Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-04-22
Diamond Thieves I'm New York.

n ANNW WIN ltlbtl
tion of the public is attracted by the re-
cent diamond theits which have oc-
Cured among what are called gentle
men," f. X. Stoutenburgh, who in
herited nm income OF $4,000, but has
wasted his property, has just been SEN
fenced to the penitentiary for two years,
the crime being of this nature: A dia.
mond ring had been placed in his care,
and he had an imitation (made of paste }
substituted for the original stone. In
another instance a gentleman took a
diamond ring to a goldsmith for repair.
He called for IL in few minutes, but
found the stone removed and n paste
imitation substituted. II is not now
considered safe to leave n ring for any
such purpose, and hence in cases of re-
pair the owners remain and watch the
work until 1t be finished. This being
the case among respectable people, we
need not wonder at the attempts made
on such property by professional
thieves.
The dealers in precious stones decline
mentioning the names OF their best Gus
toners, as this would expose them TO
the attempts of sneak thieves and burg
lars. The latter. however, have "A very
correct idea of the diamond owners, and
such property may generally be con-
sidered unsafe. This is shown by the
fact that leading performer who
owned large amount of jewelry locked
II carefully in her trunk and then locked
her room. The fiat" was also locked
so that no one could enter, unless ad-
mitted Except by the use offalse keys),
but when the lady returned she iounl
that both her room and trunk had been
entered and property TO the amount of
$1,000 taken away. The thieves evil
IDENTIFY knew where the plunder lay. and
had been on the watch for an opportu-
nifty. Another case was that OF Mrs.
Daniel Torrance, daughter of Commo-
dore Vanderbilt, whose diamonds were
carried off by midnight thief in sud
den and mysterious manner. They
were valued at $4,000, and have never
been recovered.
IL Is said that John Jacob Astor al
ways has detective in his service. and
his dwelling is never left unguarded.
Hence he has never suffered from those
depredations TO which reference has
been made. The detective who accom-
panies Mrs. Astor 10 all places where
her diamonds are to be displayed is said
10 be an elegantly dressed gentleman.
HuANhty othohk tht
and yet keeps up a constant watch upon
the $50. 900 worth OF diamonds worn by
his patroness. Speaking of the above
mentioned family. reference may be
made to the changes in a rich mans
taste. William Astor has Just sold his
racers, and has retired from the turf
He held a temporary distinction among
sporting men. but has become weary o.
tho expense and annoyance inscparabls
from such pursuits. Aman must have
natural love of horses TO adhere tc
equine amusements. Astor only "tool
It up" as an imitator of Belmont anc
Bonner. The latter, however, have q
well-known passion for such animals
which explains their lavish expendi
ture. Bonner's outlay for taking car'
OF 100 fine horses is not less than go, ,OOt
year When you add to this the in
terest on the estimated value of the ami
mails (S3O0, ,0O0), you have an expens
equal to 500 per week. This IL degree
Of enthusiasm unequaled in the record o
horsemanship. For thirty years Bonnci
has been buying the finest horses II
America, and still he Is like Olive
Twist, asking for more.