Granger's Scoop.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4254, 19 August 1882, Page 1

Granger's Scoop.

The O'Shauffhnessy Diamond*.

BY WILLIAM M. COOKE.

('Continued.) At length Mr O'Shaughnessy arrived from Philadelphia. I must say, to bis credit, that he bore the loss much better than I dared hope, and blamed only himself. He at once wrote out advertisements for the newspapers, offerine a reward of $5,000 for the recovery of the necklace. This offer, with a full description of the jewels, was also telegraphed from police headquarters all orer the country, so that by nightfall, the police of every large city in the United States and Canada knew of the robbery. I confess I had little hope of ever seeing the diamonds again ; but O'Shaughnessy thought otherwise. As for the money, he said, that of course, was lost. The diamonds, however, would be hard to dispose of, with so many men on the watch for them, and he expected that the thieves would offer to comprotn se. The newspapers, however, ma le much of it, and I heard from time to time that the police were at work upon the case. One after another, some half dozen men were arrested on suspicion. But one and all were discharged for lack of proof against them, and not a trace of the real robbers could be found. Nor did* the thieves yet give a hint of any wish to compromise. It seemed they bad either fled tho country or had hidden the jewels and were biding their time to get rid of them. The detectives thought the latter case more probable, for the police at Havana and the European ports had been telegraphed to be on the look out, and this any smart thief would have foreseeu. At last after a week had passed, Mr O'Shaughnessy grew tired of waiting in New York. He raised the offered reward to "Better spend $10;000 at once," he said philosophically," than lose 560,000;" and then he went back to Chicago. ; Asa matter of course, ibis large offer, which was widely advertised, caused renewed talk—and with good results. The captain of a steam yacht just home from a short cruise to the eastward went to the police with a tale whioh stirred them up mightily. He said that the eveninn of the Ist of the month he bad spent with some friends on the east of the town. The yacht was lying in Gowanus Bay, and be started about 12 o'clock to go on board. His way towards the Hamilton ferry led him past the building iv which was our office. Just as he came abreast of it, throe men ran out from the *ide-

alley, brushed past him and hurried up the street. As they passed, he hag seen their faeea quite plainly by the Hgh'fc.of a street lamp, and from their looks and actions suspected they had been up to no good. He had half thought to ,se a policeman in chase, but none came; so he went quietly on his way, and the next morning started eastward.

He was shown the portraits in the Bogue9' Gallery, but recognised none of them, and from the description of the men which he gave, it is believed they were strangers, and that the detectives had been wasting their time on false scents. They had been tracking old friends, and now saw, much to their eharagin, that they must start afresh in their search. To. give them their due they were active enough ; but in a big city liko New York, it is a bard task to find la man with no guide but a slight knowledge of his looks. And so the weeks passed on.

As I bustled about the street or sat by the hour drawing tea, with the thermometer marking ninety degrees in the. shade, I realised to the full what it was to earn one's bread by the .sweat of one's brow. In Mr Jones I had as I have said a good assistant; but at length I found that if I would keep my health I would bare to take a holiday now and then, and I deoided to employ still another clerk.

I happened one day at luncheon to speak of the matter to the market reporter of one of the morning papers—a per* son named Granger—and he at once said that he knew of a man who would do, and promised to send him to me.

I hare not hitherto spoken of this Mr Granger. I knew little about him, but bad met him daily for some time past in my own and other offices. He was a pleasant'&poken well-informed man —though hardly a gentleman—and, as men will do who meet often down town, we were drifted into an easy speaking acquaintance.

With the looks of the young man whom he sent me and who proved to be named Ormsby, I was pleased. His speech, too, was taking and his references good: so I took him on trial. He knew nothing whatever about' tea, bat:, that mattered little, I meant Jhat he ,should busy himself with the office -work; that Jones might be able to. give his whole time to buying and selling, and after.a short time they settled down so well to their work that I felt safe in leaving them in charge of the business "for"days at a time. And bo I was able now and then to make short visits to the catskills and Long Branch, and found my life'once more bearable.

In time, John and Edward took their usual vacations of a week each, and I then told Jones that I could spare him for a fortnight. He had, I thought, fairly earned a holiday.

Somewhat to-my relief, I must own, he said he did not want one; but more than once in the morning I noticed a very tired look upon his face, and I insisted upon his taking an occasional day to himself. And, as Ormsby had shown himself a gentlemanly young man, I also now and then invited them both to dine at Man* hattan Beach or Cable's—a kindness which they seemed to take as it was meant.

So July and August' wore away. It was now September and the lost jewels had not been heard from. The police were at their wits' ends, for, after great search, they had at last secured the stranger whom Edward and Mr Jones had seen in our office, and he had proved to be a person of good character, who claimed to have mistaken the office for that of some other men.

But, however trite the saying may be, most dogs do have their way, and the turn of the police had come. Opening my paper next morning at breakfast, a staring headline told me that the Citizens' Bank robbers had been arrested and lodged in the tombs. Below I read the tale of the oapture. In brief, a woman ill-treated by one of them, had betrayed them to the officers. They were found in a quiet westJside-street, in a house which they had rented and where they had lived unsuspected- for months. They were three in mjjnber, and had fought,hard against arreit, but;ha*d been overpowered. Upon searlbing' the house ~the police found plain priipfof their guilt in a pack age of ptolen bonds. And this was not all. Their looks tallied exactly with the description of the men seen by the yacht's icaptain on .that night in June. It was oefieyed that ibe diamond thieves had at last been found.

I need hardly say that these tidings were very welcome to me, aud heightened my usual humor; so, when Jones in the course of the morning asked leave to stay away from the office on the morrow, I readily consented. In the afternoon I bad a telegram from

Mr O'Shaughnessy, saying that he was

on his way to New York. I was glad to >i hear this, for I foresaw that he would relieve me of any duties which might otherwise hare fallen to me in the matter of the diamonds. And then Jones repor~ ted that he had sold a large inroice of high priced tea, earning a goodly brokerage. In Lfacfc the day passed most pleasantly, and I started for home in a ; rery easy frame of mind. At the ferry-boat, where I was awaiting for a boat, Jones overtook me. He reminded me of his box which I had in my keeping, but, to tell the truth, had quite forgotten—said that he thought that some old letters which he wanted to show to his friends were in it, and asked if he might go with me and get it. So we walked up to the rooms, he took the box and left, and shortly after I set out for my restaurant. „ The place was well filled, but I found one free table and dined in much comfort. I had at last lighted my cigar, and was burning the brandy for my coffee, when I heard my name spoken, and, looking up,

saw Mr Granger beside me. He had already dined, he said, but I asked him to join me, and we sat over coffee and cigars for some time. He seemed in high spirits Bnd was really very entertaining, telling several stories of bin adventures in searca of it?ms of news.

"Mr Vanderkill," he said, smilingihave you any engagement for the evening? I told him I had none.

" Well then," lie went on, " I think I can offer you a novel entertainment." And then he told me that he had just learned from a trustworthy pprson that that the police meant that night to make an important arrest.; that a certain criminal long searched for in vain, was known to have engaged passage on a vessel which would sail next morning for Calla°, and that tlSe detectives intended to lie in wait for him at the wharf in the evening, feeling sure that he would try to slip aboard uno'^erved under cover of the darkness. He said that as 'yet no* other reporter had heard of the "flair, and that he might expect to be well" paid for a report of it At first Mr Granger's idea of an evening's amusement struck me as being rather odd. I thanked him, but said that I thought the sight of an arrest would hardly give me pleasure. But he urged me so strongly, in a laughing way, to give him my company, that at Jast I agreed to do so In ray heart, however, I trusted that the adventure might never become known on " the street."

On the way we talked of many tMngs, and among them of the bank robbery and that of our safe. " And. by the way," he said suddenly, after a pause in the conver sation, " I think I may tell you of some thing which is not generally known I heard'upon good authority this afternoon that one of the robbers had offered to give State's evidence on condition of pardon. I understand," he went on, " that he promises to give all the particulars of the robbery of the bank, and of yours and the other safes. But," he continued, '• the strange part of the story is that lie denies positively having ever seen the diamonds —says there was nothing taken from y tir safe but a roll of money. How do you account for that ? "

I could not and said so; and then we changed the subject and spoke of my business and clerks. Mr Granger asked me how Mr Ormsby suited me, and then he remarked carelessly, " I met Jones on Clinton street this afternoon, coming from your door. He had some sort of a box in his hand. Was it yours?"

I told him " No ; " and then, for want of anything better to talk of, I explained to him how it happened to bo at my rooms, We were leaning on the rail of the ferry boat at the time. Before I finished speaking it seemed to me that his mind had strayed from the subject. He made no reply, and for some time stared fixedly into the water. Beaching New York, Mr Granger led the way up South street, and at last turned and crossed the street towards one of the wharves. As we stepped upon it a man came quietly out from behind a pile of barrels, tiered along the bulkhead. He exchanged a few whispered words with Granger, and then returned to his hiding-place, while we walked on down the wharf. There were vessels lying on each side, and among them I remarked one large black ship, which, even to my unpracd'eised eye, showed signs of being in readiness to sail.

We walked on past her to the end of the wharf and sat down on the stringpiece. And now we waited for a long hour in the dark, smoking and talking in undertones, but no one came. I grew very tired, and wished that I was at home and in bed. "lean rrally stand this no longer," I said at last; " I shall go home." But Mr Granger persuaded me to change my mind; and we then strolled back to the head of the wharf and placed ourselves behind the barrels I spoke of, where we were hidden among the shadows but could ourselves see anyone who might pass, And soon the man whom I had before noticed crept up and again whispered to Granger, and then stepped behind a pile. Granger laid his hand hand on my shoulder and bade me be quiet, and just then I saw a man cross the car track, coming towards us.

He passed close by us and tnok a few sieps down the wharf, but suddenly the man in hiding stepped before him and flashed a bull's eye lantern full in his face. He started and turned and made as though he would run, but a second man who seemed to have sprung from the ground, seemed to have barred his way. Then he stopped short and I heard him say sharply "Hands off, there! Wbat do you want ? "

To my surprise Granger at once stepped forward. " Sorry to trouble you, Mr Crawford," be said, " but I think you had better come with us." He had hardly spoken when I heard a heavy blow and saw him stagger, and then the stranger made a quick effort to escape. But the two men threw themselves upon him, and they fell together. I was greatly excited, I must own I lost all sense of danger and hastened toward them. The lantern lay at their feet, and I grasped it anJ turned the light on them as they struggled, and then, for the first time in years, I regret to say that I swore. " D——n it, Granger ! " I cried, " You must stop this. Here is some mistake. This man is ray clerk, Jones. You know him. Call them off. I say! " The struggle lasted but a moment. Jones was nomitnh for the other two, and they soon handcuffed him and helped him to his feet. I was trembling with anger and excitement. "Mr Granger," I said, " this is an outrage which some one shall pay for. Mr Jones, do you know what this means ? " But Granger only asked me to calm myself and wait, and Jones said no word. (To be continued.)