Hey Gang- Want to match wits with me, Cliff Hanger?
I have told Jeff one of my recent adventures and he has written it down. I think it's a tough one and and some of you smaller folks may have trouble with it, but some of you older kids might be able to solve the mystery! Give it a shot!
The ADVENTURES of
Cliff Hanger
And The Case of the Lisping Bandit
Mini- mystery
By Jeff Fraker
“Cliff Hanger!” The Police detective exclaimed when he recognized the tall adventurer. “It’s been ages! What brings you here to the scene of the crime?”
Cliff smiled and shook his old friend’s hand. Both men stepped to the side of the jewelry shop doorway as the last of the investigators carried their equipment out.
“Well. I came to buy a gift for a friend, but it looks as if the store is closed to business!” he answered. “What happened?”
“Some crook made off with an expensive diamond collection!” the burly policeman replied. “Say—you’ve helped out in the past, come on, you can help me interview the two store owners!”
They strolled over to two men waiting behind a glass display case.
The detective consulted his note pad. “Now, which of you is Samuel Dane?”
“I am” the slim, balding man said.
The detective nodded. “Then you were the one who encountered the thief?”
“Yes, he was slightly taller than me—he wore a dark overcoat, a wide brimmed hat, dark glasses and a black scarf covering his face! He rushed in pointing a gun at me!”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing at first! He shoved me aside and grabbed the Hartford diamond collection. Then, as he backed toward the door, he finally spoke!”
The detective leaned forward. “Now think carefully—can you tell me exactly what the thief said?”
“Oh, yes! I remember perfectly! He said: ‘You will be contacted about how to get the collection back.’”
“Hum—a ransom, huh?” The detective noted. “Can you think of anything about him that stood out?”
Dane paused, “No—oh wait! Yes! The thief spoke with a lisp! You know—slurring on his S’s.”
The second man spoke up. “A lisp? There was a man looking at the collection yesterday that spoke with a lisp!”
Again the detective consulted his notes. “And you are Ben Segal—Mr. Dane's partner? What can you tell me about the man you saw yesterday?”
“He was about my height and build—dark hair—I definitely remember his lisp! You remember him, don’t you Samuel?”
“Yesterday? No—No, can’t say that I do!”
“Mr. Segal—“ the detective began, “where were you during the robbery?”
“Having lunch next door,” the jeweler replied.
The detective flipped his pad shut. “We’d better prepare to receive the ransom demands.” He sighed.
Cliff Hanger finally spoke. “Are you gentlemen familiar with Judges Chapter 12?”
The answer was a puzzled “No” from each man. Cliff continued. “We learn in that chapter, that there were two armies at war. Every time the army of Israel captured someone suspected of being of the enemy tribe of Ephraim, they would order the prisoner to say the word ‘Shibboleth’. If the prisoner was from Ephraim, he would always mispronounce the word and say ‘sibboleth’, because no one from Ephraim could pronounce the word correctly.”
“Cliff” the detective said, “what does that have to do with this case?”
Cliff smiled broadly. “Simply that the words we say can tell other a lot about ourselves! In this case—a lisp exposed the guilty party.”
“Please, Cliff—“the policeman said gruffly “we’ve got to prepare a trap for the bandit!”
“That won’t be necessary” Cliff announced. “I know who took the jewels!”
Kids did you catch the clue that exposed the guilty party to Cliff? Who is the lisping thief?
The answer is below the circle:
Cliff noted that Samuel Dane could not have noticed a slurring of S’s, since according to Dane himself the thief’s exact words were; “You will be contacted about how to get the collection back.” There are no S’s to slur in the statement. Dane had seen the real lisping customer the day before and decided to make him the likely suspect. The police later found the jewelry hidden at Dane’s home.
The story of the Lisping Army, found in Judges 12:1-6 is just one of the many fascinating, true stories in the Bible.
Read it today—it could start you on the greatest adventure of your life!
