TALES & SKETCHES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 878, 28 December 1888, Page 7

TALES & SKETCHES.

[ALL EIGHTS RESERVED]. MEIKLEJOHN’S DETECTIVE EXPERIENCES, Related by Himself. DIAMOND ROBBERY IN BOND. STREET. During the summer of 1868 numerous and daring robberies of jewellery hud 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 £BOO, was stolen from Messrs Hunt and Roskell, the world-renowned silversmiths and jewellers in Bond-street. The circumstances which eventually came out in evidence, were. as follow : A well, 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 observod to come from the restaurant—they were not staying in tho hotel—and, being joined outside by a short dark man, were seen to euter 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 ; the gentleman—a fine handsome man, who gave the lady his arm—wore a black coat and waistcoat, mixed trousers, and a tall silk hat; while his short dark friend wore a round one, and had more the appearance of a oourier, or a business agent, than of an independent gentleman. SELECTING THE JEWELLERV. In due course, about four o’clock, they presented themselves at Messrs. Hunt and* Roskell’s establishment, and the tall gentle-

man proceeded to explain the object of their V *He had, he said, recently returned from Australia, where he had realised a large 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, bat 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 parnre 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, broooh, earrings, and head ornament, amounting in value to some £2OOO, should be set on one side and drawings made of them, for whioh they would return in two or three days. They then left, having given an address in the country and at the ChariDg Cross Hotel, and a card with jthe name of Hart. The tall gentleman and his fianed passed on first to the carriage, while the short 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.. Th® Australian simply said ‘Good day, ’ and walked off in the direction of Oxford-street, ft seems that the commissionaire who opened the carriage door had his suspicions aroused as the gentleman did not seem to pay sufficient attention to the lady—simply Baid, * Good day, 5 without taking off his hat —and 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 baldly time to express his suspicions of the party to the principal shopman, who had accompanied them to the Carriage, and the 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 Charipg Cross Hotel as fast as horseflesh could convey him, but it is needless to say that the'carriage had not returned there, nor could it be heard of or seen in any other direction. The police were communicated with, and hotels, railway stations, mews and livery Btables, and every conceivable plaoe where it was thought a clue might be obtained, searched and watched, but all to no purpose. The soi disant Australian was, to all intents and purposes, as much ‘lost to sight,’ though ‘to memory dear, 5 as the 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 1 have narrated in one of my previous articles, was aloDg with three other detectives safe-guarding Her Majesty the Queen in Scotland against possible Fenian attacks. It was during this autumn and early winter that the Queen took her prolonged topr in Germany. The pleasant time I had enjoyed for months previously, both in the Isle of Wight, at Windsor, and more especially in Scotland, came to an end, and I had to return to my duties in London and my ordinary avocation of thief-hunting. It was now that I was for the first time made fully acquainted with the details and circamstances 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 I might investigate.

OTTERING INFORMATION. At last, one fine morning, the then Chief Commissioner of Polios, Sir Richard Mayne, received a letter from a mar , who was not 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 ou their track. He further added that an appointment must be made to see him some distance away from where he resided, as the parties he wished to indicate would probably know any officer sent to interview him, and, should he be discovered, or suspected of imparting ‘ trade secrets ’ to the police, he would be unable any looger 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, oi whether, as from the tone of his letter we strongly suspected would bathe ease, the writer was an imposter, seeking to obtain money by the ooncoction of tales about meditated thefts and conspiracies having no foundation in fact beyond his own imagination. I felt sure that I should quiokly ascertain whether the whole affair , was a ‘ try on ’ or genuine ; but, as the sequel will show, the task allotted to me was by uq'means so easy of accomplishment as I had in the first instance supposed it would bo, for the_ old fox with whom I was about to enter into negotiations proved to he a perfect paragon of cunning and duplicity. In accordance with my instiuctions, I despatched a letter intimating that I would be at the corner of a specified street on 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 minnte —an elderly man of tolerably re”pectable appearance, though somewhat shabbily attired—and, as a member of tho criminal classes, or as a ‘ nose, 5 \va3 altogether unknown to me. His business, he informed me, had been that of a warehouseman.

THE QUID PRO QUO. Our trysting place was a very short distance from my own home ; so I took him in there, in preferenoe to a public-house, to

hear what he had got to say. After listening to him for upwards of an hour, I could arrive at nothing definite, or gather anything from his discourse and , narrations_ whioh might not be capable of pure invention, as, press him 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 storieß were highly plausible, and I therefore determined to ‘ part to a small amount, and made an appointment to SOO him again at a future date, when I agreed, should he prove more definite m his information, to reward him adequately. The system of * tell tale ’ went on week after week, and I kept bn parting with small sums of money to him, as, though I never could arrive at anything on which I might lay hold, there was enough in his communication to show that he was, at any. rate, acquainted with thieves and burglars, and I could not afford to discard 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 be in readiness outside, to watch where he went upon leaving it. He was, in due course, marked down to a lodging-house in Smith Street, Westminster. _ I vvas well acquainted with the manager ofthis 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 np my mind that I would know what their business, or * graft 5 ia reality was ; and I oould only do this by having them followed. Of course, it was out of the question, that I myself could watch them, as I had been 3een near the place; they would have been quickly on their guard, and all confidential communications at an end. My deputy, however, very soon disoovered that their companionship was limited to the lodging-house 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 oompany. SECOND-HAND INFORMATION.

I now plainly Baw that my artful old informant had been palming off second-hand information upon me. In all our conversations he had • never once hinted 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 poach the actual delinquents by neg tiating further with this old humbug, for to him they were as unknown as to the victims of their frauds and depredations. It was plain that ho had simply been utilising the general outline of their exploits, detailed to him by bis ‘ohum/ for extracting money from the polioe 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 tho company of this young man. I soon had an opportunity of doing so, and I afterwards taokled him and accused him of telling me lies, and of obtaining money under the pretence Jihat hs oould 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 infoimant into a perturbed state of .mind, and compelled him to admit that my accusation was true, and that it wa3 a fact that ho had palmed off second-hand information upon me under the pretence that it was original. I now saw my way, by playing off one againtt 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 parade of his rural simplicity, and pretended to know nothing at all about the crooked and tortuous paths of vice and crime in groat cities, was as thoroughly artful and hypocritical a rogue as could be found in a day’s march. He wa3 about twenty-eight years of age, and sft 6in height, w6ll 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 gas-fitter by trade, and, from a boy, had been brought up at a large foundry, whore he bore the reputation of "heing a truly pious and Chrhtianlike young man. master Joseph’s antecedents.

In his early life he had been regular attendant at the Sunday School, and such was hia zeal and progress in religious knowledge that he eventually became a teacher, and quite a shining light in the congregation of the sect to which 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.religionista to question hia sincerity and singleness of pur-

I pose. It seems that one night the chapel at 1 which he was such a constant attendant was broken into, and the cash and some plate stolen, and that there were certain suspicious circumstances connected with the robbery which pointed to the immaculate Joseph as tho perpetrator, though they were not strong enough to justify his arrest. * Whether or not he was tho veritable delinquent, it is not for me to say, as the pastor of his flock considered him innocent; but shortly after this untoward event the cashier’s offioe at the works at which ho was employed was 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 conoocted 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 bard on his behalf, got him off with tho 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 ho therefore determined to seek fresh fields and pastures new, and after visiting various towns as a journeyman he eventually, about eighteen months from the dafe 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 ■frith 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 tho redoubtable ‘ Joe, 5 and ascertained the main incidents in his previous career that I have just enumerated. It seems that on tho 11th of April, 1569, 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. The 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 aloud scream, rushed downstairs, called the butler, and alarmed the house. Of course a search was made dll over the premises, but no one conld be found ; but it waa 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 tho house, belonging to the very room known as tho 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 tho 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 polioe 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 paddodk, 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 ths 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 coining from or leaving the railway or station, and not the faintest clue to or description of the perpetrators could be obtained. THE OLD ‘ NOSE. 5 However, three days after the burglary had been attempted, my crafty old ‘ nose,’ the quondam warehouseman, and chum of Joe Masters—his name was Hamer—called 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 imposter. 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 diplo* matio language, judging that a rapprochement was expedient, tho entente cordiale being so seriously compromised, he came to the point at once, and told me that a house at Wimbledon had been broken info, but nothing stolen, as the thieves bad been scared before they could arrive at any portable booty. Up to this timo I had heard nothing of the circumstances of tho case, and, after a great deal of trouble and boating about the bush, I managed to get from him the name of the lady who lived in the house. Having succeeded so far, Itoldhimto see me the day following, os I knew nothing of the particulars and wished to make some inquiries, at the same time giving him a dollar 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 * oock and bull 5 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, 5 whereupon 1 harried down there, and, having obtained full particulars, which were in accordance with what Hamer had told me, went on with other matters, upon whioh I was engaged till evening. A TURN OF EVENTS. _ /' Punotual to timo the old 1 fox 5 put in his appearance, and we sat down and lit our pipes and had a driuk or two. All of a sudden he said, ‘ls it right what I told you yesterday * Yes, 5 I replied, ‘ the fact is as you stated it, but nothing was stolen. ’ Upon this ho jumped up suddenly, exclaiming, ‘ I want £lO before I say a single word. 5 My reply Bimply was thab,lie had told me nothing as to who did the job. He now said that he would see me before he told me a word more until he had tho 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—-—be-fore he left, and diiected his attention to the fact that he was not only cognisant of the entry into the house in question but ‘hat 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, 5 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, he 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. 5 He replied that of his own knowledge he could not tell me anything, aa all hia information was derived from M asters. 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 ho himself bad established such ultimate relations, and whose cabinet meetings, so to speak, he was in tho habit of attending. THE COLONIAL EMIGRATION DODGE. Ail that Hamer was permitted to know was that the chief director of tho company went bv the sobriquet of ‘The General, 5 and that to him all plana 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, he was treasurer and banker as well as commander-in-chief. My captive was n>w fairly tamed, and began to lißten to me with proper attention, and talk in a sensible manner j nevertheless, all his communications, as I have before stated, related to, and orignated with, Masters. However, as >ve went along, I gleaned from him tho 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 femalo domestic servants iq emigrating to the colonies. Of course, the roal object of his mission was to acquire some familiarity with the inside of the house, and takenotos of its inmates, and report as to the most promising and easiest means of effecting 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 aßtnte canvasser remained seated in the hall, ?no doubt taking good stock’ of the interior arrangements. Half-a-crown wa3 returned by her ladyship, for whicu she requested the collector to give her a receipt. Of course no suoh society, as represented, was in existence, and as Hamoj admitted that they spent the money they received in refreshing themselves, there was a fair chance of getting at Masters foi obtaining money under false pretences. I now allowed Hamer to leave, having given him a trifle, and tho following day made inquiries into tho truth of his story, and found it to be correct. I, moreover, obtained from Lady Marsden tho actual receipt that Masters had givon for the 2s Gd. FOLLOWING THE-OLD LADY. I now saw Hamer again, to try and elicit from him any fresh facts bearing upon the oase, but without success. He told me that Masters had not slept at his lodgings for two successive nights. Two moie nights elapsed and he did not return. I became somewhat uneasy, fearing that I had lost 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 tne that Masters could bo seen any Sunday, as he Watched and followed an old 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 ohurch 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 aotive 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 6d 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 the campaign, and that I was in reality only throwing out a ‘sprat to catch a mackerel,’ but the evidence was clear and cogent, as I held the reoeipt 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 1 Joe 5 was nowhere to be found. However, tho following Sunday morning, accompanied by two assistants, I took up a position outside Dean’s Yard, and I had not bean long wait, ing before I noticed an elderly lady, answering the description of the party Masters was said to be following about, making.her way toward St. Margaret’s Chuich. At no great distance behind her I noticed a young man with some books under his arm, whom I at onoe judged to be the immaculate Sunday school teaoher of whom I was In quest, but he was so differently attired from what ho 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 aay ‘Yes,’ Masters had entered the ohurch. (To be continued.)