Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-01-07
Ext"ns,ve Robbery Of the Duke OF
Brunswick,s Jeweiry.
From The london Daily News, Dec. IS.

From the London Daily News, Dec. is.
A robbery of diamonds to the value of
from SOO0,OO0f TO s,0O0.0O0f (between
e3OO,O00 and e4O0,0O0), was committed
on Tuesday night last, at the hotel of the
Duke of Brunswick, in Paris. On the
lst OF July last, the Duke hired a young
man named Shaw, of English descent,
who speaks several languages, as second
r0lt dc ch0m6re, lie appeared to be above
his humble condition, aud, in a short
time, he gained the confidence of the
master by his close attention to his du-
ties. The Duke possesses a collection
of diamonds said to be the richest in
Europe. A portion of them are deposit
ed in an iron chest, placed in his bed
chamber, and supplied with two doors.
one of which is opened by spring in-
geniouSly concealed in the wainscoating,
and the other by a key. Three or four
persons only, among whom was Shaw,
Were acquainted with this fact; but the
key was never entrusted to any of them.
On Tuesday the Duke, on leaving home
for the afternoon, informep Shaw that
he expected a jeweller to come the fol-
lowing morning to mount some of the
diamonds in the iron chest, and that, in
order not to have TO leave his bed in the
morning, he had left the second door of
the chest open, and hb could open the
other by touching the spring. He fur
ther desired Shaw to let the ieweller en-
ter the bedroom without delay. He then
went out, and did not return until be
tween one and two in the morning, when
he was surprised not to find Shaw at his
post. The Duke, supposing that his
valet was asleep, went up to his bed
room and found that he was not there
but observed on the bed number of
bags in which he kept his diamonds.
They had evidently been abstracted from
the iron chest On a further examiua-
tiOn he discovered a number of diamonds
scattered about rs If they had been
abandoned in Il moment OF flight These
diamonds We're worth at least l,0C0,000l
The Duke descended to his bedroom on
the first floor and summoned his servants.
They all appeared but Shaw. The Duke
asked them what had become of the lat
ter, telling them at the same time that
his diamonds had been stolen. They re-
piled that Shaw had left the hotel at ten
at night and had not returned. The
Duke next examined his iron chest, and
ascertained that diamonds TO the value
of 9,0D0,UUui. had been abStracted, togeth-
er with 20,000f in gold pieces of 10Of-
There was a pocket-book in the iron chest
containing bank notes to the amount OF
100000, and various valuable securities
which the thief had left. Information
Of the robbery was Immediately given to
the Prefect of Police, and a telegram was
received within a few hours from Bou-
logne-sur Mer, announcing the capture
OF Shaw and all the stolen property
Ninety six parcels of diamonds and 9TH
er precious stones were found in his pock-
cts and leather belt round his person,
together with number of gold pieces
of 1907.
ln'reply to the questions addressed to
him by the law officer Shaw said that
all the diamonds he had abstrac-
ted were there, and he was certain
he had neither lost nor given any
away. The jeweller valued the diamonds
at about S,000,000f. Several Of them are
of extraordinary beauty and great value,
one button being worth 450,000f., (GlS,-
000) The gold was likewise all found
with the exception of l,4oof., which the
;r;;;isssoner admitted he had spent in Paris
Shaw was then lodged in the town
prison, where he refused to eat any food
until the chief Of the secret police ar
rived from Paris the following day, He
was then persuaded to do 40, bs'"~ :
very weeaaih STATE The prisoner With Vi = ali
.he Natuapo' ".1yed in Paris on Thurs
Gay 4ha'' asserts that he never before
', co!%mitted any crime, either in his own
country or e,ssewhere. He maintains
that during the four mo uths he passed in
the service of the Duke OF Brunswick
he never thought of conn. itting rob
berry until the idea was su, denly sug
gested to him when the Duke INFORMED
MIN that he had left the door OF the lror
chest open.