Evening journal., 1891-07-07
REMEMBERED TOO WELL
A Diamond Thief Captured at
the Astor House.
-
HE CAME BACK AFTER THE GEMS.

The Clerk Recognized Him when ne
Asked for the Box Of Diamonds and
Inspector Byrnes' Men soon Had the
Young Thief In Their Clutches.
NEW York, July IA nice young man
dressed in faultless style and showing by
his bronzed face that he had been having
a glorious time somewhere in the open air
came to the Astor House last night and
asked for a room. He smiled at the clerk
10 familiar way and held out his hand
like an old acquaintance Forgotten me.
old manf he said. cheerily. "Valdes-E-
Naldes, you know Had a room here last
January. Ahl you remember
Rememherf The clerk just beamed with
remembrance Forgotten Valdes-E Val
desi The very thought made the clerk
grin all over. "Well, WELL . be said, when
dye get backY
He Left n Package.
"Just returned old man. Been 10 Europe
Skipped right across the pond when left
you. BY the way, left package here
Rememberi Here's the check for It.
"Rememberf WELL l should smile. Hal
ha!'' thought the clerk TO himself, but he
did not say so. He only thought it and
smiled.
Guess we can find it, he said. How
would y like room 9o3. Same one y had
before, remembersn
nSuit me to IT, replied =, valdes.
"Guess I'll 20 right up stairs. I'm pretty
sleepy
'FRONT.' called the clerk, and then to
the colored boy, who responded; Take
the gentleman up TO 303 I'll send the
package up TO you, Mr.. Naldesn
lie Called Inspector Byrnes.
When Il. Valdes had disappeared up the
corridor, the clerk pinched himselft to make
sure he was awake. Then he laughed.
| Then he called over porter and said:
, John, run up TO police headquarters and
tell Inspector Byrnes Mr.. f, Valdes has
come back John did so, and came back
, | in about an hour with two detectives, who
{ | were grinning from ear to ear. The clerk
sent them up to 30s. They knocked at the
door.
$ l,"Come In, " came languidly from within.
IL The officers entered, aud through cloud
! OF cigarette Smoke saw +. Vaides
Got the packageY Put it over there on
! the Oh, beg pardon, gentlemen,
E thought-well, what Is iti What do you
c | wantfn
/ The detectives looked at him and the
4 young man turned pale aud his bronzed
face looked CHASTITY "No fooling,n young
d man, said the detective ''Come along.
y You're wanted for diamond robbery
i The story Of His Crime.
Thereat T. yaldes nearly tainted. but
= they revived him and took him away a
& prisoner. A reporter called at the hotel
a just after this happened and found the
e clerk still grinning. The clerk was good
humored.
Best thing you ever heard, y he said
+ "Do you remember II. Valdes, the young
!. fellow who stole about $4,000 worth Of
. | diamonds last january You know he
Z came here and registered as T. Naldes OF
y St. Louis and asked me TO keep package
Z for him He didn't go 20 his room that
5 / night, but took steamer TO Europe, A
Z few days afterward we learned OF the dia-
| mond robbery, and we found the missing
j. diamonds IN the package.
I "Of course we returned them to their
D | rightful owner, and kept an eye open for
5 | +. Valdes, but he did not come back until
\ last night"
e The diamonds belonged to Lewisohn e.
I | Co, diamond importers at Al Maiden lane.
D The young man who carried them oil was
| William c. Duncan, and he IS nephew OF
d Congressman II. II. Whitelaw, Of Cape
r Girardeau, Mo. He was a member Of Tai
e mage's church aud the Young Mems
1 Christian association in Brooklyn, and
e was secretary Of the Elliot Dramatic asso-
+ citation of the same city.
I He is only seventeen years old, though
: he looks few years older He was assist
e ant salesman for Lewisohn & Co., and was
o often intrusted with large amounts Of dia.
/ monds
e On Jan. % he left the store with $50 0O1
! worth Of stones in his possession, and be
Il returned the next day with cock and
e bull story about having delivered them e
n Howard & Co, Theodore b. Starr, Thomas
kirkpatrick and other big diamond deal
n ers. A few days later he disappeared, and
) then the theft came TO light. He had moi
II been heard from since.