The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-03-10
A PRISONER IN A TOMB.
HE TRIED TO STEAL THE JEW
ELS FROM A DEAD DUCHESS.

He Thought That All the Ornaments That
Adorned the Corpse as 1t Lay in state
Were Buried with the Body-He Broke
Into the Tomb and Fell Into a Trap.
Only few weeks after her return from
Brussels, where she had seen her son. re-
, gently crowned king Of the Belgians. did
the Duchess Augusta Of Sachsen- -Coburg
die in her seventy-sixth year, Nov. lG, 1881.
The admiration and love this admira-
bic princess had inspired drew crowds to
visit the body, as it lay in state in the resi-
dence at COburg, prior to the funeral,
which took place on the 18th before day.
break, by the light Of torches The funeral
was attended by men and women Of all
classes, eager to express their attachment
to the deceased and respect for the family
A great deal was said and tabled con
cerning this funeral. 1t was told and be-
heved that the dowacer duchess had been
laid in the family vault adorned with her
diamond rings and richest necklaces She
was the mother Of kings, and the vulgar
believed that every royal and princely
house with which she was allied had con
tributed some jewel toward the decoration
of her body
Among those who were present at the
funeral Of the Duchess Augusta was a
Bavarian named Andrpas Stubenrauch an
artisan then at COburg lie was the son
of an armorer, followed his fathers pro.
fession, and had settled at Coburg Stuben-
rauCh had been one Of the crowd that had
passed 10y the bed on which the duchess
lay in state, and had cast covetous eyes at
the jewelry with which the body was
adorned.
lie had also attended the funeral, and
had come to the conclusion that the duch-
ess was buried with all the precious arti-
cles he had noticed about her as exposed to
view before the burial, and with a great
deal more, which popular gossip asserted
to have been laid in the coffin with her
The thought Of all this waste Of wealth
clung to his mind, and Stubcnrauch re-
solved to enter the mausoleum and rob the
body.
BREAEING INTO \ TOMB
The position Of the vault, far removed and
concealed from the palace, suited his plans,
and he made little account of locks and
bars, which were likely to prove small hin
derances to an accomplished locksmith
To carry his plan into execution he re-
solved on choosing the night Of Aug. IS
49, 1899. On this evening he sat drinking
in low tavern till l0o'clock, when he left,
returned to his lodgings, where he collected
the tools he believed he would require, n
candle and flint and steel, and then betook
himself TO the mnusoleum The tomb was
closed by an iron gate formed of strong
bars eight feet high, rahating from cen.
ter in a sort Of semicircle and armed with
sharp spikes.
He found it impossible to open the lock
and re was therefore obliged 10 climb over
the gate regardless Of the danger of tear
ing i'mself on the barbs Here he found
double stout oaken door in the floor that
gave access to the vault. The two valves
were so closely dovetGilcd into one another
and fitted so exactly that he found the
utmost difficulty in getting tool between
them. He tried his false keys in vain on
the lock, and for long time his efforts tc
prise the lock open with lever were equal
ly futile At length by means Of n wedge
he succeeded in breaking way through
the junction of the doors into which hC
could insert n bar, and then he heaved al
one valve with all his might, throwing his
weight on the lever.
1t took him fully an hour before he could
break open the door. Midnight struck as
the valve, grating its hinges, was thrown
back. Then, leaning over the opening
holding pole in both hands, he endenv
ored to feel the depth Of the vanlt In sr