....'■/! After the burglary was discovered the nowspapws pieces about it and gave lists of tr.ojiinported gowns, laces, lingerio and creations in millinery belonging to the wife of the publisher, which formed part of tho plunder. Some of these articles were traced to pawnbrokers' shops and recovered. - A day or two later the publisher wa3 sitting jn his private office w'lion'a eard'was brought into him, and a tall, dignified man wasus!iered..in. . . , ; • ' :'.'.. "I understand your house was robbed a short timo ago," he said,abruptly. : " : "¥e3," -'ropliod' tho 'publisher; tentatively.: ; - The visitor took a notebook from .his. poo- '■■ ket and examined it carefully. , ,' ... : "You. lost a large amount of valuable clothing,"'he pursued. ".'..' ' ' "More or less valuable," said the publisher""" ' a trifle'impatiently, supposing his questioilbr'"-'' was a , detective who'wished to get oh the , .'"" case. "But I really have all the assistance > Tho other waved his hand' do'precatingly. '.'' "There were'in all about'a dozen gbwnp';, irom various Paris and Vienna*firms,'wen there not?" he continued, again\.consultinf • his notebook, "as well as two.cases-of:hand--.".:' embroidered lingerie from the Maison de— 'l - , - "May I ask in what way ;the raatteri con-" v corns you?" interrupted the'publisher'icily." v ' "Certainly," responded the visitor; blandly. •■ "I am from tho Custom Hoirsci. --We found' ■■ upon consulting the. records that you arrived . from Liverpool about' four months ago, bat wo found in the list of articles brought in. , by you only three gowns. One of our women '• employebs tells us that tbo descriptions i,f - : - all these costumes sot forth in. the papers as-'-having been taken from your house ..tally.' , with the very latest Parisian styles. Wo aro thoreforo forced tp th« conclusion that thoy must have been recent purchases—within a ' year." ■ - -. >• 'v •').. : Ho paused, then added impressivelv, "k» I said boforo, wo have no record of them." The publishor, despite his consciousness that he had. done no, wrong, flushed, • .and then paled beneath tho penetrating gaze, of ■the Government official. Visions of trial- for smuggling floated through his mind. '' His fancy, pictured the dignified board of directors... of the company of which he is president re-.' ,: : -questing his resignation. ■ He didn't .remember paying any ■; large dressmaker's bills during his laot hurried trip to the Continent. E>id- his wife really have so many now articles of finery P If so he had no recollection/of .her wearing them." Perhaps his dull masculine perception had omitted to note.them. •.'■.< . The, man,with the notebook observing, and'. - interpreting correctly. his ' expression of be-' wilderm'eht, smiled pityingly. • ' ' '. '■■ , . "You're, not, the .guilty one, I . can . see that," he said .with'a shrewd wink. ' •' , " '■■'"' ■ " t',.don't understand you," said the publisher, partially :r«covering "himself. "Do you rnejAi to insinuate— —" ' "I" mean-.to/insinuate .nothing," replied the ~ official calml.f. "lam here to gain information, not tp impart it'.-' , I simply want to sco Jioiv it is that our records don't correspond tvith-r-*-" ..■■■-■,- ■ ■'- .--, . .;. ,:, , . " W.ith what ?" interrupted'the publisher' ■ heatedly. '"With some yellow journal story, printed without my authority or'even 1 'my knowledge ?" . ~. . -....: ...,..•■■;. , What'an";idiot he had been! t Here; *t •" •courso, wa3 the solution'bf the mystery. The magnificent costumes didn't exist at aU,.es- ~, cept in someone's over-active, imagination. " " Well, you'll have to prove itliat," was 'the quick rosponse. '- '"■■ ' ■ ■"■■""- " Prove it ? How. can I ?".-.. . ; , .... ■ " Well,' I'see by last''night's , papers that' " you've -Rbt most-of yourHnings back.'"; '.'"Well, what if I have'?' , . ■ ' ':' V "Why, the only, thing to. do,.is, for jus , t0.,-,,... look them over."- , , ■ : ',;' ' .','.'". "You mean ?"... ..... •.'.'. , "Why, I mean that wo'll ,'lia've 'to search tho promises. Sorry, but it's the'ruld,*yoa know." .... .:■■'■ The publisher gasped and then hoayed a', resigned sigh.. -' :'".' "I suppose there is no'other way, , .' he beiran. ■ .. ~ ~, ■• . : ''. . • Tho official- shook his. head. ' Accordi'ngly '-"• tho house was "searched" from, attic to collar, and the/Customs pc'ople didn't' send; word when they were coming, "either,' and tho"publisher's wife had to leave three curious , callera in the drawing-room sho accom-_ panied two'strange men on'a tour of ihspe'e-" lion., ' . ' ' Thoy .looked on every shelf,.. in, pvery closet,. w .and opened "every bureau'drawer and 'every- - trunk, and tossed about the contents of the linen chests, and even inquired whether there " was a secret drawer in .tho Chippendale >•- inet . . . ..'.-.,-.■•. "But,"'she triumphantly informed rgroup'- , . -■-' of sympathising friends tho next morninc, "they didn't find a thing biit-"lvh'iit ■', r< - prove we'd paid duty on." — New .-.York ' •'Sun." . . ..,..., , ~.•