The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-17 00:00:00

AN AUDACIOUS ROBBERY.

One evening at the end of May two foreigners registered
at the St. Nicholas Hotel as Carlo Dejalis and Josef
Cheval, Philadelphia, and the first being assigned to
Room No. 450, the latter was given No. 449, both on the
fifth floor. The men were travel-stained, and had no bag-
gage except a common black carpet-bag. Both spoke
with a foreign accent, and both were of about the same
height, five feet eight inches. Dejalis was about 40, with
dark complexion, and dark moustache and goatee mixed
with gray, while Cheval was only about 27 years old, but
also was of dark complection with jet black moustache
and side whiskers. The next day, about two o'clock,
Dejalis called at the office of Joseph E.. Isaacs, diamond
broker, at No. 57, East Thirteenth-street, and stated that
he had lot of diamonds and jewelry at the St. Nicholas
Hotel, which he had brought from Cuba, which he desired
Mr. Isaacs to call and examine with a view to purchasing
them. This Isaacs promised to do. According to the
appointment one morning he went to the hotel, and, spewing
the card which Dejalis had left him, was shewn up to No.
450 by one of the hall boys. Dejalis was in the room
when he entered, and, asking him to be seated, went out,
saying he was going to get the stuff. Presently he re-
turned with a carpet-bag, and fumbling at the lock with a
key, pretended he could not open it, and at last proposed
that he should call on Isaacs, at his office, at eleven o'clock.
To this Isaacs answered that, having come there, he pre-
ferred to examine the articles there, whereupon Dejalis,
asking to be excused for a moment, went out again, but
almost instantly returned with ChevaL Isaacs now for
the first time became alarmed, and started for the door
with the intention of leaving, but was intercepted by
Cheval, who displayed a large dagger and threatened to
kill him if he made the least outcry. At the same
moment Dejalis seized him, and made any noise upon his
part impossible by thrusting his fingers into his mouth,
while the other man clapped over his mouth a
towel, seemingly saturated with chloroform. At
the same instant he was thrown to the floor,
and stupefaction immediately ensuing, he remembers
nothing more of the proceedings of his assail-
ants. When he recovered consciousness, which
was after a lapse of about twenty-five minutes, he was
alone in the room, and lying on the floor, bound hand and
foot. The gag, however, was off his mouth, and by
making vigorous use of his voice for about ten minutes,
he attracted the attention of the carpenter of the house,
who happened to be on the floor fixing the locks. This
person coming to the door of No. 450, found it locked,
but the cries for assistance continuing, he burst it open,
and found Isaacs in the condition described. Upon an
examination he found that 200 dols. in money and a dia-
mond ring had been stolen from his person, but the
desperate thieves, singularly enough, lrft him his watch
and chain and a diamond brooch, which was in his pocket.
His personal injuries were not serious, being confined to
a swollen lip and a slightly-injured eye. The case was
immediately reported to the hotel authorities, and Detec-
tive Kealy, the house officer, made instant search for the
desperadoes, but they had long before departed, leaving
their bag behind them, which, being opened, was found
to contain nothing of value. The case was reported to
Captain Kelso, of the Central Detectives, who imme-
diately started experienced officers upon the trail of the
thieves, but as yet without any success.