THE DARK LANTERN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 146, 17 July 1909, Page 4

THE DARK LANTERN.

A STIRRING POLICE STORY. i Superintendent Lund happened to be, in charge of a very mysterious diamond robbery ease when, a letter dated from Leamington was handed to him. Ail that the writer said -was that a lady lodging in her house—a Mrs. Torpey—had spent a day in London, returning very late the same night—or, rather, early the next morning—with ber husband and the baby whom she had taken with her. certainly Superintendent Lund would have thrown tlie letter aside but for one peculiar coincidence it contained. The day tbe lady selected for her trip to London was that on which the diamond robbery was committed. The superintendent determined to go to Leamington. He watched tjie house and he watched the lady lodger. A pretty little lady sire was, with light, lluH'y hair and melting .blue eyes. She seemed devoted *tu ber baiby, and, from all that the superintendent could gather, she and her husband were a model couple. At the time of the superintendent's visit the hueband was on the Continent.

The,sitory of the robbery was this: A well-dressed man, giving the name, of Tyrrell, had gone into a Bond-street jeweller's, looked out a quantity of jewellery, and asked that it might be sent to his house, 4, Upper Berkeleystreet, for his wife to select from.. The assistant took the parcel, and was received by a very charming lady. Both husband and wife were loud in their admiration. A few minutes later, while Mr. Tyrrell was chatting in a very friendly way to the assistant, his wife i passed behind the latter's chair. The assistant felt an arm suddenly" go round his neck, and a handkerchief pressed violently against hie nose and mouth. Simultaneously Mr. Tyrrell made a dash ut him, and in a twinkling he was, bound and drugged. When he recovered be found himself alone and the jewels gone. The plot was' cleverly conceived andj cleverly executed. The house had boenj iflkcn furnished, and, to make the do-! ception complete, a servant was engaged, l who entered upon her duties the morn-! ing of the robbery, and in the afternoon was sent on a bogus errand by her new mistress. This errand took her some few hours, and when she returned she found the house in the possession of tiie police.

Beyond the meagre description of Mr. and Mrs. Tyrrcl given by the jeweller's assistant and the servant, Superintendent Lund had nothing to go upon. Not did he get much further at Leamington until lie had a quiet eonveitaition with i.he lodginghouse-keeper. One of the curious things the landlady Jiad to tell was that when Mr*. Torpey weut oil' on her pleasure trip to London nlic was wearing a hat. She returned to Leamington with' a bonnet on lut pretty head. Mr. Tor,pey had als'o up till then looked imposing in a fine beard. When he brought his wife back from London his beard was reduced to an imperial. After the return from the metropolis, Mrs. Torpey suddenly had an objection to anyone entering her drcssing-rooiin but herself, and the landlady determined to find out the reason. Unknown to her lodger, she paid a visit of inspection, but all she discovered were two small bottles marked "Drugs!," a little box of dye, a stained brush, a new razor, and a pocket-handkerchief. These articles did not tell the landlady much; they told a good deal to Superintendent Lund. The superintendent next made certain arrangements with the Post Office authorities. About ten o'clock one night, having previously watched the postman deliver a letter addressed to Mrs. Torpey, Superintendent Lund entered the house noiselessly, the landlady by previous arrangement admitting him. He went into the front room on the ground floor without announcing himself, and there saw pretty Mrs. Torpey absorbed in the litter she had just received. iShe looked up angrily at the entrance of a perfect stranger, and asked who ho was. '\E am Superintendent Lund, of Scotland Yard, and 1 want to speak to you." The blue eyes blazed with anger. '"ITow dare you come into the house of a kdv ?- I request you will leave the room immediately!" Meanwhile, Superintendent Lund's' trained professional eye went over the room and rested on the envelope lying on the table. With one kind he seized ! this; with the other he snatched at the letter which Mrs. Torpey had been reading. He succeeded in obtaining it—not, however, before it had been torn into fragments by the irate lady. Superintendent Lund took a letter I from his pocket, addressed '"Mr. T. ! Thornton, Poste Rcfitante, Ostend, Belgium," and asked tye** if it was her hand' writing. "Yes!" die exclaimed, in a choking voice. ''Tluvt ought to be posted! It is a letter tu my husband, under coven to a friend at Ostend I" Then she lmrst into tears, and-became still wore agitated wheu the- officer informed her he would have to take her imto custodv. .

"Oli. what will become of my baby? slip exclaimed. "Whore is my husband Shall I over see him again? I do no care about being punished, so lons n >ny husband is not. He is not strun, ?noiifrli to bear it!" Perfectly unmoved, the siiporintendon ead a letter which had arrived firm icr husband at Antwerp, showing tlin he Post Office authorities liad. as the.' lways do, been assisting the police ii lie matter. This intercepted letter left no doubi hat the superintendent had spotted tin ight people. "My .progress from Ostein!" .wroU Ir. Torpey, "was thus': To Client, twt ours; but could not dispose of any hhig, thereupon came on to Antwerp have been walking about since morn v. but could not do anything. T nskoil ClliO for the £2OO parcel, but thev imply .laughed at me. Finally. 1 havi ceided to go on to Hottcrdam !.«■ jorrow morning at 7.115. 1 will try here l-lieu, and iif I cannot do anythiiiQ rill romc homo at oueg, My money dug nearly all gone. T was obliged in ispose of a single one of the £2OO lot. ashed £(i for it, which T thought about he market value; but. after some baraining, sold it for 85 francs, about £1 s. ;Vhey wJd it was a s;' 0 " 1 ' n,ic ' u ' ight, only one grata;' but, generally peaking, this is not the place to get nything done—there are so few jewelpi. If I succeed In Hottcrdam in time or post, I will send you something, if ossible." ' ' ' ' This was enough. Mrs. Torpov was ndieted at the Old Bailey; but. thanks o the powerful advocacy of tin- late Ir. Montagu Williams and a lendercarted jury, impressed by her childlike imm-ence, anil the pretty baby crowing n her inns. Mrs. Tornev netiuillwl. ]iv shadowing the wife, however, th" ujjee nniiaacil io Uio' was pot s >> fortunate. U'e wWimnnl ruiltv anil sentenced to eight years' enal Bervitudc—Home paper,