, 1870-05-24
DRILLING FOE DIAMONDS.
Burglary as n Fine A1t-A Ro1d At
tempt to IkfIle a Diamond Vault
SkilfNJIy Frustrated,


From Tho tye,c I7ork World, Nayel.
A bold and adroit attempt at burglary was
discovered on Thursday night, and frustrated
By tho vigilance and prompt conduct Of Detec-
tives Richard King and Holley Lyon, OF the
Tenth Precinct From tho statements made
by the police officers it appearn thAt on the 1st
OF May man and woman, who are notknown,
denco Of DR.. Stein, No. Delaney street.
The next day the parties moved into the house
and took possession OF the room, which they
furnished in plain and unostentatious man
ner. What their business or means
Of living Were was not known, and
almost invariably absent from the room during
the day, but always home at night On
Wednesday last Detectives King and Lyon,
wbile passing through Delaney street, acci-
dental1y encountered two men leaving DR..
STEMS house, whom they recognized az sas-
been sent to Sing Sing through tho instrn-
mentality Of King. The detectives followed
the men until they separated, one of them 60
ing up town, and the other proceeding towards
the lower part OF the city. The detectives,
after consulting together, made up their minds
that e place WIS beng Hzed Is dsspogtosy
to watch the house,.
At about 10 O'Clock On Friday night the two
suspicious men were seen to leave the house,
and. after giving them sufficient time to get
out of tho way, the detectives visited the
house. They found the apartments on the Sc
cond floor securely fastened, but succeeded in
gaining an entrance through rear window.
On entering the apartments the object for
Which thsy had been hired and occupied Was ut
once discovered i visit to the apartments
revealed the 'ssituntion" to be as follows: The
second floor Of the premises is divided into
three rooms, front, rear, md middle. By tho
eids Of the last is passage connecting the
front and rear rooms. The passage is lifted
up BE q pantry, with drawers and cupboard.
The rear room was scene Of great confusion,
for on tho right hand side Of the fireplace was
hole in the val, about two and one-half feet
square, close to the floor, the bricks having
been removed and deposited in tho drawers
and cupboard OF tho pantry. The occupants,
by digging dowuward through the adjoining
patty-Wall, reached vacant place between the
stairs leading to tho lodge-rooms Of No. l
Delaney street, and aboro the strong
situated sa 4 On ' ths corner Of tho "sm BowerS =
and Delaney street, the rear OF the shop
whcre the yan]t is built being on Delaney
street, about seventy-fire feet from the Bow
cry. The space alluded to above is nearly six
feet high, 40 the burglars had plenty Of room.
Once there, with the aid Of dark lautern.
e1isel, jimmy, few filea, and 4 rope for hoist
ing themselves up and down through the lole.
they could work with ease. The reason Ut
their being invariably "at home" between {
and 10 o'clock in tho evening WAS now appar-
cut. The pawu-shop waa then closed the
watchmen ont to their suppers; the members
of the lodges often passed up and down stairs;
consequently the little noiee the burglars made
would not be noticed.
In this space under the stairs they worked
patiently, night after night, picking out by
p:ccemeal tho mortar between the bricks which
formed the wall of the strong vault, and which
contained money, diamonds, jewclry, and
bonds to large amount EACH morsel Of
mortar picked out was put into bag. and,
when enough was secured, drawn through the
hole, and placed in the drawers Of the bureau
Of the front room md of the wardrobe in tho
back room.' While the burglars were absent. IN
old bed, thrown carelesslF down, hid tho hole
from the view Of any one who might be tempted
By curiosity to peep through tho keyhols OF the
rear room door. This door was firmly hracod
on the outside to prevent intrusion, while the
door of the front room was secured by
patent lock Of peculiar construction which no
ordinary key would open. Every precaution
was taken to secure SUCCESS, and the work had
go far progressed that less than an hour work
last night would have given the enterpriaing
burglars access to the vault. Once inside tho
vault everything would have been easy, aa they
time ransackipg tho vault without arouslug
the suspicious Of tho watchm1n, as tho iron
door anectuaIlr closed in any noise the burg
lars might make inside the vau1t. The burg
lars must have been thoroughly familiar with
the situation Of the buildings in which they
worked, as they made an almost taultless cal
cu1aton of distance in breaking through the
The pawn shop. The whole affair Was well and
skilfu1ly planned, and but for the vigilance Of
the detectives would doubtless have been Sue
cessfpl-