10 Story Book, January 1922

"The Search" by Harry Stephen Keeler

This crime story follows a jewel heist operation. The protagonist receives a newspaper account of a Paris diamond robbery at Simon et Cie, where renowned gems called "Castor and Pollux"—a green and red diamond valued over £12,000—were stolen. The mastermind De Lancey, arrested but lacking sufficient evidence, has orchestrated their transfer via a courier named Berghem and his sixteen-year-old son across the Atlantic aboard the Princess Dorothy.

Berghem arrives at the narrator's New York apartment appearing traumatized. He recounts their harrowing journey: evading police through England, narrowly escaping detection at Liverpool Station during a shooting incident, boarding the ship undetected. Upon arrival at the Battery, authorities immediately apprehend them, subjecting both to exhaustive body and luggage searches spanning three and a half hours—removing shoe heels, ripping seams, pounding garments with hammers. Despite their thorough inspection, the investigators ultimately release them, deeming the lead a false trail. The whereabouts of the diamonds remain undisclosed in the surviving text.