Granger's Scoop.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4248, 12 August 1882, Page 1

Granger's Scoop.

The O'Shaugtaessy Diamonds.

BY WItHAM M. COOKE.

On tbe night of the lit of Jane, 187 —t the safe of Vanderkill & Brown, tea brokers, of New York City, of which 6rra I was the senior parner, was broken open, and robbed of diamonds valued at 60,000 dollars and of 500 dollars in money. How jewels of such worth came to be left in so unlikely a place may need to be explained, and this I will first do. La te in the afternoon of the day before, I was sitting alone in our private office. In tbe outer office, into which a door opened, our two boys, John and Edward, were at work—one doing up express packages of samples, the other washing teacups; and our assistant buyer, Mr Jones, was arranging sample cans on the racks. There was no one else in the office. I had been writing letters for the Western mail, and was just signing the last one, when I heard some one outside asking for Mr Brown, and one of our old customers, a mad named O'Shaughnessy, of Chicago, came into the room. I had known him well a few years before, when he was at the head of a large grocery house, but since then he had been operating nearly in grain, was said to hare grown rery rich, and seldom risked New York, so I was somewhat surprised at seeing him. He carried in his hand an oblong brown-paper parcel, and, after shaking hands with me and asking after my health and that of Mr Brown—who, by tQO way, wa3 at home, rery sick,—he said: "I came in to ask if you would lock up this parcel in your safe to-night. I find

I h&Te to go to Philadelphia at once, and I hardly like to carry it about with" me.'*' "Is it valuable ?" I asked. For-answer, he opened the package, and showed me, lying in a morocco case, a ' . diamond necklace. I know little about jewels, but I saw that the stones were large and brilliant, and plainly of great, ralue.

" It's for my wife," he said, " and it cost me a cool sixty thousand—not a cent less." And then he went on—" The jewellers only finished it this afternoon, and, after I had given my cheque for it, I found I had no time to take it up-town to the hotel and then catch my train, so I thought I would leave it with you." I hastily closed the lid of the case, and looked about, for I thought I heard a, footstep- at the-door,'but I saw no one*. and concluded that one of the clerks had been about to come in, but had walked away on seeing that I was engaged! Well, to make a leng story short, I ] told Mr O'Shaughnessy that I was>. unwilling to have anything so valuable left in my care—that our safe was old, and never meant to be more than fire-proof, and that he had better leave the diamonds at the bank where he kept his New York account, but he answered that he had called there and found it closed for the day. He also said that he would take all risk-.upon himself, so, at last, I reluctantly agreed as he wished. There viP*» a small inside compartment to the safe, with a separate door. Here we kept our insurance policies and such like papers and the petty cash-box, and in it was also now a square tin box, with a combination padlock, which Mr Jones had, Borne months before, got leave to keep there. This I removed, and in its place I pat the jewel case, and was closing the door, when Mr O'Shaugjbnessy stopped me.

"Wait a moment," he said—"here are 500 dollars. I shan't need it till tomorrow. I might as well leave this,'too." And he drew from his pocket a roll of bills, which he wedged in beside, the case. Upon this, I locked the compartment, and handed him the key. He thanked me and left the office, saying that he would return the next day.

My day's work at last done, I walked out. and explained to Mr Jones that, as I had needed space in the safe for other things, he would hare to find some other place for His box, and then, as was my custom, I saw that the books were put carefully away in the safe, locked its doors, dropped the key into my pocket, asd started from home. It was nearing my dinner hour, and I was in haste to reach the ferry, so I was much vexed, When I turned into Wall Street, at finding a most tiresome person, whom I slightly knew, leaning against a railing, haying his shoes blacked. He was a man who always wished to talk about the market, while I, my tastes being literary, rather than commercial, have always preferred talking of anything else. But he called to me, and then, seized one of my coat buttons, and I had perforce to listen to him for nearly half an hour.

Then, after some time, our clerk, Mr Jones, turned' the corner. He was walking slowly, and* had his tin box in his hand. He seemed surprised at seeing me there, and for an instant hesitated. Then be said, in his quiet, gentlemanly way—

"I beg your pardon, MrVanderkill—l meant to .ask you before. Will you allow me to leave my box at your rooms tonight? There are some papers in it of raise to me, and I fear that at my boarding-house some one might meddle with them."

" Why, certainly," I answered. Then, seeing a chance of escape from my captor, I added—" Wait, I'll go with you."

So I joined him, and we crossed to Brooklyn together.

Now, I liked this Mr Jones. He had come to us about a year before, in answer to our adverti«ement for a clerk. He could give us no references, having, as he said, just come over from England ; but we had fancied his looks and engaged him, and he had made himself most use* ful to us. He had also shown himself well-bred. I am, perhaps, somewhat old-fashioned in my ideas, but I own that I like my clerks to show me respect, and in this Mr Jones never failed. I took the box with me to the restaurant where I dined, and. afterwards to my rooms.

I have been used for many years to spending the evenings alone, and, when not writing, can usually content myself with :my cigar and books, or, at worst, with my own thoughts. But this evening my mind was ill at ease. I could not forget the diamonds. As I sat by the window, smoking, I thought how very easy it would be for anyone to enter the office through the side window over the alley, and then how little skill would be needed to open the safe. In fact, though I am not a nervous man, and have great command over my feelings, I felt a sense of relief when, as the City Hall bell was tolling nine, the gong at the front door struck, and Jones was shown into the room, though, to tell the truth, I was also at first ii little annoyed at his coming unasked. However, he explained that, baying to come my way, he- ;ha<l; thought it well to return some books, he had borrowed from me, so I asked him to atay. On the whole, the evening passed so pleasantly than when eleven o'clock came, and he rose to go, I made him take two of my best " Iteina Victorias," which I only smoke after dinner. I had placed his box in a small closet where I kept my liquor-case and cigars, w# th other, things which I think it best to lock up. _. - j "You may leave it there as ."long as you wish, Jones," I said; "jt will not be in my way." And then he took his leave,, and I went to bed. I rented well that night, for I am a sound sleeper, but on awaking, in the morning my first thoughts werebgain;of the diamonds. So I breakfasted, ajid went over to the office a full hour earlier 'than usual. - The front door of the bnilding was open, and the janitor was sweeping the

steps, but the office door was still locked. I let'myself in "with alatch-key, and at once walkfd back to the private office— and then I received a shock. It is hard [ to describe a shock, but I niay say" that I felt as I did one January mornidg. when I stepped into my batlutub, and by mistake turned on the cold shower—for the firedoors of the safef.stood.open. On, the floor before it, among upturned drawers and scattered papers, lay several shining steel . implements, evidently burglars' tools, and the petty cashbox. The door of the inside compartment was ajar, and I looked in—it was empty ! Then .1 gathered my wits together, and made a thorough search. The books were all there, the insurance policies, and other papers, and the empty cashbox; but of the jewel case and the roll of money there were no signs, either in the safe or about the office.

,'How the thieves bad entered I saw at once. : The side window, looking out on tho alley, was closed, but a pane of glass was missing, and the patent catch had been pushed back.

When I fnlly realised that the diamonds were gone, I wasted no further time. I gave the sigual for a District Telegraph messenger, and, when the boy came, sent him to the nearest police station to report the robbery. Then, I hurried across the street: to the telegraph office, and sent this- message to our broker in Philadelphia :— "If possible, find Mr O'Shaughnessy, of Chicago.. Probably at Continental. Say, safe opened; diamonds and money stolen. Return immediately, or telegraph description." Wi.th that, I felt that I had done for the time all in my pow?r, and weDt back to the office. Here I found John and Edward, both much excited, and the janitor, whom they had called in. This man lives in rooms on the top floor of the. building, and I questioned him closely. He said he had finished sweeping out the office the nipht before at about eight o'clock. He had fastened the windows and doors, and, after seeing to a few other matters about the building, bad sat for awhile on the door-step, and then gone upstairs to his rooms. He had heard no strange noises during the night. While I was talking to him, Jones appeared. I took him aside, and told the extent of the loss. I had felt too much disturbed to speak of it to the others. He turned really pale, and for a moment he was speechless. Then he pxelaimed— " Great Heavens, Mr Vanderkill! A small fortune! And to trust it in that thing!" He seemed to take the matter so much to heart that I began to feel more cheerful. " Well, Jones," I said, "it is an unlucky affair, but, after all, the loss will not fall on us. I gave Mr O'Shaugbnessy fair warning, and he chose to take the risk." And I set about reading the morning mail, which had just been brought in. This day was a most disagreeable one to me. First, the police officers came, and two detectives in plain clothing. They examined the safe and broken window and the burglars' tools, and agreed that the work had been done by professionals, and clever ones. I told them all that had passed between Mr O'Shaughnessy and myself, arid then they ques» tioned the clerks. An important fact now came to light.

To make matters clear, I must here explain that the door which connected our two rooms was close to that opening from the outer office into the entry of the building. Edward suddenly remembered that, happening to turn his head, he had seen a man leave the office through this door at the time Mr O'Shaughnessy was within with me. John had been busy at his work, and had seen nothing, but Jones, too, had noticed the man. He had come in, glanced about, taken a few steps forward and looked in at my door, and had then turned and quietly walked out. It happened often that men blundered into our office, mistaking it for some other, but I remembered and spoke of the footstep that had startled me, and to our minds tbe lease grew plain. * The fellow had been one of the robbers, or a confederate, who had followed Mr .O'Shaughnessy from the jeweller's, and he doubtless had seen the open case in our hands.

Of his looks, neither Edward nor Jones could recall more than that he was tail and stout, with a dark moustache, and that he wore a straw hat and light clothes, but, at all events, the detectives had now some clue to follow, and they went away. (To he continued.)