The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-08-02
$50, 900 IN GOLD STOLEN
WILHELM TRANSIT FROM HAvRE.
TO THE CITY OF PARIS. (
The Gold Was One of shipment Of Forty
Casks Consigned From New York TO
Patis-Various Theories of
the Robbery Given.


France are investigating what is prob.
ably one of the most remarkable rob.
berries on record, and it is believed
that the police authorities of the
United States will be asked, if they
have not already been go requested,
to take hand in the Investigation.
In some unaccountable manner cask
of gold from New York valued at
$50 900 has been stolen while in transit
from Havre to Paris. The French
line steamship La Touraine, Captain :.
Santelli, left New York on July q for
Havre with 40 casks of American gold
on board, valued at 100000 and
consigned to various concerns. She
arrived July 20. The 40 casks
of gold are believed to have been safe
ly landed at Havre and they are also
said to have been placed complete OF.
board the train running between
Havre and this city. But when the.
precious casks were counted upon arr
rival here there were only SO of them,
one cask containing $4,000 in Ameri-
can gold having disappeared. The
disappearance of the cask of gold has
given rise to a number of police
theories, the strongest being that the
gold was followed from New York b1
expert thieves who patiently awaitll4
their chance to abstract one of
casks. The police, pending the tel +
mination of their investigation, wiz
not give any particulars concerning
the robbery, but it is believed that
several persons were concerned in the
theft, for the cask of gold must have
weighed nearly 200 pounds and very
strong man could not have carried
such load for any great distance.
Among the theories being investi-
gated is one which may turn out to
co correct. 1t is that the thief or
thieves hid himself or themselves in
the car in which the gold was subse-
quently placed, and while on their
way to Paris, one cask of gold was
thrown out of the train and the rob-
Der or robbers jumped after it. The
tact that only one cask of gold was
stolen would seem to indicate, accord.
ing to another theory, that only one
person was concerned in the abstrac-
ton of the cask from the train. But
the theories are many and the facts
made public are very few. Although
1t lis positively asserted that the cask of 4,
precious metal was stolen while on itge
way 10 this city yesterday there
are people who ask if q mistake
may not have been made in the
counting OF the casks at Havre, and
whet her the gold was not abstacted
on board La Touraine. To this the
steamship cOmpany's officers reply
that 1t is impossible for thieves to get
at the gold on board ship, so closely ia
it guarded, in addition to the fact that
the small hold in which it ia sealed up
is situated in the most secure aSsrt.
ment Of the ship. In any case riostk
remarkable robbery has been commit. \
ted and the police of France are bus
lily engaged in an attempt to solve tn 9
mystery OF the disappearance of the
$50, 600 cask of gold. The consigneea
OF the cRsk of gold are lizard Freres &
Co., of Paris and New York.
HOW REGARDED IN NEW YORK.
New YORK, July 3l.-The report OF
the robbery of the cask of gold ship.
ped from this city by the French
steamer La LORRAINE has caused con-
siderable excitement among gold
shippers here. There were three cons
signments of gold by La Touraine Oh
her last trip. Two consignments of :
20 casks each, the vslue of which was
~ 600, 600, were shipped by Lazard
Freres of his city and were consigned
to Lazard Freres of Paris. One addi-
tional shipment OF 10 casks was made
by Messrs. Hidelbach, Icklheimer & Co.
and was valued at 100000. No
theory as to how the robbery was
committed is advanced by the agents
of the steamer. The specie they say
invariably placed in the strong
room, which is really an enormous
safe, situated on the main deck amid
ship and is considered absolutely
burglar proof AS to the theory that
it may nave been thrown from the
train while enroute from Havre to
Paris nothing could be said in the
absence of information from the home
office. Neither of the shippers have
received any news of the
robbery. Lazard Freres thought
that if the stolen cask of gofH-
was one of the 40 shipped by then
they would certainly have received
word from the consignees and thars!l
fore felt pretty certain that it was not !
part of their shipment. They could
express no opinion as to how such a
robbery could have been committed.
1t was said at the office of Heidel-
bach, Ickelheimer g. Co. that in case
the cask had been taken from O.
steamer the shippers would look to
the steamship company for reimburse
ment, but if taken from the railroad
they presumed the latter would be
held responsible.
REPORT CONFIRMED.
NEW YORK July 31.-Late this after
noon Lazard F'reres received cable
dispatch from LaZard Frers s. Gle,