THE DIARY OF A DETECTIVE.
It was the morning of the New Year. Mr. Barnes was seated in an
arm-chair by his own fireside at his cosy home on Staten Island. In his
hand he held a diary, whose pages he was studying intently. Before
peeping over his shoulder to read with him, it will be best to give a
slight insight into the state of mind which led him to take up the book
on this particular day.
After the clever manner in which he had discovered that a young girl
existed, whose name was Rose Mitchel, and who was supposed to be the
daughter of Mr. Robert Leroy Mitchel, and after the equally clever trick
by which the girl was removed beyond his ken, Mr. Barnes had come to one
conclusion. This was, that it was necessary to keep such a strict watch
upon Mr. Mitchel, that if he had not already committed the crime, about
which he had wagered, he should not be able to do so and avoid
detection. For Mr. Barnes began to have some feeling in the matter
beyond the mere fulfilment of duty. He was being thwarted by this man at
every turn, and this made him doubly determined not to allow him to win
that bet. Therefore he had removed Wilson from the post of watching Mr.
Mitchel, and had replaced him by two men who were thoroughly skilful.
Wilson and another he set to spy upon the movements of Miss Remsen, for
he hoped to find the child through her.
Being the first of January, and therefore the last day upon which Mr.
Mitchel could commit his crime, within the conditions imposed, always
supposing that he had not already done so, Mr. Barnes wished once more
to go over the reports sent to him by his various spies, in order that
he might be assured that no mistakes had been made.
He began to read at:
"Dec. 15. Mitchel left his hotel early, and went over to Hoffman House.
Remained there two hours, and came out accompanied by Thauret. They
walked up to the White Elephant, and spent the morning playing
billiards. Lunched together at Delmonico _cafe_ and separated at two
o'clock. Mitchel then went to his livery stable and obtained a horse and
light wagon. They are his property. Drove slowly along Madison Avenue,
and stopped at Thirtieth Street apartment-house. S----.
"No sign of Miss Remsen all morning. She has a new maid. Her girl Sarah
returned yesterday, but her mistress refused to take her back. Evidently
she recognizes that the girl was bribed to go into the country and to
recommend Lucette as her cousin. About 2:30, Mitchel drove up in his
light wagon. According to orders, I prepared to follow them, that they
might not visit the child, eluding us by driving. Obtained a cab, and
was waiting in it as the two turned into Madison Avenue and started
up-town. Easily kept them in sight, without exciting suspicion, but
learned nothing as they simply drove up through the Park, along St.
Nicholas Avenue and home again down the Boulevard and Riverside drive.
He remained at the Remsens' till ten o'clock. Then went straight to his
hotel. W----.
"Dec. 16. Mitchel spent his morning at his club. Afternoon in his hotel.
Evening at Miss Remsen's. S----.
"Miss Remsen and her sister spent the morning shopping. The afternoon
paying calls. The evening at home. W----.
"Dec. 17. Mitchel's actions same as yesterday, except that Thauret
called on him at his hotel during the afternoon and was with him an
hour. S----.
"Miss Remsen, her sister, and two other young ladies went to Brooklyn in
the afternoon, but simply visited the large stores there. At home in the
evening. W----.
"Dec. 18. Mitchel and Thauret together in the morning. Mitchel and Miss
Remsen out walking in afternoon. Mitchel and Thauret at club in the
evening. I bribed doorman and succeeded in getting in disguised as one
of the servants. Mitchel and Thauret played whist, playing as partners.
They lost about a hundred dollars. Went home together. S----.
"Miss Remsen indoors all morning. Out on Fifth Avenue with Mitchel in
the afternoon. During their absence Thauret called. W----.
"Dec. 19. Mitchel and Thauret played poker all afternoon in one of the
rooms of their club. Both lost. There were four others in the game. One
of these won heavily. I have discovered that this is undoubtedly the
man who was Thauret's whist partner on the night when Randolph thought
that he detected them cheating. He also answers the description of the
man who left the jewels at hotel in New Haven. His name is Adrian
Fisher. In the evening Mitchel and Thauret were in a box at the opera
with the Remsen family. S----.
"The Miss Remsens gave an afternoon tea. Mr. Randolph called and
remained to dinner. Went to the opera with the ladies in the evening.
W----.
"Dec. 20. Mitchel in his hotel all day. He and Thauret went driving in
the afternoon. I followed them in a light wagon. At the road house in
the Park, they alighted and had a bottle of wine. Talked together
earnestly. Saw Mitchel give Thauret a roll of money. In the evening they
played whist as partners at the club, and again they lost. S----.
"No sign of the Miss Remsens till afternoon when a young lady called and
the three went to matinee at Daly's. Evening they spent at home. W----.
"Dec. 21. Mitchel attended worship at St. Patrick's Cathedral with the
two Miss Remsens. Afternoon remained in his hotel. Evening at the
Remsens. S----.
"Miss Remsen and her sister at St. Patrick's Cathedral in the morning.
At home the rest of the day. W----.
"According to instructions I have made inquiries about Adrian Fisher. He
is a man of good family, but poor. Belongs to two fashionable clubs.
Plays cards for money frequently. Is a good player and seems to earn a
living off of his friends. Has no relatives living, except a sister who
is a cripple. He is very fond of her and treats her with great kindness.
It is a mystery how he manages to support her as comfortably as he does.
They live together in a small flat at ---- East Fiftieth Street. It was
he who introduced Thauret at the club, and had him made a member. He was
out of town from Dec. 1st to Dec. 4th. Q----."
At this point of his reading Mr. Barnes laid down his book and thought a
moment. These questions occurred to him.
"Is this man Fisher the tool of Thauret? He is poor, and a card-player.
He is well born and has a sister to support in a style suitable to her
birth. Has Thauret induced him to play, that together they may fleece
the other members of the club? It looks like it, but why this sudden
intimacy with Mitchel? Or is that less sudden than we know, and have
they been long acquainted? Again, is Fisher the man who received the
satchel from one of these men, and then took it to the hotel in New
Haven? He was out of town at the time. Why did he place the satchel in
the hotel, and then abandon it? After securing the plunder, why did he
thus lose it? Was he suddenly overtaken by his conscience and becoming
aware of the fact that Thauret was using him as a tool in a piece of
criminal work, did he take this method of clearing himself, and of
allowing the jewels to be returned to their owner as soon as found in
the hotel? This would account for Thauret's having left the train at
Stamford, intending perhaps to return to New Haven and meet his
confederate. Fisher, meanwhile, having abandoned the scheme and returned
to New York, Thauret was thwarted. But who killed the woman?" Mr. Barnes
resumed his reading.
"Dec. 26. Mitchel arose early, and called for Miss Remsen at eleven
o'clock. Together they went to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Van Rawlston, at
Fifth Avenue near Forty-eighth Street. They remained nearly an hour, and
then separated when they came out. Mitchel eat luncheon at the
Brunswick, where he was joined by Thauret. They went to the club in the
afternoon and played whist. They lost money. Mitchel paid for both, and
took an I.O.U. from Thauret for his share. Randolph was in the game.
There is a growing coolness between Randolph and Mitchel. They barely
speak when they meet. It is evident that no love is lost between
Randolph and Thauret. In the evening the three men were in the Remsens'
box at the opera. S----.
"Miss Remsen accompanied Mitchel to Mrs. Van Rawlston's in the morning,
and left him when they came out. She made several calls mainly upon
well-known fashionable society leaders. Something is evidently on the
_tapis_. It occurred to me that the missing child might have been placed
in the care of the Van Rawlstons. Therefore in the afternoon I allowed
R---- to follow the young ladies on a shopping expedition, whilst I
interviewed the policeman on the beat. He is acquainted with the Van
Rawlston's maid, and will send a report to you to-night. The ladies went
to the opera in the evening. W----.
"Mr. and Mrs. Van Rawlston have three children, all younger than
fourteen, and only one a girl, the youngest. The Miss Remsen who called
was a Miss Emily Remsen. She was accompanied by a Mr. Robert Mitchel.
They came to beg Mrs. Van Rawlston to allow a society to which the young
lady belongs, to give an entertainment in her house. The entertainment
is to be New Year's night. Policeman 1666.
"Dec. 23. Mitchel and Thauret went to a costumer's on Union Square. When
they had left I called there and said that I was a friend of Mr.
Mitchel's and wished a costume made for the same entertainment. The plan
worked, and by adroit questioning I discovered that there is to be an
Arabian Night festival on the night of the New Year. It is to be a
costume masquerade, and Mitchel has promised to send all of the men to
his costumer for their dresses. He ordered an Ali Baba dress. Thauret
left no order, saying he would not attend. I ordered an Aladdin costume.
If you do not decide to attend I can countermand the order, but I
thought you might find it advantageous to be present. With Aladdin's
wonderful lamp you might shed some light upon the mystery. Pardon the
joke. The afternoon and evening were spent by Mitchel and Thauret at
their club. Again they played whist and again they lost. S----.
"The young ladies spent the morning at a fashionable dressmaker's on
Madison Avenue. I have picked up an acquaintance with a servant girl who
lives in one of the flats in Thirtieth Street house, and from her I
learn that Miss Remsen's new maid tells her that the affair at the Van
Rawlston house will be a costume masquerade, all parties assuming
characters from the Arabian Nights. Miss Emily Remsen will appear as
Scheherezade. W----."
Mr. Barnes turned two pages at this point, evidently considering that
nothing of special moment was contained in the reports covering the next
few days. He began again.
"Dec. 30. Mr. Mitchel came out of his hotel at ten o'clock, and crossed
over to Jersey City, taking an express for Philadelphia. I of course
took same train. S----.
"The Miss Remsens were at home all day. They are busy on their costumes
for the coming entertainment. W----.
"Dec. 31. Telegram from Philadelphia. 'Mitchel at Lafayette Hotel. Is
sick in bed. Doctor in attendance. Sent a telegram to Miss Remsen
telling her that he cannot be on hand to-morrow night.' S----.
"Thauret went to Union Square costumer yesterday and obtained the Ali
Baba costume ordered for Mitchel. He gave the costumer a letter which he
had received from Mitchel, dated at Philadelphia yesterday. It reads:
'Friend Thauret, I am suddenly taken ill. Don't let the Remsens know
that it is anything serious. Oblige me, if possible, by attending the
Arabian Night festival. I enclose my invitation and a note to Mr. Van
Rawlston, which will introduce you. You may wear my costume, and the
costumer will give it to you if you present this. You were to have gone
out of town I know, but if you wish to do me a favor I hope you will
change your plans and take my place. I do not wish Miss Remsen to be
entirely unattended. Therefore be with her as much as you can. She will
be dressed as Scheherezade.
'(Signed) Mitchel.'
"I obtained this from the costumer by saying I am a detective shadowing
a criminal. Q----."