New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-15
PRESCOTT II. BUTLER ROBBED.
QUANTITY OF DIAMOND JEWELRY
STOLEN BY BOY SERVANT.
MUCH OF THE PROPERTY. WHICH IN ALL wAS
VALUED AT $1,000 RECOVERED FROM

MUCH OF THE PROPERTY. WHICH IN ALL ""0
VALUED AT $1,000. RECOVERED FROM
pAwNsHoPs BY DETECTIVES.
Tho fact that diamonds valued at $l.600 hah
been stolen from the house Of Prescott Han
Butler. at No "a East Thirty-seventh-st.' re-
Gently became known yesterday. when MI nu'-
Ter appeared at the Jefferson Market Court 10
make a charge Of grand larceny against haro'i
Nelson seventeen years old. who mad peeh EN-
pIoyed less than month as an assistant ou'ie''
The prisoner had confessed his guilt IL was
sad and Central Office detectives mad recoVereu
most of the stolen jewels in pawnshops' Nei-
sons home was at No. 81 Grecnpont-ave, Long
Island City.
Mr. Butler il a member Of the well-known law
firm OF Evarts Choate Beaman' az NO %
Wa,,.st and he and his wife have been well
known In New-York society. MIS-. Butler pre-
vious( to her marriage was Miss Cornela Stew
art Smith She was a niece OF the late MIS- a.
T. Stewart. and WAS interested with other heirs
in a contest 10 break Mrs Stewards will. The
litigation lasted some time. ard led to settle
ment by which the relatives of Mrs. Stewart
obtained a larger share of the estate than they
otherwise would have received. Mr. Butler was
graduated from Harvard in 1859. He Is member
Of about dozen clubs in the city. Including the
Century. Metropolitan, University Racquet.
Down Town. Players Riding. New.York Yacht
Club and Seawanhaka Yacht Club.
About A month ago. Mr. Butler od, ertised for
butler A man whose name the detectives
DO not know answered the advertisement and
exhibited good references When he learned
that Mr. Butler wanted an assistant butler. the
man said he could rot take the position. but he
had a brother whom he could recommend. WHO
wished to learn t. he a butler. Mr. Butler told
him to bring his brother around and he was 50
well pleased with Harold that he engaged him
the same dag Shortly after Nelson's appear
ance in the house, the family began TO miss
valuable diamonds and jewclry lie was sus-
pectei. but he did his work so well and was so
nice and innocent looking that ne was not ac-
cused Of taking the property. The thefts were
reported at the Central once a week ago, ana
Detectives Mccarthy and Pollock were sent to
make an Investigation.
The detectives learned tina: a little over two
years ago. when Nelson fifteen years old.
he had been employed as errand boy by Hazard
& Hazard. the druggists. a; Broadway and
Twenty seventh-st.. and had stolen articles
worth $500 from the store. He sentenced
by Recorder Smyih to two years in the House
Of Refuge. ard ne served his time. He was
released from the institution on November "a.
1925. The detectives traced MS movements for
the last three weeks. and found that he had
been TO pawnshops in Six'h-ave. and had dis
posed of diamond jewery. From the list OF
missing 1ewery that Mr.. Butler had given the
police the detectives '.ere able to identify many
Of the articles that Nelson had pawned At I
o'clock on Monday evening Nelson was at Mr..
Buffers house and the detectives accused him
Of the theft.
He at first denied that he had taken anything.
and he called on Mr.. Butler 10 testify that ne
had always been a willing servant and had
tectives told him that they knew OF his other
crime and that they had proof that he hhd
pawned the jewelry. he broke down and con-
fesscd his guilt. He then arrested.
In the list 4 the stolen articles OF je"elry were
the following: ore diamond and Sapphire .r!nE,
siGG. two large diamond rings, $500. one marqu'se
ring $780, one diamond and pearl shell brooch
$500. one diamond and ruby dagge. pin. zoo,
stick pin with three sapph!res. $50. Nelson SAID
h. had received only $3.50 ut the pa"nshops Tor
all the jewelry.
The detectives said that Nelson was keeping
spent part of the money In presents for her. They
said however that the GIL was perfectly re-
spectacle and did not know that the money had
been stolen. They accordingly refused q give
her name As al II the property had not beer
recovered yesterday. the detectives thought there
might have been greater loss than that re-
ported. Detective Mccarthy asked Magistrate
Wentworth TO have Nelson remauded until to-
day in order that the case might be Investigated
further Magistrate Wentworth ordered him II
draw up short AFFIDAVIT against Nelson, and
when this was done, Nelson held IN 1900 I'M
I'll to-day. when Mr.. Butler will press the charY.
against him.