A DETECTIVE'S NOTES*

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9241, 19 December 1888, Page 3

A DETECTIVE'S NOTES*

BY INSPECTOR MEIKLEJOIIN.

[All Rights Reserved.]

DIAMOND ROBBERY IN BONDSTREET.

During the Rummer of 1868 numerous and daring robberies of jewellery had been effected upon various tradesmen, both in the city and West End of London, and it was manifest that some more than ordinarily clever operators were "on the job." Their way of going to work was mysterious, and no one was captured or even suspected. A diamond bracelet, worth £800, was stolen from Messrs. Hunt and Roskell, the worldrenowned silversmiths and jewellers in Bond-street. The circumstances, which eventually came out in evidence, were as follows :—A - appointed brougham and pair of horses, on the afternoon of the day named, drove up to the Charing Cross Hotel, and a lady and gentleman were observed to come from the restaurantthey were not staying in the hotel—and, being joined outside by a short dark man, were seen to enter it, having first given the coachman instructions to drive to Bond-street. The lady was richly attired in the height of fashion, wearing a dark green silk dress, with a profusion of trimming and lace, and ribbons of lighter shades, a black bonnet with scarlet flowers, a thick veil, and a Paisley shawl y the gentleman — a fine handsome man, who gave the lady his arm —wore a black coat and waistcoat, mixture trousers, and a tall silk hat; while his short dark friend wore a round one, and had more the appearance of a courier, or a business agent, than of an independent gentleman. SELECTING the jewellery. In due course, about four o'clock, they presented themselves at Messrs. Hunt and Roskell's establishment, and the tall gentleman proceeded to explain the object of their visit. He had, he said, recently returned from Australia, where he had realised a largo fortune, and being about to be married to his companion, was anxious to present her with some costly jewellery, and wished her to choose for herself. Upon this they were at once shown from the shop to the sale-room, the carriage waiting at the door. A variety of articles were placed before them, but were passed over as not being rich enough ; and a special request being preferred that they might be shown something in diamonds and turquoises, they were accommodated with seats at the diamond counter, and numerous valuable articles were displayed for their approval. Amongst others, a case with a complete parure of diamonds, containing a necklace, brooch, pair of earrings, bracelet, and head ornament, seemed especially to take the lady's fancy, though she did not say much, and the talking was principally done by the gentleman, who consulted frequently with his male friend. Eventually it was agreed that the bracelet, brooch, earrings, and head ornament, amounting in value to some £2000, should be set on one side and drawings made of them, for which the}' would return in two or three days. They then .eft, having given an address in the country and at Charing Cross Hotel, and a card with the name of Hart. The tall gentleman and his Jiance passed on first to the carriage, while the shore man engaged the attendants and shopmen in conversation, and followed behind. As soon as the lady was seated he got in with her, and gave the order to drive to the Charing Cross Hotel. The Australian simply said " Good day," and walked o(T in the direction of Oxford-street. It seems that the commissionaire who opened the carriage door had his suspicions aroused, as the gentlemen did not seem to pay sufficient attention to the lady—simply said, "Good day," without taking oil his hatand seemed in a hurry to get away, and not sufficiently particular in waiting for his friend.

A DIAMOND BRACELET MISSING. Be that as it may, he had hardly time to express his suspicions of the party to the principal shopman, who had accompanied them to tho carriage, and tho brougham was barely out of sight, before an alarm was raised inside that the diamond bracelet was missing, and, sure enough, it could nowhere be found. Of course one of the assistants was into a hansom cab in the twinkling of an eye, and down at the Charing Cross Hotel as fast as horseflesh could convey him, but it is needless to say that tho carriage had not returned there, nor could it be heard of or seen in any other direction. Tho police were communicated with, and hotels, railway stations, mews and livery stables, and every conceivable place where it was thought a clue might be obtained, searched and watched, but all to 110 purpose. The soi-ditant Australian was, to all intents and purposes, as much " lost to sight," though " to memory dear," as tho diamond bracelet, of which he had unquestionably been the purloiner. I was not in London at the time of the perpetration of this barefaced robbery, but, as i have narrated in one of my previous articles, was along with three other detectives safe-guarding ller .Majesty the Queen in Scotland against possible Fenian attacks. It was during this autumn and early winter that the Queen took her prolonged tour in Germany. The pleasant times I had enjoyed for months previously, both in the Isle of Wight, at Windsor, and more especially in Scotland, came to an end, and 1 had to return to my duties in London and my ordinary avocation of thief-hunting. It was now that 1 was for the first time made fully acquainted with the details and circumstances of this most audacious robbery ; but the scent had grown cold, and it seemed to me a hopeless task to attempt to obtain a clue, and although, when in conversation with my informants, I frequently threw out feelers in reference to it, I never obtained any tangible data which 1 might investigate. OFFERING INFORMATION. At last, one fine morning, the then Chief Commissioner of Police, Sir Richard Mayne, received a letter from a man, who was nob known as belonging to the criminal classes, stating that he, the writer, had been for some time out of employment, and "living about," as he had been compelled to do; that he had become acquainted with the movements and tactics of a gang of talented thieves and housebreakers, and that he would, if adequately remunerated, impart valuable information to the authorities, and put the police and detectives on their track. Ho further added that an appointment must bo made to see him some distance away from where ho resided, as tho parties he wished to indicate would probably know any officer sent to interview him, and, should ho be discovered, or suspected of imparting " trade secrets" to the police, he would be unable any longer to command the confidence or become acquainted with the movements of the predatory brotherhood. I was deputed to see into the matter, and find out whether there was in reality anything in the volunteered information, or whether, as from the tone of his letter we strongly suspoctcd would be the case, the writer was an impostor, seeking to obtain money by the concoction of tales about i riitiditated thefts and conspiracies having 110 ! foundation in fact beyond his own imagina- | lion. ; I felt sure that I should quickly ascertain whether the whole affair was a " try on" or genuine ; but, as lie sequel will show, the task allotted to me was by no means so easy of accomplishment as I had in tho first instance supposed ib would be, for the old fox with whom I was about to enter into negotiations proved to be a perfect paragon of cunning at' 1 duplicity. In accordance with my instructions, I despatched a letter intimating that I would be at the corner of a specified street 011 a certain day and at a certain hour, and that the recipient would recognise me by my holding a white pockethandkerchief in my hand. He was there to the minute—an elderly man of tolerably respectable appearance, though somewhat i shabbily attired as a member of the I criminal classes, or as a " nose," was al- ' together unknown to me. His business, I he informed me, had been that of a warehouseman. THE QUID PRO QUO. Our try sting-place was a very short | distance from my own hoino; so I took him 1 in there, in preference to a public-house, to 1 hear what he had got to say. After listen--1 ing to him for upwards of an hour, I could

arrive at nothing definite, or gather anything from his discourse and narrations which might not be capable of pure invention, as, press him as hard as I might, he would not disclose names of places, or individuals, or even condescend to personal descriptions. Of course his excuse for dealing so much in vague generalities was that he would not make disclosures which would lead to practical results until he was remunerated, and his intense anxiety to obtain money was apparent throughout his conversation.

Though devoid of all possibility of personal application, his stories were highly plausible, and I therefore determined to "part" to a small amount, and made an appointment to see him again at a future date, when I agreed, should he prove more definite in his information, to reward him adequately. The system of "tell-tale" went on week after week, and I kept on parting with small sums of money to him, as, though I never could arrive at anything of which I might lay hold, there was enough in his communications to show that lie was, at any rate, acquainted with thieves and burglars, and I could not afford to d iscard him entirely.

FOLLOWING THE INFORMER. I was a good deal engaged on other matters at the time, and perhaps, on this account, allowed him to lead me on longer than, had my time been at my own disposal,- I should have tolerated. Eventually I got disgusted, and decided to end our interviews or else turn them to a practical issue. With this object in view, I determined that he should be followed, and getting him to my own house, arranged with a young man—quite unconnected with the police—to watch where he went upon leaving it. He was, in due course, marked down to a lodging-house in Smithstreet, Westminster. I was well acquainted with the manager of this establishment, and, on inquiry, had no difficulty in ascertaining that the old man had lived there for some time, and that he was on most intimate terms with a young countryman who slept in the adjoining bed. He told me that they took their meals together, and that neither of them seemed to do any work, as they were about the place at all hours. This account somewhat excited my suspicions, and I made up my mind that I would know what their business or "graft" in reality was ; and I could only do this by having them followed. Of course, it was out of the question that I myself could watch them, as, had I been seen near the place, they would have been quickly on their guard, and all confidential communications at an end. My deputy, however, very soon discovered that their companionship was limited to the lodginghouse and its environs, and that the countryman, on separating from his mate, did go into the society of well-known thieves and cracksmen, but that the other was never seen to mix in questionable company. SECOND-HAND INFORMATION.

I now plainly saw that my artful old informant had been palming off second-hand information upon me. In all our conversations he had never once hinted that there was anyone else associated with him in obtaining the intelligence imparted, but always represented, or at any rate led me to infer, that it was he himself who had established confidential relations with the thieves, and was in constant communication with them. A change of front now became absolutely necessary, as, knowing what I now did, I saw that I never should arrive at the fountain head, or reach the actual delinquents by negotiating further with this old humbug, for to him they were as unknown as to the victims of their frauds and depredations. Ib was plain that he had simply been utilising the general outline of their exploits, detailed to him by his "chum," for extracting money from the police authorities, without having the power to betray them into the hands of justice.

THE " YOUNG MAN FROM THE COUNTRY."

I therefore resolved to meet him, and let him see me, when he was in the company of this young countryman. I soon had an opportunity of doing so, and I afterwards tackled him and accused him of telling me lies, and of obtaining money under the pretence that he could give information which he was not capable of doing, as evidently all he knew was derived at hearsay from his companion. I informed him that this young man was known to be an associate of thieves, and was under the observation of the police—which, of course, was not strictly in accordance with the fact— and that, as he was known to reside at the same lodging-house, it was plainly with him that he was in league, And that, if he did not take care, he would get himself into trouble. In this manner I managed to get my cunning old informant into a perturbed state of mind, and compelled him to admit that my accusation was true, and that it was a fact that he had palmed off second-hand information upon me under the pretence that ib was original. I now saw my way, by playing off one against the other, to arrive at some solid result; but before I did so I wished to get at the antecedents of the countryman, and, by alternately working upon the fears and stimulating the cupidity of the warehouseman, I soon succeeded in doing so. By name Joseph Masters, this "young man from the country," though he made a great parade of his rural simplicity, and pretended to know nothing at all about the crooked and tortuous paths of vice and crime in great cities, was as thoroughly artful and hypocritical a rogue as could be found in a day's march. He was about twenty-eight years of age, and sft 6in in height, well built, strong, and active ; and, with the provincial appearance and dialect,his smooth, guileless talk was calculated to deceive anyone who would listen to him. He was a gasfitter by trade, and, from a boy, had been brought up at a large foundry, where ho bore the reputation of being a truly pious and Christianlike young man.

MASTER JOSlCni'3 ANTECEDENTS. In his early life be had been a regular attendant at the Sunday-school, and such was his zeal and progress in religious knowledge that he eventually becamo a teacher, and quite a shining light in the congregation of the sect to which he belonged. Possibly he might have blossomed out into a minister had it not been for a serious trouble which befel the assembly, and caused his co-religionists to question his sincerity and singleness of purpose. It seems that one night the chapel at which he was such a constant attendant was broken into, and the cash and some plate stolen, and- that there were certain suspicious circumstances connccted with the robbery which pointed to the immaculate Joseph as the perpetrator, though they were not strong enough to justify his arrest. Whether or no he was the veritable delinquent is not for me to say, as the pastor of his flock considered him innocent; but shortly after this untoward event the cashier's office at the works at which he was employed whs burglariously entered, and Master Joe, being caught in the very act, was charged with the offence before the magistrates. Here again, however, in this very compromising state of affairs, his reputation for sanctity enabled him to get the ear of the minister and to obtain the credence of that worthy to a very ingeniously concocted excuse in palliation of his apparently inexplicable conduct. He represented to him that, as a rule, almost a teetotaler, he had unfortunately been led on to excess, and that, having lost the door key, he had clambered in through the office window, instead of the bedroom window of his own lodgings, as he believed he was doing, until he was surprised and caught! The minister actually gave it as his opinion that the prisoner in reality was labouring under this strange hallucination, and, pleading hard on his behalf, got him off" with the extremely light sentence of three months' imprisonment. It was of course impossible for him after his term of incarceration was over to mix with his religious associates as he had formerly done, or to return to his previous employ, and he therefore determined to seek fresh fields and pastures new, and after visiting various towns as a journeyman, he eventually, about eighteen months from the date of his liberation from prison, found himself in London. He now seems to have abandoned all attempts to get work at his trade, and taking up his abode in a common lodging-house, sometimes with scarcely enough food to eat, seems to have lived a life of idleness and to have qualified himself for a career of crime by seeking out and associating with notorious thieves and cracksmen. ROBBERY AT LADY MARSDEN'S MANSION. I will now proceed to relate how it was that I was professionally brought into connection with the redoubtable "Joe," and

ascertained the main incidents in his previous career that I have just enumerated. It seems that on the 11th of April, 1869, a most daring attempt was made to commit a robbery at the mansion of Lady Marsden, a rich widow, who, with her only unmarried daughter, resided near Wimbledon. Tho mother and daughter were at dinner, about half-past eight o'clock in the evening, when a female servant, chancing to go upstairs, was surprised to see a strange man coming out of one of the bedrooms. On perceiving her he immediately darted back again and locked the door from the inside, while the terrified female, giving vent to a loud scream, rushed downstairs, called tho butler, and alarmed the premires. Of course a search was made all over the premises, but no one could be found ; but it was very soon apparent how the burglars had effected their entry, for a ladder still remained reared to the sill of a first-floor window at the back of the house, belonging to the very room known as the blue room, and used by Miss Marsden as a dressing-room, by which the strange man had beat his retreat. Moreover, the catch had been forced back, and the window was wide open. The butler ascended and unlocked the door. A thorough- examination of the room revealed the fact that nothing had been stolen, though a small workbox had been broken open. In reality, there was nothing in this room of any value to steal, as the young lady kept all her jewellery and her money in her bedroom, whither, no doubt, the robber was shaping his course when disturbed by the servant. The police were now sent for, and a search was made of the garden and ornamental grounds, which were at that time most extensive, with a grass paddock, covering nearly ten acres. It was clear that the burglars —from the footmarks there were evidently two of them had, in the early part of the evening, been concealed there in a clump of evergreens. As the shades of night fell they proceeded to the farmyard and borrowed the ladder, and thinking it too long to conveniently fit it under the ledge of the window, they took the liberty of sawing off about 6ft from the bottom part, thus rendering it far more portable and easy to fix in position. The police made every search in the neighbourhood, and pursued the usual course of detective inquiry, but with no result. No suspicious strangers had been observed loitering about, or coming from or leaving the railway station, and not the faintest clue to or description of the perpetrators could be obtained. THE OLD "NOSE."

However, three days after the burglary had been attempted, my crafty old " nose," the quondam warehouseman, and chum of Joe Masters —his name was Harrier — at my house. I had not seen or held any communication with him for nearly a month, having denounced him to his face as an arrant impostor. In short, I had determined in my own mind to discard him altogether, as I was getting no return for the expenditure of my time and money in interviewing him. He found me at home, and, in diplomatic language, judging that a rapprochement was expedient, the entente cordiale being so seriously compromised, he came to the point at once, and told me that a house at Wimbledon had been broken into, but nothing stolen, as the thieves had been scared before they could arrive at any portable booty. Up to this time I had heard nothing of the circumstances of the case, and, after a great deal of trouble and beating about the bush, I managed to get from him the name of the lady who lived in the house. Having succeeded so far, I told him to see me the day following, as I knew nothing of the particulars and wished to make some inquiries, at the same time giving him five shillings to go on with. He replied most peremptorily that those terms would not suit him, but I answered that they must, as I could not say whether he was telling me lies or humbugging me with " cock and bull" stories, but that if he would get all the information possible, and see me on the morrow, after I had satisfied myself that I was not being made a fool of, he should be amply remunerated. Upon this he left me, and the following morning I wired to Wandsworth to know if it was true that an entry had been effected into the premises named. The answer was " Yes," whereupon I hurried down there, and, having obtained full particulars, which were in accordance with what Hamer had told me, went on with other matters upon which I was engaged till evening.

A TURN OF EVENTS. Punctual to time the old "fox" put in his appearance, and we sat down and lit our pipes and had a drink or two. All of a sudden he said, "Is it right what I told you yesterday ?" " Yes," I replied, " the fact is as you stated it, but nothing was stolen." Upon this he jumped up suddenly, exclaiming, "I want £10 before I say a single word." My reply simply was that he had told me nothing as to who did the job. Ho now said that he would see me before he told me a word more until he had the money he required, and took up his hat and attempted to leave the house. I now put my back against the door and said that I would see him before he left, and directed his attention to the fact that he was not only cognisant of the entry into the house in question, but that he knew the whole of the circumstances, and that, according to his own statement, he was an associate of the people who effected it. "I shall therefore," I said, "charge you with being concerned with others, not in custody, in breaking into and entering the residence of Lady Marsden, of Wimbledon." 1 called out to my wife to bring my handcuffs down from my bedroom, which she did forthwith. As may be imagined, he was considerably disconcerted and staggered at this unexpected turn of events, and, as I was about to fasten the bracelets upon his wrists, ho began muttering something which led me to think he was willing; to make a statement. I therefore said, as I relinquished my hold of his 'arm, "Now is your time, if you wish to speak." He replied that of his own knowledge he could not tell me anything, as all his information was derived from Masters. I had expected nothing else, and had I paid him ten pounds as he wished, or even one or two pounds, I should have been just as far as ever I was, or even farther, from obtaining any information from him that would have enabled me to reach the actual cracksmen. Masters was far too shrewd and careful a man to let Hamer, whom he was simply using as a tool in furtherance of his predatory schemes, become personally acquainted with, or know the whereabouts of the school of thieves with which he himself had established such intimate relations, and whose cabinet meetings, so to speak, he was in the habit of attending. THE COLONIAL EMIGRATION DODGE.

All that Hamer was permitted to know was that the chief director of the company went by the sobriquet of "The General," and that to him all plans of robbery were referred for approval or rejection, and the plunder, when realised, apportioned by him amongst the entitled recipients according to their proper shares. In a word, ho was treasurer and banker as well as commander-in-chief. My captive was now fairly tamed, and began to listen to me with proper attention, and talk in a sensible manner ; nevertheless, all his communications, as I havo before stated, related to, and originated with, Masters. However, as we went along, I gleaned from him the important piece of intelligence that before the breaking-in at Wimbledon had been attempted, the wily and hypocritical Joe had been sent to the house to solicit a subscription for a bogus society of a charitable nature, professing to aid female domestic servants in emigrating to tho colonies. Of course, the real object of his mission was to acquire some familiarity with tho inside of the house, and take notes of its inmates, and report as to the most promising and easiest means of affecting an entry. The aims of the society and of his motive in calling were explained by him to the housekeeper, who thereupon saw her mistress, while the astute canvasser remained seated in the hall, no doubt taking good stock of tho interior arrangements. Half-a-crown was returned by her ladyship, for which she requested the collector to give her a receipt. Of course, no such society, as represented, was in existence, and as Hamer admitted that they spent the money they received in refreshing themselves, that was --i fnir chance of getting at Masters for obtaining money under false pretences. I now allowed Hamer to leave, having given him a trifle, and the following day made inquiries into the truth of his story, and found it to be correct, I, moreover, obtained from Lady Marsden the actual receipt that Masters had given for the 2s (3d. following the old LADY. I now saw Hamer again to try and elicit from him any fresh facts bearing upon the

" "■ " • I I'll I I i— w——Mil I. ■!■■■[ case, but without success. He told me that/ 1 Masters had not slept at his lodgings for two successive nights. Two more nights elapsed and he did not return. I became somewhat uneasy, fearing that I had losb touch of him, and, having to see Hamer every day, I was constantly parting with money without getting any return. At last, when pressed very hard, Hamer told me that Masters could be seen any Sunday, as he watched and followed an old lady lady residing in Dean's Yard, to become acquainted with her habits, so that the " General " and his staff might mature their plans for cracking her crib to the best advantage. He said that Masters always followed her to the church she attended— St. Margaret's, Westminster— remained during service, and followed her out again. I had now got my cue, and was able to elaborate a plan of active operations ; but, knowing that it would be perfectly hopeless to reach Masters, or gain information from him, except by the aid of the strong arm of the law, I determined to procure a warrant for his arrest for obtaining 2s (id from Lady Marsden under false pretences, and made an application to Mr. Dayman, at Wandsworth, to that effect. I explained the difficulties that confronted me in opening tho campaign, and that I was in reality only throwiug out a " sprat to catch a mackerel," but the evidence was clearand cogent, as I held the receipt for the 2s 6d in Masters' own handwriting; and the worthy magistrate found no difficulty in acceding to my request. Having obtained my warrant, master "Joe" was nowhere to be found. However, the following Sunday morning, accompanied by two assistants, I took up a position outside Dean's Yard, and I had nob been long waiting before I noticed an elderly lady, answering the description of the party Masters was said to be following about, making her way towards St. Margaret's Church. At no great distance behind her I noticed a young man with some books under his arm, whom I at once judged to bo the immaculate Sunday-school teacher of whom I was in quest, but he was so differently attired from what he was on week days that I was obliged to refer to Hamer, who was some little distance from me, to make sure, and before he could -say " Yes," Masters had entered the church. [To be continued.]