Hide Article Text (OCR)
The Phantom ThiefA WOMAN DETECTIVE ONTHETRAIL.As a woman, the heroine Df this remarkable episode has had many adventures and opportunities for undertaking strange investigations denied the ordinary private inquiry agent. Always original, Maud West's plans havegained success where orthodox methods would have failed.9I had -been in Paris on a holiday (writes Maud West, the detective) and was on the point of returning to London when I received a telephone message asking me to call on a well-known private detective. On many occasions he had acted as my agent in France.“I’m engaged on a most peculiar case. Miss West,” he explained when I met him. I And great difficulty in arriving at any solution. In fact, I do not even know where to start.I have on many occasions worked for a firm which has a large export husineBs here in Paris. Two weeks ago I was summoned by them to a meeting of directors and they Informed me that for some time thefts had been occurring in their head offices. They had set every sort of trap, hut without any success. The thief seems possessed of the most diabolical cleverness—anyhow, he'B too clever for me!”Tell me the facta, I said.Briefly, they are as follows;—The offices occupy the whole of the first floor of a large busfness building in the heart of Paris. There are nearly ninety clerks and subordinates, and each of these people has, in turn, been under suspicion. In fact, they have now arrived at the state when each thinks someone else the thief.About three months ago small sums of money hegan to disappear from petty cash boxes. Money would disappear in the most mysterious mariner in different departments.The directors thought that they could put a stop to this by the formation of one cashier's department. This was done, and all mouey was kept in the firm’s safe, which is in a small,■ winrlowless strong room adjoining the board-room. This made no difference. The thefts went on from time to time; the amounts removed were greater. And now the directors have begun to suspect each other!“It is probably for this reason that, up to the present time, the police have not been called In. The suggestion that a dfrector was responsible would react against the firm.Well, I have done everything 1 can;I have examined the records of every employe. I have had every clerk and typist watched, and I am certain that no one on the Btaff is responsible for the later robberies.Let me handle it for a week, I suggested; and then if I have not found some solution to the mystery 1suggest that you go to the police.”He agreed, and next day I was taken down to the flrm’B offices and introduced to the directors.My friend introduced me and suggested that I should make an independent investigation and report in a week's time, after which, if the business was not cleared up, the calling in of the police should be considered. After some rather acrimonious discussion the directors agreed to this procedure—at least, with the exception of one, a tall, bearded individual, who opposed the idea.I cannot see the use of employing a woman detective, he said. “Whereour own representative has failed I do not see how Mias West can succeed. In any event, I do not believe in women detectives! I oppose!”There w»b some discussion, but another director, a round-faced and Bmil-ing man of middle age, constituted himself my champion.Why should not Miss WeBt succeed?” he asked. She will bring an entirely clear outlook to this business. We, ourselves, are all at sixes and sevens about the matter and we seem to have lost the ability to think clearly. Let her do it.Eventually tbe directors agreed.It seemed fairly certain that the thefts must take place at night. It was practically impossible for anyone to steal during the day, when the safe was under the observation of half-a-dozen people. Yet it was also difficult to imagine bow anyone could obtain access to the offices at night.A night-watchman visited themtwice or three times during the night, and, In order to get at the safe, the robber must open four doors, all of which had new and secure locks, when he had obtained access to the outer offices.When the meeting was over I took my departure, deep in thought. I was about to hail a taxi-cab and return to my hotel when I felt a touch on the arm and turned to find myself face to face with the round-faced director. He was aB smiling as ever.“Come anil have a cup of tea with me, Miss West, he said. “I think I can help you, hut what I say to you must be ill entire confidence.”We went to a near-by cafe and ordered tea.“You will recollect the tall, beardeddirector—Monsieur Y ” ho said.“The one who opposed you at the meeting this afternoon. Well, in my opinion that man wants watching!“Consider these facts. After thefirst petty thefts had occurred, Y— constituted himself watcli-dog. He began to visit the offices at all hours of the night in order to make 'investigations.' At this time no large sums had been stolen, and my own belief iij that the thefts which hail occurred up to that moment were merely petty pllferings on the part of some clerk. But after all, the money was kept in the safe, and these larger sums only went after Y had started his nocturnal visits.”If you Buspected him why did you not tell your own detective? I asked.He shrugged hie shoulders.I should have put myself in an impossible position, be said. “Our own man would probably have given roe away, and It would have been awful If I had been wrong. But you are a stranger. I am safe in giving you the hint.”“Have you any suggestions to make?*’ I asked.He nodded.“In a day or two let it be known thatyou suspect some junior clerk in one o: the departments, but suggest that nothing is done until you have verified your suspicions. This will set his rnind at rest and be will proably make a fresh attempt. In the meantime you can have him watched closely. Set a trap for him.I thanked him for his advice and returned to my hotel. Two hours later, as I was finishing my dinner, I wassurprised to receive a visit from the object of the round-faced director's suspicions. It was nor.e other than the tall, bearded director, and after some preamble be informed me that he suspected that the round-faced one was the thief!He pointed out that all the directors had keys of the offices, the strong room, and the safe, and that having regard to certain Information he had received that the other director was living above his income and Indulging In horse-racing, there was good ground for suspicion.He suggested that I watched him closely!After he had gone I sat for a long time in deep thought. I was certain that the thief was one of the directors, because it was practically impossible for anyone else to have committed the thefts. It was also certain that whoever bad committed the robberies was going to cease operations whilst my Investigator friend and myself were on the Job. The situation was not easy. But I had an idea.I went round to my friend's office and explained. (“I am going to ‘fail’ on this case, I said, “and at the end of the week, after I have left France, you must arrange that one of the clerks gives notice and leaves the firm’s employ. A few, days after you will Inform the directors in confidence that you consider that this clerk was responsible for the robberies, but that you have no evidence. This will set everyone’s raind at rest, and there is no doubt that soon after this the real thief will make another attempt. , But this time you will get him, and I will tell you how.I told him my plan, and we got to work. First we visited a clever French cracksman, who lived in the Montmartre district (iu between his visits to prison) and enliBtod his aid, and by the end of the week our plans were laid.Then, at a meeting of directors 1 made my announcement. I informed them that my Investigations had been in vain and that I had discovered no-tiling. With regret I resigned from the case, aB I was leaving for England next day.Before I went I left with my detective friend a sealed envelope containing a sheet of paper on which I had written the solution of the case. He was to open it and let me know if 1 was correct after our little plot had come to fruition.The Man Trap,Three daya after I had left the country my associate Informed the directors that a clerk, who had just given notice, was probably the tliief, and that he considered there was no danger of further robberies.A week after this, on the occasion of a large sum of mouey being left overnight in the safe, there was an attempted robbery.Both the thieves were caught. .Now I will give a copy of my solution to the mystery which I left iu the sealed envelope with my detective friend, and which was proved to be right: —I believe that the thefts have been carried out by two of the directors— namely, Monsieur Y—™, the bearded individual, and Monsieur X—, the round-faced one. My reason for this conclusion is that each of these men (afraid that the other might be inclined to talk) warned me against his confederate. This was to prevent either of them endeavoring to operate alone, and alao, in the event of my securing any definite evidence, would have concentrated suspicion on the other.I suggest that I pretend to give up the case and that after the suspected” clerk has left, the following procedure should be adopted by you each night when the offices are closed.That a special, invisible ttme-lock bo affixed to the top of the door of the room in w'hich the safe stands. This lock will be connected with the safe lock so that the opening of the safe will automatically lock the door of the strong room.That each niglit you will insert in the safe a chloroform gas cylinder with the valve attached to the safe door. Anyone opening the safe will release the valve. Being unable to leave the room, ami owing to non-access of air, they will after a few minutes become unconscious.The time-lock on the door will be electrically connected with the night-watchman's room. When the lock works, a bell will ring In his room and he will immediately telephone you.You will take a taxi round to the cfflceB and find your men unconscious..**•»lt; *This was the system which secured the capture of the two thieves, whowere both sentenced. The time-lock on the door and the electric connection were made by our friend the cracksman, and the chloroform gas cylinder bought from a liospitr.*' The lock was set and the cylindv^’affixed J each night by my friend, and^both the directors were found unconscious by him and the night-watchman at five o’clock in the morning!And my only regret is that I was not there to observe the faces of the two thieves when they recovered consciousness !
Newspaper Details
Cromwell Argus
Cromwell, Otago, NZ
Mon, May 17, 1937
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Hayner P.
IL, USA 24 Oct 2018
Other Publications Near Cromwell, Otago
Cromwell Argus
