Huntsville gazette., 1885-10-31
GREAT RoBBERlES.
How Royal Treasures Have Been Rined
by Thieves.

but managed to make off with the
English crown jewels from the Tower,
is so we'll known that it need only be
referred to. But there are several
other instances less known, though
scarcely less peculiar. Nearly six
hundred years ago the great treasury
in Westminster Abbey was cleared of
some of the most valuable of its con-
tents, the sacristan and several of the
monks acting in completely with GER
tain thieves outside the walls. Some
of the objects were never recovered;
but the richness of the booty hampered
the robbers so much that when the
chief of them was captured but two
thousand pounds worth was found in
his possession. So carefully was the
robbery planned that the rogucs sowed
the graveyard with hemp, in order that
four months later it might serve to
conceal the proceeds of the burglary.
This crop. it may be added, was util-
lied for quite different purpose. In
144O the Republic of Venice narrowly
escaped being plundered of its vast
hoard of valuables by man named
Stammato, who, after secreting him.
self behind an altar in the cathedral,
managed to gain access to the treasury
by means of false keys. Night after
night he removed objects of value, and
there seems little doubt that he might
have escaped with his booty had he
not been tempted to show one of his
countrymen the Ducal cap of the Doge,
which he had just conveyed to his
lodgings. This misplaced confidence
led to his apprehension with more thar
two million ducats in his possession,
Anne of Denmark, Queen of James vi
of Scotland, was robbed by
her maid of pearls and Other
valuables, under the plea thai
these Jewels were taken to dress doll:
for the royal children. On the death
of Queen Charlotte an enormous guam.
tity of precious stones, including dia-
monds to the value of nearly million,
was missing. On previous occasion
gold ever and basin enriched with
gems disappeared from the royal
chambers. The latter were subse.
quently found behind bookshelf in the
Kings study At later date it was
officially announced that the diamonds
had. for the most part. been recovered,
| with the exception of the late Kings
! Star and Garter, valued at seven thou
sand dollars. 1t was believed thai
George III. had removed them during
| one of his fits of insanity, and had for.
gotten where he put them. The gar
ter is, however, still missing.
During the disorders following the
revolution the French crown jewels
were stolen bv the robbers, who climbed
| the colonnades at the side of the place
Louis XIV. and thus gained entrance tc
the Garde Meuble, where they had beer
placed by the Commune of Paris. a
| portion of the treasure was recovered
from ditch in the Alec des Veuves. in
the Champs Elysees, but though Ma.
| poleon made every effort to collect the
stones, which had been dispersed
throughout Europe, many have disap
peared, it is believed forever. In this
as in almost all the cases of robberies
of crown jewels, all the guardians o.
| the treasures were suspected of COM
| pllcitv, and to the end of his life Citizen
| Sargent bore the title of agate"
owing to popular belief that, on the
basis of the proverb which gives thieves
credit for knowing their own hiding
places, he had no difficulty in finding
the agate-o onyx chalice which formed
| part of the treasure fished out
of the ditch in the Champs Elysees.
Since that time several more of the
crown jewels have vanished, and in
184S, during the transport of these val
uables to the treasury, two pendeloques
of diamonds and the button of hat in
brilljants suddenly disappeared. In
1904 the celebrated "Cup of the Ptol-
emies" was stolen from the Paris Mu-
| scum, and within the last three years
the Church of ST. Denis was despoiled
of some of the regal ornaments. In
| 1850 the Princess Of Orange was robbed
of her Jewels at Brussels, and in 1877
the treasures of the Cathedral of Toledo
were withdrawn from public inspection.
owing to the numerous thefts to which
they had been subjected for many
years previously. As for the Duke Of
Brunswick, Notwithstanding the elabo
rate precaution which he took to keep
his diamonds, he was plundered more
than once, and. to the scandal of the
legitimacy, some of Don Carlos orders
went astray in a peculiar manner.
Charles l. helped himself to the contents
of the jewel house when funds failed,
and Charles H.. Immediately after his
accession, issued proclamation COM
manding all persons in whose posses
| sion there were any of the crown jewels
sold by the Commonwealth to restore
them to their rightful owners. But.
though several persons were arrested
for not doing so, the scattered valua-
bes came in so slowly that new set
of regalia became necessary. Edward
LII. pledged his crown and jewels to
the merchants of Flanders, and Henry
V. put his diadem in pawn to the Abbot
Of Westminster in order to raise funds
10 carry on the war with France Not
TO enumerate many similar transac.
| lions, Gustavus Ill, of Sweden, pur.
chased two large diamonds. ruby and
some pearls. which the Young Pre-
tender had failed to redeem from the
Lombardy Arms. 1t would thus seem
that royal treasures are quite as apt to
no oStrav &C anv others TOn1O3a Sfn,,