The Irish standard., 1886-09-18
a REMlNIS SCENcE.
The Work of Clever Diamond Thief on
Board of q Mississippi Steamer.

/ A REMlNISCENCE.
The Work of a Clever Diamond Thief on
I Board of a Mississippi Steamer.
In theyea 1869 this writer was pub.
fishing a newspaper on the magnificent
low pressure steamer Richmond, which
! piled between Louisville and New Or
leans The vessel was 2,2OO tons
burden, nearly five hundred feet long
and fitted up in truly palatial style.
She had two cabins beside the ''Texas, y
brass band and a strin g
band, and the expense of rum
| ming the craft was enormous. Being
Of such grand proportions and SO ele-
CANT in all her appointments, and pos
sessed of many novelties, among them
a newspaper printed on board, rich
and titled people from all parts Of the
| world were her passengers and guests,
and many strange and thrilling cpl
sodes We're connected with her career.
The writer is reminded of one of these
by New York letter which was pub
lished in the Omaha Herald concerning
the future Duke and Duchess OF Man
chester, now Viscount and Lady Man
deville
In the year mentioned at the begin.
ming OF his article the wife of wealthy
Cuban was a passenger on the Rich
mond, accompanied by her little
daughter, child of singular beauty,
and they were going from the North,
where they had been spending the sum-
mer, back to husband and father in
their Southern home on the s.Ever
Faithful Isle.'
Late one night during the trip when
the Richmond was blowing majestical-
ly along the quiet..waters Of the Missis-
sippi. in what is known as the ''coast
region" between Bayou Sara and
New Orleans, and while few gentle.
men were yet lounging about the for
ward part Of the main salon, suddenly
lady in startling deshahille, with pro-
fuse dark hair disheyelled and stream.
ing about her neck and shoulders,
burst from, The door ct her state-room
and ran toward the gentlemen, almost
shrieKing: "My diamonds! my dia-
nlonas are gone!"
She was followed by her little daugh,
ter, then child of tender years, who
was crying pjteous}y, more doubtless
over her mothers distress than her
loss.
The situation was soon made appar-
ent. Some one had reached through
the transom Of the lady's state-roon.
evidently: from the larboard side, and
had cut the pocket from her dress,
which hung behind the door, and had
thus secured q great mass OF beautiful
and costly diamonds, worth hundreds
of thousands, and more than the ira
ditional ransom Of q Prince.
Soon all were in conlmotion, The
boat ana every body on board were
searched for the lost jewels, but they
were never found. 1t WAS supposed
that the theft had followed the lady for
weeks and perhaps months, watching
his opportunity, and finally having sue,
ceeded in obtaining the booty had lett
the boat at the drss opportunity, when
she made q landing; for fuel or for the
discharge OF freight, or he may haye
sprang i'll the water and SWAN ashore.
At any rate he escaped and the
diamonds were lost The lady subse-
quently sued the owners of the boat for
the value of the jewels, and She case
was tried months afterWard in 6.
Louisville court, with what results this
writer is unable to state butit is probable
that she never recovered any thing, as
there was safe on the vessel, kept ex-
pressly fol the care of the valuables
of passengers, and the lady was GER
tainly very needless in leaving diamonds
of s,1cl quantity and value in the place
from whence they were stolen, and
doubtless no court would be liable to
hold others responsible for such care
lessness.
The commander Of the Richmond and
owner Of q large interest in the vessel
was Captain y, Stutt Neal, who is an
uncle Of the present Territorial Secre-
Gary OF Wyoming, Hon. E. S. II. Nor
gan, from whom he gets part of his
Christian name, and who is now a
citizen Of Indianapolis, living in a
handsome home in the northern SUBJ
urhs Of THAT city.
The lady who lost the diamonds was
Madame Yznaga, the mother Of the
present Lady Vaudeville, and the little
girl who cried so piteously was the
present Lady Vaudeville herself, the
future Duchess OF Manchester. - Wan
Fischer, ias Cheyenne Mirror.
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