A A AM A M 31 fall fail from grace araa yr aa 11 U nor stories of the greatest cases in them the career of bf thomas furlong the famous railroad detective told by himself copyright by W 0 chaan in the latter part of the year 1892 mr clarence white manager for the firm ot of john holland bolland co ot of st louis who owned a largo large jewelry store in that city called upon me in my office in the chemical building i we are in trouble mr furlong henegan he ho began and want to have your assistance si you know that our firm does a large business ils in this city A quantity of valuable goods has disappeared in a mysterious r manner and is in still disappearing and we cannot lay our hands upon the culprit mr bolland has asked me to call and put the case bafo before freyou you and tomorrow he ha will come in person perso tor r a conference on the foll following day when ier mr bolland called he stated that it was more than two years since goods began to disappear from the ille store and that these losses were growing to alarming proportions in the endeavor to clear up the mystery he had secured the services ces of another local private detective agency ata aa considerable expense but without being able to fasten the guilt upon af anyone iyone he added that he would woul dItke like to have me make an investigation and apprehend the guilty person or persons if it could be done in view af of the large amount that I 1 have already spent in order to detect the thief I 1 do not feel like spending a large su sum m continued mr air bolland but see what you can do without incurring any heavy expenses it is necessary tome to me to have this matter cleared up but the police department is unable to help me and I 1 do not know eliere to turn it is evident to io me mr holland bolland 1 I said that you belleve believe all alit your em am aloyes to bo be honest or else you would In not othave have them in your i e mill employment cyment you need not spend any time in looking after clarence white fred erfert or myself answered answered d mr bolland belland albut but you may use your judgment as to the other employed emp loyes although I 1 want yon yoa to understand that I 1 have the utmost confidence in a all ll 11 of them the employed named erfert was well known to me he had been in the service of the company since hla his boyhood he was waa then about twenty two or twenty three years of age had become a trusted employer emp loye and carried the keys of the establishment lie he was the first man to open the store in the morning and the last man out at flight closing and locking the store himself clarence white was an older man and of blameless reputation A short time before this interview took place according to mr air bollands further statement the company had purchased a large stock of jewelry at a bankrupt sale the most desirable parts of the stock had been sorted out and removed to the companas comp anys store from which ll 11 they had bad culled out stock of their own which was growing stale ard and this they had placed with the residue of their purchase they then started to auction off the ther surplus stock erfert was placed in charge of this auction store with a professional auctioneer and a number of il erks this auction was running at the time of the interview between myself and the store owner goods are also being missed from the au auction c cioll store mr air bolland continued 1 1 evidently the thief has ac 1 cess to both places I 1 Ins instructed one of my operatives to observe carefully all that he could about the auction store from the time it opened in the morning until it was was closed at night ni 9 bt which wits was duty duly done at the end of the first days dabs watch the operative reported that ho fie had noticed a number of what appeared to be irregular irregularities ties on the part of erfert the manager he reported that on oa the evening before he had seen erfert and the other clerks leave the store tr arfert ertelt Er fert being the last man out locked the door and put the key in his pocket and the whole party walked to the corner oi of sixth and olive streets where they separated presumably for foi their homes he said that erfert however did not take a car but walked west a block on olive street to seventh then north on seventh to locust street and east on locust street to the tha side entrance of the abc tion lion store where he unlocked the door he entered and almost amrael immediately returned to the sidewalk carrying a couple of large heavy packages were fastened with shawl strips straps he then ihen went back by the same route to sixth and locust streets where he boarded a car carrying these two heavy packages one in either hana band to his home in south st louis where he be resided with his widowed mother and sister on learning these details I 1 lo iw my operative to repeat his watch on the following day telling him bim that in case erfert doubled back I 1 on that evening also he was to approach I 1 him and say that sir air furlong awaa was in bis office in the chemical build tin t tag g and wanted to see him at once and and to bring him up without delay V I 1 remained in the office that evening so 00 as to beon be on handin hand in cise case i pea heated ted his a actions and that is what he bo did z it was winter and g grew raw dark about 6 30 in the afternoon at this time erfert closed and locked the store and with the other clerks apparently started for home ile accompanied the others as aa he had done the night before to sixth and olive streets and then left them afterward making a circuitous route and return returning it ig to the store into which he i disappeared he emerged almost immediately carr carrying y ing two packages rather heavier than those which he had taken the night before and fastened with the shawl straps after he had locked the door and picked up the packages which seemed reamed to be very heavy the operative who had approached him junob served touched him on the shoulder mr furlong Is at hta his office in the chemical building and wants you to come over and see him at once he said what does he want to see me for asked erfert 1 I dont know answered the operative he will explain that when lie he sees you 1 I am in a hurry and time said erfert 1 I am late anyway and will call and see him tomorrow you can either go with me right now returned the other or I 1 will call that policeman across the street and have histake him take you to police cei headquarters and probably mr furlong will go there and see you now it is up to you if I 1 take you to police headquarters your name and cletu picture e will appear in the papers in the morning and you will probably get a lot of undesirable notoriety 1 I dont want any notoriety ety an erfert but I 1 cant understand what mr furlong wants to see me for tonight however I 1 will go with you but I 1 will put pit these packages in the store what is in them asked the operative 1 I have two fin fine clocks which were wera sent over to my store by mistake and are too expensive to sell at auction answered erfert and I 1 intend to take them back to the main store where they belong well said the operative you take them up to mr furlongs office and after you have seen him he will probably allow you to take them to the main sf store ore the operative brought the man to my office I 1 was already acquainted with all that had passed because unknown to tho the operative I 1 had put a second operative to watch him and bring back a rep report of all that occurred the second man reached my u office a few minutes before the first arrived when erfert and the detective were seated together in the private room I 1 turned to the young man and asked fred what have you in those two packages they lre two clocks answered erberi which were sent over to the auction by mistake they are expensive clocks and I 1 will not sell them at auction and intended to take them home tonight and return them to th the emain eatn store in the morning before I 1 opened the auction store what other stock have you on your person which was sent over to the auction store by mistake I 1 inquired 1 I have only a few stick pins and a few other small articles of jewelry said eald erfert put them on my desk I 1 said bald erfert complied und and the articles that he had concealed in his hia pockets were worth according to the prices mark marked mackedon edon on them nearly four hundred dollars there were stick pins gold rings and other small pieces of good jewelry thinking that possible he had not emptied his pockets I 1 inspected them myself and found a memorandum book in which erfert had kept an accurate account of all the articles which he had stolen from the jewelry firm the cost price of each article to the company and ther price lie her had received for a large lot of 61 articles of which he had already disposed book was written in cipher I 1 also found a key to a safe deposit vault fred I 1 said t to MO him you have stolen thousands ot of ollars ilar worth of jewelry from your your employers biro to you u were practically raised by them 4 baling been in their service nearly nearl alt your life and the company compan has always treated you well MS amt jil itly 1 now that you have been caught ML handed I 1 think it wilt will her be to fd yourin your ini terest to tell the whole truth about what you have taken and addo to doall all in your power to return as ra mucha deb of we the plunder as yos possible sible the ome ways was on the fourteenth floor or of the chemical building erfert tu turned arned suddenly and 6 made a lunge for the window vitia the purpose of flinging himself into the street bolow below I 1 caught him just la in taine astus a few moments the culprit admitted very everything thins no ne amit that he had b been e n stealing from the com tor for tha pt two yeara and had recently beam assisted assist pd by another of at the employed emp loyes isa ila added that hta hla grandfather conducted conduct edi a jewelry and hor dor elty store acore in south st SL louts bouts andi that nearly all th the a stock he and his confederate had stolen had conw bonx wo into mhd old mans stock ha also stated that he had a quant quantity liy of oc tho tha stolen abolen property concealed in the attle attic of hla mothers house and agreed to go with one ol of my men and deliver the stolen goods this he subsequently did alter after erfert had fiad completed hla hia confession I 1 sent a message to mr holland bolland aslaug him to ta come to my omco emco at once as aft I 1 had succeeded in capturing the tha L mr bolland arrived about ten in the evening accompanied by hta wife and clarence white I 1 met them in the front office the nies messenger edid we me that you had captured the pari mariy who has been robbing us said the owner yes I 1 replied that la is why I 1 sent tor for you whom have you caught Is the principal par party ty 11 mrs bolland and white exclaimed simultaneously why surely you have made a mistake 1 I told you not to bother wither with erfert that I 1 believed he was all right said mr bolland angrily why furlong you have got your foot in it white continued erfert surely purely had nothing to do with these thefts and you have made a great mistake by even accusing him he has been practically raised by mr bolland and in his service for many years and we have always had im elicit confluence in his honesty yes I 1 understand all that I 1 an sherod but mr air bolland employed me to apprehend the party or parties who were robbing him which I 1 have done erfert knows that he is guilty and he has fully admitted his guilt and I 1 am satis satisfied fled from the evidence that I 1 have found on his person that hebold he told the truth when ho he said he was guilty 1 I of course realize mr bollands disappointment in finding that erfert was the guilty person but I 1 cannot help his feelings I 1 have simply done what was my duty in the matter and now it remains with mr bolland and as to what shall ba 5 done with erfert where Is erfort Ert ert mr bolland asked he is in there and waiting to see you I 1 answered pointing to the door of my private office he has prom the etore os mr holland our party then bulted rt the store of the grand r father la in south st louis ind and recovered about four back loads of goods j from that place dy by the time the last toad load had bad been hauled away it was nearly daylight while this loot was being removed I 1 was standi standing fig out outside sidd guarding the hack back into which the goods gooda were being placed A police officer came along we knew each other and he was vaa somewhat surprised to see ee me at that time of night in that locality and asked roe me in a friendly manner what I 1 was wan doing there I 1 replied that some stuff had been stolen from a jewelry store and that it had bad been taken to the house I 1 added that I 1 had thought it advisable to remove the goods after night so as not to attract the attention of the neighbor I 1 hood as I 1 felt sure that the women oft of the family were not aware that the Z 21 2 aj ower FURLONG fd COME OVER AND SEE HIM AT ONCE 11 clerf toe that he will tell you what he has already told my assistant and myself and that he be will at onca onca return au as much as possible of the stolen proper property tf to you which I 1 have advised him to do I 1 then ushered them into the private room loom la in which erfert was the young follow fellow repeated to them the statement of guilt that he had bad already marts mads to mo me then with some bome assist assistants ants I 1 went in a hack to the house of er erts mother where we found about two hack back loads of stolen roods consisting of clocks silver plate fine umbrellas and various lo 10 of brica bric a brac all valuable stuff these thesa goods were taken direct to property which had been placed in their house was waa stolen the policeman later reported that he had met me and detailed this conversation to his hia captain the report of course reach edth chief ot of palice the following in morning orning the chieff chief becoming exasperated suspended suspend edl tile the policeman tor for not having arrested both the hack back driver and myself her ha also suspended ono one or two of the officers connected with the station who were on duty that night the next morning a city detective called at my office 1 I have been sent down here by the chief to see you he sald the chief understands that you arrested a young fellow named erfert last night and that you recovered a tot lot of stolen property Is that report true part of the report seems to be true while the remainder la Is not true I 1 answered you know and the chief should know that I 1 have no legal right to make arrests and therefore I 1 have made no arrests nor have I 1 caused any to be ba made within the city of st louis but I 1 did recover a large quantity of stolen goods last night and early this morning and I 1 have delivered them to their owner where Is erfert entert now asked the detective 1 I dont know where ho he Is IB at present you want to know this because the chief instructed me to come down here and get him and bring him to headquarters at once replied theman theman have you any charges against him at head headquarters quarters I 1 inquired 1 I dont know all I 1 know Is i i that the chief sent me down here to get him and nd bring him to headquarters 1 I do not know whether there will be any charges preferred against erfert or not I 1 s said ald hlo his employer seems inclined to sympathize with him and especially with his bli family I 1 do not believe that he cares to have him prosecuted for these thefts I 1 expect erfert to call at my office some time during the forenoon and I 1 am looking for mr air bolland here stany at any moment when erfert cornea comes I 1 will tell him that the chief wants to see him wo ho you need sot not do that one sw r ed the detective 1 I will wait