The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-19

New York, Aug. 1S.-Richard T. Will
son, sr.. on June "a last. reported at
police headquarters that his mansion
on Fifth avenue had been robbed the
night previous, and that an entrance
had been effected without the breaking
of any door or window.
The detectives assigned 10 the in
vestigation of the burglary learned
that Albert V. Sugden, a former valet
of Mr. Wilson's, had been in the house
on two occasions after he had left the
latter's employ, and that no one knew
how he had obtained an entrance
This information was the basis of
the suspicion that caused the former
valet to be watched by the authorities.
FINALLY, detective, whose name is
also Albert Sugden, gained the conf
dence OF the suspected young man, and
finally wrung from the latter the de-
tails of the robbery and the inside par
ticularS of a suit which the valet had
brought against MIR. Wilson for al
legged detective services in seeking to
discover the author of scurrilous let
tiers, attacking Mr.. Wilson's daughter
now Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, jr.
These letters, which appeared about
the time of the marriage, were written
on letter paper of two of the most aris-
tocratic New York clubs, and created
a great sensation.
Decoy Sugden wrote to the young
Englishman that on account of the
similarity and oddness of their names
they must be relatives. The valet re-
piled TO the note, and soon an appar-
emily strong friendship sprang up be-
tween the pair. Young Sugden gave
his. namesake a sealed envelope. con-
fo1 inf 1r~ lerer1 -
jswelry, which had been placed the day
after the robbery in the vaults of the
New Jersey Title and Guarantee COM
pany, Jersey City. The suspect. while
being Swallowed, was found to be con-
sorting with an ex-cOnvict who had
just been released from the Kings
county penitentiary.
In the face of the evidence the &C
cused broke down and confessed the
crime and the jewelry was recovered.
Young Sugden, in his confession, says
that he worked for Wilson for 10
months. but left on Feb. 8 last. He
was employed by Wilson TO discover
the author of the mysterious letters.
but failed Afterwards. he applied for
positions, but failed to get them be-
cause his former employer would not
give him a recommendations Still
later on. Mr.. Wilson got him a position
as 'spotter" on a Brooklyn electric
road, from which position, after a few
weeks, he was discharged.
Then he brought suit against Mr..
Wilson for the money alleged to be
due him, 81 900 for detective work.
On June IS Sugden says he found the
basement door of the Wilson mansion
open, and entering he went to the third
floor unobseryed. From the rooms OF
Richard T Wilson. jr.. and Robert
Goelet, jr., he admits taking the money
and jeweIry and got out of the house
without being seen by any one He in
tended he said to send the jewelry to
his sweetheart in England, TO be held
until his suit against Wilson had been
settled, and then it was his idea TO
return the vaIuabIes to their owners
on Sugden, who is under arrest, two
letters. written by a convict in the
Columbus, o., penitentiary. were found.
The writer is q 17-year-old boy, Kamed
Richard Francis Paul Kent, whose
prison number is 81, 1871, and his prison
name is Richard Proctor. The latter in
one of them says that he knows the
author of the scurrilous Wilson mis-
sives and that he is a rich club man
who is an enemy of the Vanderbilt and
Wilson family and that he has offered
the convict $40, 900 through cousin for
his silence
The second letter from the Ohio pris-
oner reads:
Il, Richard Francis Paul Kent, do
swear in the name of our Almighty
God in heaven that the slanderer OF
Mrs. c. Vanderbilt. jr.. shall confess
his sins before those whom ne has
slandered and injured unjustly- Let
Justice be done unto all humanity.
RICHARD F. P. KENT"
In addition the convict says that he
] will be released on June 8, 1898, and
that he will be Independent after July
!