Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-04-02
New York Diamond. Owners and Horse.
Fanclers,

THE attention Of the public Is at-
traoted by the recent diamond thefts
which have occurred among what are
called. gentlemen h. n. Stouten-
burgh, who inherited an income Of
$4,000, but has wasted his property, has
just been sentenced TO the Penitentiary
for two years, tlib crime being OF this
nature; A diamond had been placed in
his care, and he had an imitation (made
Of paste) substituted for the original
stone. Another case Is that Of Crowley,
who has had friend arrested for a sim
liar ofiense. In another instance a gem
tleman took a diamond ring to a gold
smith for repair. He called for It in a
few minutes, but found the stone re-
moved and a paste imitation substituted.
1t Is not now considered safe to leave a
ring for any such purpose, and hence
in cases of repair the owners remain
and watch the work until It be finished.
This being the case among respectable
people, we need not wonder at the at
tempts made on such property by pro-
fessional thieves.
The dealers in precious stones de-
cline mentioning the names of their
best customers, as this would expose
them to the attempts of sneak-thieves
and burglars, The latter, however,
have very correct idea of the diamond
owners, and such property may well be
considered unsafe. This is shown by
the fact that leading performer who
owned a larger amount of iewelry
locked it carefully in her trunk and
then locked her room. The fiat was
also locked so that no one could enter
unless admitted Except by the use of
false keys), but when the lady returned
she found that both her room and her
trunk had been entered and property to
the amount of $4,000 taken away. The
thieves evidently knew where the plum
der lay, and had been on the watch for
an opportunity. Another case was that
of Mrs, Daniel Terrence, daughter of
Commodore Vanderbilt, whose dia-
monds were carried off by q midnight
thief in a sudden and mysterious man
ner. They were valued at $4,000, and
have never been recovered.
1t is said that John Jacob Astor al
ways has a 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 ac-
companies Mrs. Astor to all places
where her diamonds are to be displayed
is said to be an eiegantly-dressed gem
ueman, who mingles quietly among the
guests, and yet keeps a constant watch
upon the 100000 worth of diamonds
worn by his patroness. Speaking of
the aforementioned 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 of the ex-
pense and annoyance inseparable
from such pursuits. A man must
have a natural love of horses to adhere
to equine amusements. Astor only
"took it up as an imitator of Belmont
and Bonner. The latter, however, have
a well-known passion for such animals,
which explains their lavish expendi-
ture. Bonner's outlay for taking care
of one hundred fine horses is not less
than twenty thousand dollars year.
When you add to this the interest on
the estimated value of the animals
(three hundred thousand dOllars), you
have an expense equal to three hundred
and eighty dollars per week. This is
a degree of enthusiasm unequaled in
the record of horsemanship. For thirty
years Bonner has been buying the finest
horses in America, and still he is, like
Oliver Twist, asking for more.-N Y.
Cor. Cincinnati Gazette.