The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-08-28
Select STORY.
The Great Jewel Robbery.

From Chambers Journal.
The little world of fashionable London
society was startled few years ago by re-
ports of series of daring jewel robberies.
The most costly gems seemed to disappear
as if by magic under the very eyes of their
owners. These robberies defed detection.
A clue in one case was upset by the facts
in another When my aid as private de-
tective was called in l resolved to eonfine
my attention to three distinct cases, though,
of course, if useful information came in my
way concerning other matters | should
know how to take advantage of it.
The first of the three on my list was the
case of the Dowager Lady A, a somewhat
eccentric old lady, who found her chief
delight in arraying herself in her most
valuable Jewels and visiting in regular ro-
tation ali the West End theatres. One
night, when returning from one of these
expeditions, her carriage had been over
turned by colliding with an omnibus. The
dowager was seriously injured, and within
a few days she was dead. Then, appar-
emily for the first time, it was discovered
that the whole of the jewels worn by Lady
A. on the night of the carriage accident
had mysteriously disappeared. Her maid
was so overcome by the sight of her in
iured mistress that she failed altogether
to remember what was done with these
Jewels at the moment when her ladyship
was undressed. 1t was even a question
whether they might not have been actually
lost in the street during the confusion of
the accident. At all events no trace of
them could be found, and it soon became
evident that in the excitement of summon
ing relatives, fetching doctors, and, very
soon, nurses and undertakers, half dozen
persons might have entered the house and
walked off with the jewels without any
chance of detection.
Then I turned my attention to the sec
ond case-that of the young Countess of
B. There seemed less room for doubt in
this instance. The fashionable wedding of
the autumn had been that of the Earl of
B. with Miss Blank. There had been a
churchful of people at ST. Georges, Hano-
ver-square, and a host of guests at the
breakfast at the Unique Hotel. On the
morning of the wedding, the Earl had pre-
sented his bride with magnificent tiara Of
diamonds. As the "happy pair" were to
start almost Immediately for the Continent,
these diamonds, inclosed in case, were
hastily packed in travelling bag, which
the brides travelling maid was never to let
out of her sight. On arriving at Paris the
bag was apparently intact, but on opening
the Jewel case the tiara was missing.
Clearly it must have been cleyerly ex-
tracted from the case while lying in the
brides dressing room, the empty case then
being placed in the bag. Who had stolen
the Countess's diamonds? The maid, the
brides mother, and younger brother had
alone, as far as it was Known, entered the
room where the jewels were lying. don't
mind saying had some difficulty in believ-
ing that bona fide robbery had been COM
mitted. You may not believe it, but am
convinced that many startling robbery of
Jewels would be explained if we knew of
all the private debts incurred by ladies of
fashion, and of the sacrifices sometimes
made by them to screen from disgrace
themselves or some deeply involved con-
nection.
Meanwhile I made inquiries concerning
robbery No. 8. This was at Colonel C's.
There the only thing missed was a very
valuable bracelet. There had been dance
at the house. During the evening Mrs. C.
had slipped and sprained her ankle so Sc
verely that doctor had to be summoned
and the party was somewhat prematurely
brought to close. Mrs. G. distinctly re-
membered wearing the bracelet; but whether
she had it on at the moment of falling she
could not remember. There had been
naturally some confusion in the ballroom,
and the lady had been carried to her own
room. 1t was not for some hours that the
loss of the bracelet was noticed. Then a
search was made, but altogether without
success.
In the first and third of these cases sus-
pieion seemed to point at once to. some
member of the household; but all my IN
quiries failed to find any trace of the miss
ing property. The servants all willingly
consented, nay, even offered, to have their
boxes searched, and for some weeks con-
fessed myself bafled. The missing proper
ty had disappeared as completely as though
1t had never existed.
Again and again I went over the whole
circumstances as they had been related to
me. There was, l reflected, one circum-
stance common to all three of the robberies
if robberies they were There had been at
the time some unusual amount of confusion,
all lending opportunity for theft to take
place without immediate detection. The
Dowager Lady A.'s diamonds had been
stolen during her illness, or about the time
of her death. The Countess of B. had
lost her diamonds during the excitement
of wedding breakfast at hotel. At
Colonel C.'s house there had been a ball
on the night when the bracelet was lost.
Was there any one, I asked myself, who,
by chance or intention, had been present
at each place at the time of the robbery ?
Any occasional waiter, for example, or
servant of any kind? Icould not find that
there had been. Yet, if the thief were not
one of the household, how was it that a
stranger should in three separate instances
fix on an establishment where the circum-
stances were favorable to robbery Of val
liable property? In two cases there had
been illness and hasty summoning of
doctors. That led to another thought !:
Was it possible that some experienced thief
or gang of thieves had laid themselves out
to track the broughams of fashionable West
End physicians, on the chance of finding
hall doors left open and property somewhat
loosely guarded?
I had not thought of such thing seri-
ously before; but it seemed now to be an