OCR Text |
Show A DEAR KERNEL THAT BIDDY PICKED. The Cincinnati Commercial relates a most curious case of diamond robbery, and how it cost a gentleman twenty-eight dollars to stoop over and look into a hen-coop. A Mr. Hawthorne, who came here from New York a few days ago on a visit, had an experience on Broadway yesterday which is simply unparalleled. Setting off his very handsome dress was a $600 diamond pin, the diameter of which was about half an inch. While sauntering down Broadway he stopped in front of Haggerty's proud establishment and bent over a pile of coops to watch the antics of some of the chickens which were feeding. The diamond caught the eye of a silly fowl,-a hen, of course-and darting its head between the laths, it seized the gem. Unfortunately the fastening was not what it should be, and a sharp jerk tore it loose. The hen swallowed the diamond, and Mr. Hawthorne's attempt to catch it gave it such a fright it rushed among the other chickens and lost its identity, so far as he was concerned. He went into the store to complain and was delayed somewhat. When he came out again the coops had all been moved, and Hawthorne could not even recognize the $600 one. A conference was held with Mr. Haggerty, and it was agreed that the only way to make sure of the jewel was to kill all the chickens in all the coops. This was not a great undertaking, for the house supplies hotels with dressed chickens, and would not have much trouble in disposing of the lot. So Haggerty agreed that if he was allowed twenty-five cents a dozen for killing immediately, he would find the diamond. The coops were carried to the dressing-room and the seventy-two dozen chickens were killed. The eight hundred and fifty-eighth chicken had the diamond carefully stowed away inside, and Mr. Hawthorne gladly paid eighteen dollars for the killing, and ten dollars to the woman who found the diamond. |