From Burglary to Ransom

The theft of a unique sculpture grows into a staged recovery scheme, while Jupiter Jones reconstructs the burglar’s choices and eventual capture.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Missing Sculpture

A Missing Sculpture The loss Fenton Prentice learns that the only object taken from Edward Niedland’s home was the Carpathian Hound. The crystal sculpture is both irreplaceable art and an obvious target. A suspicious choice Charles Niedland calls the break-in ordinary, but the selective theft troubles Prentice. The object’s unusual value suggests that someone knew what to seek.

A Church Disguise

A Church Disguise Flight from the scene A masked man flees through the courtyard as police search for a burglar. The chase points toward a nearby church and leaves the sculpture’s fate unresolved. The false saint Jupiter Jones later reasons that the thief posed as a statue of Saint Patrick to evade the search. He likely hid the Hound before escaping.

A Hidden Cache

A Hidden Cache A second visit A phantom priest appears in the church while Jupiter Jones investigates a light. Someone knocks him down and locks him inside, proving that the apparent haunting conceals real danger. An interrupted retrieval The episode suggests that the church burglar returned, but Jupiter distinguishes the candle-bearing figure from the person who attacked him. Two intruders may be involved.

A Ransom Demand

A Ransom Demand The offer Fenton Prentice receives a call demanding ten thousand dollars for the Carpathian Hound. He plans to pay rather than risk losing the sculpture permanently. The danger of compliance Jupiter Jones warns that the thief has already used violence. The demand transforms a search for stolen art into a race to identify a dangerous offender.

The Bogus Handoff

The Bogus Handoff A public trap The boys prepare a package of treated newspaper and let Prentice place it in a park bin. Police watch nearby, while the supposed tramp who takes it escapes. The real destination Jupiter Jones identifies John Murphy’s private hospital room as the burglar’s refuge. The apparent failure becomes the final clue in a successful arrest.

The morning after the burglary

The night of the burglary

The night after the church break-in

Two days after the sculpture disappears

Late afternoon on the day of the ransom appointment