Mississippi Outlaws and the Detectives

CHAPTER V

The third Detective is made welcome at Don Pedro's. – The Señor is paid the first half-million dollars from the great Diamond Company. – How Don Pedro is "working" his Diamond Mines. – Very suspicious preparations. – The Don describes his proposed Fête Champêtre.

One evening, as the members of the Morito family were about to retire, Monsieur Lesparre noticed a nervousness and abstraction in Don Pedro such as he had never shown before. Thinking that something new might be learned by overhearing the conversation between the Don and Donna when they should be alone, Lesparre, instead of going to his own room, slipped into an unused closet adjoining the Don's dressing-room, and communicating therewith by a door, which was kept locked. There was a transom over this door, and, by climbing to one of the shelves, Lesparre could hear all that was said in either room of the Don's bedroom suite. He had hardly taken this position when the two entered their apartments.

"See what a handsome necklace that old fool Mather sent me to-day," said the Donna.

"Yes, it is very elegant and valuable," said Don Pedro, with a yawn; "but what we most need is money. However, I do not imagine we shall have any difficulty, for I expect a large sum in a few days from the stockholders in this Diamond Company. Still, you may as well get all you can out of Mather and the others, for we must keep up our present style of living to the end."

Just at this moment the shelf upon which Lesparre was sitting gave a loud creak, and he had only just time to slip down and regain his own room before the Don came out to see what was the matter. Fortunately, there was a large pet cat in the hall, and she received the credit of having made the noise.

The next day, on hearing Lesparre's report, I decided to place still another detective in the Morito mansion, and so I instructed Lesparre to recommend the employment of a young man to assist the butler and to do general work about the house. As I expected, Don Pedro acquiesced in the suggestion, and told Lesparre to engage such men-servants as he considered necessary. Accordingly, I at once telegraphed to Chicago to have a young fellow named George Salter sent to Gloster at once. He was a very intelligent French Canadian, and I chose him because of his slim build, his ingenuity, and his capacity as an eavesdropper. He could listen to a conversation with such a stolid expression that no one would imagine he had an idea in his head beyond the performance of his regular tasks, and even when caught in a place where he had no right to be, he could invent a plausible reason on the instant, which would divert all suspicion from him. On his arrival in Gloster, he was sent to ask employment of Monsieur Lesparre, and, of course, the latter was so pleased with him as to engage him at once. He made himself very useful in the house, and soon became popular with every inmate.

A few days later a meeting of the stockholders of the Diamond Company was held, and it was agreed to make a payment of five hundred thousand dollars at once, another like sum when the title-deeds should be delivered, and the balance within one year from that time. This arrangement was satisfactory to the Don, and the sum of half a million dollars was paid over that day in the checks of the different original subscribers. The meeting then appointed a committee of two to visit Peru and examine the property. There was some difficulty in selecting two gentlemen who would be willing to go, and yet who would be satisfactory to the others; but Deacon Humphrey and John Preston were finally chosen. Either of these gentlemen was willing to go anywhere at others' expense, and it was believed that John Preston was too well versed in fraudulent practices to let any one else do any cheating; hence, he was sent to investigate the mines, and Deacon Humphrey was sent to see that John Preston should not steal them. They were not to depart on their mission, however, until the title-deeds were received from Peru and delivered to the directors.

Don Pedro passed the checks over to Lesparre, and informed the meeting that he had already sent to Peru for the deeds, and that the directors should be informed the moment they should arrive; thereafter, all business matters relative to his interest in the mines would be attended to by Robert Harrington, Esq., who would be his attorney in fact. The deeds would be directed to Mr. Harrington, and that gentleman would deliver them to the directors, receive the second payment, and give his receipt therefor.

This arrangement was satisfactory to all, and the meeting adjourned in good spirits, every man feeling that the Don had done him a personal favor in accepting his check in part payment for such a valuable property.

The Don, having indorsed the checks, instructed Lesparre to present them at once for payment, each at its own bank, and to bring the money to the house; he was to obtain as much as possible in gold, as the Don professed to have little confidence in the bills of private banks.

"They may be perfectly sound, Lesparre," he said, in an off-hand way, "but then, you know, we foreigners are accustomed to government bills, or gold, and so I prefer to have the latter."

Taking Don Pedro's carriage, Lesparre visited each bank, and by the time he had cashed the last check, he had a considerable weight of gold and a large amount of bills, about two-thirds having been paid in coin. Lesparre and Salter carried all the money up to the Don's dressing-room, where the Don and Donna were sitting.

"There, my dear," said Don Pedro to his wife, "this is the first installment of the purchase money of the diamond fields, so that now it will not be long before they will be thoroughly worked. The directors have promised me that you shall have the finest diamond set that the mines can produce within a year from this time, as a present from the company, and you need no longer plague me for not having tried to work them before."

"Oh! Pedro, how lovely!" exclaimed the Donna; "you know I have always wanted you to open those mines, and I am so glad that you have consented. Now I shall have a set that I shall be proud of."

"Well, I did not like to give up the old estate to strangers, I confess," replied the Don; "but now that it is done, I do not regret it. If you wish any money, help yourself; you can write to your agents in Rio that they need not send any more for the present, for we shall have as much as we can use for a year or two. George," he continued, addressing Salter, "you will find a stout iron box in the attic, and I think it will serve as a safe for the present. Bring it down here and put it in this room."

The box was soon brought, and the Don checked off the packages of gold and bills as Lesparre packed them away, the gold at the bottom.

"Now, you can check against my bank accounts for our current expenses, Lesparre," said Don Pedro, with a complacent smile; "and when the funds on deposit are exhausted, I will give you cash monthly to pay all bills as heretofore. I intend to give a grand fête champêtre soon, as a lesson to these Gloster people how to enjoy life. I propose to engage one of the islands in the river at once, and begin the necessary work of preparing it artistically for the scene of our revelry. I shall choose one of the large wooded islands with ridges and ravines running through it, and it will take about two weeks to clear away the underbrush, to clean up the grass and prepare the landing-places. Then, by the end of another week, the weather will be delightful, and our arrangements will be completed. I will make the place a fairy spectacle, such as the unimaginative inhabitants of Gloster never dreamed of, and then we will prepare for our summer trip to Newport and Saratoga. What do you think of the plan, Monsieur Lesparre?"

"It is an admirable one, and I feel sure that the people of Gloster will enjoy such an entertainment far more than any that has ever been given here."

"Well, I shall rely largely upon your assistance," continued the Don, carefully locking his safe as he spoke, "and we must divide the duties between us, though of course my time will be somewhat taken up by society. Suppose we issue invitations for three weeks from to-day?"

"Better say five weeks, if not six," replied Lesparre, anxious to delay Don Pedro's departure as much as possible in order to obtain an answer to our letters to Peru and Brazil. "You see, the people here are not accustomed to such gayeties, and it will take some time to prepare their minds to appreciate it."

"Yes, that is true," said the Don, reflectively; "but I do not like to defer it so long. However, let us compromise by fixing one month hence as the time, and we will make it a masquerade as well as an outdoor fête. The guests will then have ample time to prepare their costumes, and we can give that as a reason for issuing the invitations so long in advance."

The Don was in no special hurry to escape with his plunder, but neither was he desirous of remaining too long in the vicinity of his victims; hence, although he had no suspicion that his schemes had been discovered by any one, he fixed an earlier date than that suggested by Lesparre in order to prevent the probability of any accident occurring to mar his plans.

Lesparre immediately ordered the cards of invitation, and in a few days all Gloster was in a state of pleasurable excitement over the news of the coming event. Never had such a commotion been created in the placid waters of society as was raised by the delicate cards of invitation to Señora Morito's fête champêtre and bal masque. The number who received invitations was enormous, including every individual having any claims to be regarded as a member of good society. From that time forward, Lesparre was so busy with the preparations for the fête that he was able to see very little of the rest of the family except in the evening. The Don and Donna and Madame Sevier continued their usual round of dissipation and gayety, however, and "all went merry as a marriage bell."

Still there were some curious features of their conduct which I regarded with suspicion. Every day the Don gave Lesparre a large sum in bank-bills to be exchanged for gold, and the coin was then locked up in the iron safe. Then the Don and Donna held frequent conversations in Spanish, during which it was easy to see by their manner that they were discussing an affair of great importance. Madame Sevier found a newly-purchased traveler's guide-book in the Donna's bureau, and from various marks and turned pages it was evident that it had been carefully consulted with reference to an ocean voyage. These things led me to the conclusion that the Don was preparing for a journey, and the fact that he made no mention of it, even to Lesparre, showed that he intended to go secretly. To all his acquaintances he spoke freely of his contemplated tour of the watering-places during the summer, but he always promised to spend the following winter in Gloster, without fail; hence it was clear that he was playing a double game, to deceive some one. I could only wait further developments, and heartily wish for advices from Peru or England.

In company with Judge Key I called upon Senator Muirhead, on the return of that gentleman from the session of Congress, and we discussed together the best plan to pursue, to foil the schemes of Don Pedro. The Senator was very anxious to proceed against him immediately, with the intention of showing him up in his true character, and thus saving his victims from any further loss.

"Indeed, Senator Muirhead," I replied, "I am as desirous to arrest his fraudulent operations as yourself, but I want to be sure of success before I do anything, and I do not see my way clear to act just now. At present we can prove nothing whatever against him; in fact, the only charge we could make would be that of obtaining money under false pretenses. Now, what evidence could we bring to substantiate the accusation? There is no judge living that would hold him on my or your individual opinion that he has sold mines which do not exist, and we should have nothing else to offer."

"Yes, but you forget his forgeries in other countries," interrupted the Senator.

"In the first place," I replied, "you could not charge him in this country with crimes committed elsewhere, even though you had the positive proof of those crimes. If you charged him here with obtaining money under false pretenses, you could produce no testimony except such as bore upon the specific act alleged in your complaint; all other testimony would be ruled out. But, even suppose that such testimony were admissible, can you produce any witness to his crimes in other countries? Indeed, admitting again that these crimes were proven, can we establish the identity of Don Pedro P. L. de Morito as the perpetrator of those crimes? No, sir; we have not a single witness; I ask you as a lawyer, Judge Key, am I not right?"

"You are correct in every particular, Mr. Pinkerton," replied the Judge. "I confess that you present the difficulties of the case more forcibly than I could have done myself."

"Yes, you are right, Mr. Pinkerton," said Senator Muirhead; "I do not see that we can do anything; yet it seems shameful to sit idly doing nothing, when we know that this scoundrel is obtaining such immense sums from our people. What do you propose to do in the future, Mr. Pinkerton?"

"I can hardly tell what may be possible as yet," I answered; "but I feel sure that I shall not only prevent him from securing any more plunder, but also wrest from him that which has already fallen into his hands. He feels secure in the possession of this large sum, and he is in no great hurry to get away; he will undoubtedly remain until after his fête champêtre at least. Before that time, I hope to hear something definite from either England or Peru, and then I can act with a power in reserve in case our own means should be insufficient to enforce our demands for restitution. Any action against him now would only result in hastening his departure with all the money he has gained, for I am certain that we could not hold him."

"Well, I see that nothing can be done now," said the Senator, despondently; "but do not lose sight of this man for a moment, Mr. Pinkerton, for he seems an adept in all the tricks of crime."

"Never fear, Senator Muirhead," I replied, cheerfully; "I feel sure that we shall eventually not only bring his career here to a hasty close, but also recover the money which he has fraudulently obtained."

When we parted, the Senator was a little more hopeful, though he said that he should not be at all surprised if Don Pedro outwitted us after all. The loss to the Senator's friends would, of course, be very large; but, perhaps, the lesson would not be a bad thing for them; they would know better thereafter than to part with their money so foolishly.

That same evening the Don and Donna, Monsieur Lesparre, and Madame Sevier, were engaged for the evening at a dancing party given by Judge Peter B. Taylor. Knowing of their intentions to attend this party, I saw an excellent opportunity for Salter to examine the private apartments of the Don and Donna. Accordingly, after the family had gone away in the carriage, Salter began to talk to the other servants about the advantages of belonging to a family where the domestics were allowed to do as they pleased, instead of being so carefully watched. The laundress then related how much less pleasure they had, now that Madame Sevier was in charge of the household.

"Why," said she, "before this French woman came, the servants here had as good a time as any one could ask. Many a fine ribbon, or handkerchief, or bit of a collar, they picked up unbeknownst to the Donna; and, as for aitin', why there was niver a lock on any storeroom in the house, so that there was lashins of good livin' in the kitchen as well as in the dinin'-room. But when this Madame Sevyay came, she put everything under lock and key, and she snapped off the old cook's head in no time for sassin' her. Jist so with the men; this Lesparre, the Don's private secretary, is as close with the men as the Madame is with the women. The butler used to often bring a nice bottle of wine into the kitchen for us to be merry over, but he can't do it now."

"Well, I believe I can find something to drink by a little search," said Salter, with a knowing wink at the laundress and chambermaid. "You wait here, and I'll see what I can do to provide a glass of wine all 'round.

"Oh! would you dare?" asked the handsome chambermaid, looking at Salter admiringly. "Ain't you 'fraid you'll be caught?"

"No, indeed; I believe I can get a bottle of port out of one of the rooms upstairs, without any one ever discovering its loss. Anyhow, I'm going to try, so you all stay here while I make search."

Accordingly, Salter went straight to the Don's room, to which he had a key. Having received from Lesparre an impression of the locks of the house several days before, I had had a skeleton key made, which would open almost any door about the place. While apparently engaged in cleaning the door-knobs, it had been a very easy matter for him to take, in wax, a complete impression of the wards of all the door-locks, with out attracting suspicion. He now had no difficulty, therefore, in entering the Don's room, where he found that the Don had removed his iron chest from his dressing-room to his chamber, it being placed at the head of the bedstead. On trying to lift the box, he found that it was very heavy indeed, requiring all his strength to stir it. This was due, of course, to the coin which had been put into it, and Salter's testimony, therefore, corroborated Lesparre's. Salter then, in accordance with my instructions, carefully bored holes through the door leading into the closet in which Lesparre had once listened to a short conversation between the Don and Donna. He arranged these holes so that they would not be detected by the eye, and having thus prepared an excellent place for listening to the occupants of the chamber suite, Salter returned to the kitchen. On the way, he opened the dining-room sideboard and captured a bottle of port wine, with which he entertained the other servants in fine style.

Meanwhile, the Don and his party had been received with the utmost cordiality by Judge Taylor and his wife, who felt quite proud to be the first to entertain such distinguished guests after the sale of the diamond mines, and the issue of the invitations to the Don's grand fête.

Every one had talked about the affair, but no one felt exactly sure what a fête champêtre was, and so United States Commissioner Charlie Morton determined to ask the Don himself what his entertainment would be. Accordingly, as Don Pedro approached with Mrs. Arlington on his arm, Morton greeted him pleasantly, and said:

"Don Pedro, every one who has received an invitation to your fête champêtre is dying of curiosity to know what it means, and so I am going to take the liberty of asking you to explain it. I freely confess my own ignorance, and I know that there are a great many others no better informed than I am, who would be ashamed to admit that fact; but I cheerfully acknowledge that I have never attended one, and I don't know how I shall be expected to dress nor to act. So please tell me all about it, and I will promise to spread the news among my acquaintances."

"My dear sir," replied Don Pedro, politely, "I admire your frankness, and I shall take pleasure in explaining the principal features of our fête champêtre. It was the Donna Lucia's desire and mine to devote one day to enjoyment, and we therefore decided upon giving an entertainment in the open air which should combine every species of gayety and social recreation. It is our intention to embark in the forenoon and proceed by steamer to one of the large islands in the river. There everything will be prepared for outdoor enjoyment; there will be boats and bathing-houses; swings and archery-grounds; billiard-tables and bowling-alleys; in short, opportunities will be provided for the gratification of every one's tastes. About five o'clock a dinner will be served, the menu for which will include every procurable luxury of the table, and after dinner, the evening will be spent in dancing on the open platforms or in enclosed ballrooms, according to the preferences of the guests, while magnesium lights and colored lanterns will give all possible brilliancy to the scene. Dazzling displays of fireworks will be given at intervals during the evening, and when we finally leave the island on our return to the city, a grand illumination of the whole island will take place as we steam off into the darkness."

Quite a group had gathered around while the Don was speaking, and as he closed, there was a general murmur of admiration. The whole affair was planned on a scale of such magnificence as to appear almost too wonderful to be believed, but the Don had shown such fertility of invention previously, that there was no doubt he was quite equal to creating a scene of oriental splendor such as had never before been witnessed in this country.