The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-06-26
A BOLD THIEF.
The Heavy Loss Sustained by Nr.
and Mrs. SchIesSinger.

Among the passengers on the South
American steamship Cebelos, which arrived
at this port on the afternoon of June ID,
were a stylishly dressed couple. They were
bride and groom and were on their bridal
trip, which included also a visit 10 the Euro
rean continent, says New York dispatch
to the st. Louis POst-Dlspatch. The couple
were Mr.. and Mrs. Louis G. SchlessiDger
and they were married in Guatemala the
night before the Cebellos sailed for these
sheres. Mr.. Sch'essinger is a wealthy i'm
porter in Guatemala and his bride is the
daughter of a rich Guatemalan merchant.
The bride and groom were the recipients of
numerous valuable presents, among them
jewelry valued in the aggregate at s14,50O.
OF the jewelry presents was a magnificent
diamond necklace, a present from the
brides father, all of which were placed in
heavy yellow sGtchel preparatory to the de-
partuTe for the steamer. When the young
couple embarked on the steamer they took
leave OF their friends in the state-room. The
leather satchel was laid on a center table
with some flowers and forgotten for an In
slant. While the couple were bidding their
friends gOOd-by, a tall, black bearded
stranger who had been noticed at the we'd
ding feast appeared in the room at that
moment, aud while the attention Of all was
directed from the bag ne hurriedly crossed
the room and bent over the table. just
then young Mr.. Schlessinger suddenly
turned around and saw the stranger raise a
flower to his nOstrilS. He caught Mr.
Schlessinger's eye st the same instant and
coOlly remarked: " ALL what beautiful
roses" If Mr.. Schlessinger had any thoughts
al that moment that the daTk-featured man
had any design upon the bag they were i'm
mediately set at rest by the calm assurance
and the genlemanly manner of the stran-
ger. Mr.. Schlessinger, as measure of pre-
caution, took up the bag and placed it in
trunk in the room. The dark-featured man
was not seen after that and if he sailed
with the vessel he must have kept himself
confined to his cabin during the passage.
Upon the arrival Of the steamer in the city
Mr. and Mrs. SchleSSinger we're driven to
the Victoria Hotel where they were as
signed to a suite of rooms. They carried the
yellow satchel between them.
The second day after their arrival Mr..
ScbleSsinger went down TO the office of the
French Line Steamship Company aud pur-
chased frst-class ticket for himself and
wife for Havre. They wanted to sail at
once, and cabins on the La Gascogne were
reserved for them. The steamer sailed June
9th. The night of the 9th Mr.. Schlessinger
settled his bill at the Victoria, and with his
wife was driven to the steamers dock. She
was due to sail in the early morning. and
the couple preferred to spend the night on
the steamer. Iney carried the satchel OF
diamonds with them. Previous to retiring
they sat in the cabin The satchel was placed
on a side table alongside OF chair upon
which Mrs. Schlessinger's cloak had been
carelessly thrown. A few minutes later Mrs
SchleSsihger retired, leaving her husband in
the cabin. He went up on deck few min
uteS to smoke. While on the promen ade
deck he saw a tall man cross the deck
quickly, then go below. Almost immedi-
ately the tall man reappeared on deck,
and in an instant had clambered down on
the wharf and was lost TO sight. The in
slant Mr. Sehlessinger saw him he recog-
niZed him.
The thought suddenly struck Mr.. Schles-
singer that the man he had just seen was
the tall, dark. featured stranger whom he
saw in such close proximity to the bag of
diamonds in the bay of Guatemala. There
upon Mr.. SchlesSinger went to his cabin and
a glance in the direction of the table where
the bag had lain told him that it had been
stolen. He rushed to his wife's side and
aroused her. They made hurried search
of the cabin, but the bag could not be
found The officers of the ship were not-
fed and search Of the vessel was ordered
and commands were given to allow no one
to leave the ship. The search occupied
several hours, and it was near time to sail
before it was abandoned. Mr.. Schlessinger
left list of the stolen. jewelry with the
police; all efforts to catch the thief have
been unavaiiing.