The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-03-30
GREAT RoBBERlEs.

The story of Colonel Blood, who all /
but managed to make off with the |
English crown Jewels from the Tower,
is so well 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 rogues sowed
the graveyard with hemp, in order that
four months later it might serve to
conceal the pI oceeds of the burglary.
This crop. it may be added, was util-
lied for quite a different purpose. In
1440 the Republic of Venice narrowly
escaped being plundered of its vast
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 bis
lodgings This misplaced confidence
led to his apprehension with more than
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 that
these Jewels were taken to dress dolls
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
a gold ever and basin enriched with
gems disappeared from the royal
chambers The latter were subse-
quentIy found behind bookshelf in the
Kings study. Al later date it was
officially announced that the diamonds
had. for the most part, been recovered,
7fith- the exception of the late Kings
Star and Garter, valued at seven thou
sand dollars. It was believed that
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 by the robbers, who climbed
the colonnades at the side of the place
Louis XIV. and thus gained entrance to
the Garde Meuble, where they had been
placed by the Commune of Paris. A
portion of the treasure was recovered
from a 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 of
the treasures were suspected of COM
plicity, 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-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
1848, during the transport of these val
tables to the treasury, two pendeloques
of diamonds and the button of hat in
brilliants 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 preeaution 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 /. helped himself to the contents
of the iewel-house when funds failed.
and Charles IL, Immediately after his
accession, issued a proclamation com.
handing 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-
bles came in so slowly that a new set
of regalia became necessary. Edward
| III. 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
to carry on the war with France. Not
to enumerate many similar transac-
tions, 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
90 astray as any others.-LOndon Stan
dard.
Father Bonomi describes the False
Prophet az a man of towering stature,
with fat, round face, and hard, I'M
quailing eyes-unquestionabl fanat-
ic, honestly believing in his mission to
restore the pure Islam. His authority
over his adherents was unlimited. He
prohibited singing, except in honor OF
the Prophet, and also smoking. and
transgressOrs of these edicts were pun
ished with hundred stripes from q
whip of bippopotamus hide. A first
theft was punishable with the loss OF
the right hand, and a second with that
of the left foot. Father Bonomi saws