New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-18
I. T. BURDEN ROBBED AGAIN.
A GAS MAN. GETS INTO THE HOUSE
AND STEALS $500 WORTH
OF JEWELS.
THE THIEF rs CAUGHT AND coNFEssEs. AND
OTHER JEWEL ROBBERIEs ARE FIXED on
HIM-THE FORMER BURDEN
Jewell THE

JEWEL THEFT.
I. Townsend Burden. Of No 3 East Twenty
sixth-st. whose house was robbed Of diamonds
and jewelry valued at $4,000 two years ago.
was the victim OF n clever rascal In the early
part Of the present week. when he robbed
Of 50 800 worth OF diamonds and pearls. On the
morning Of Tuesday a man called at his house
and informed the servant that he was In the
employ OF gas company and had been sent to
look at the gas arrangements in the Burden
mansion. The stranger was a prepossessing
looking person. and he was readily admitted 10
the house. A servant accompanied him to the
cellar and then through the first and second
floors He made a careful inspection as he went
from one part Of the building to the other and
succeeded In arousing suspicious IN the mind
OF the butler who accompanied him. On reach
Ing the third floor the man servant left the sup
posed gas inspector for maid was on that
floor. and the turned over TO her
watchfulness While the maid was conducting
the man about she called to perform some
service for Mrs. Burden. who dressing for
luncheon. This gave the thief his opportunity
He slipped into Mrs. Burdens bedroom and took
from there several articles OF value. These con-
sisted Of a crescent pin, with twelve diamonds
the middle one being especially large and beau-
tifu; turquoise and diamond pin. gold chain
purse. with large turquoise on the cover and
diamonds; a pin Of turquoise and pearl, SHAPED
like a double heart surrounded by pearls;
gold chain, with diamond pendant and small
gold chain. with a large diamond attached
Mr.. Burden reported the robbery after It's dis
covery to the Detective Bureau. and Captain
McClusky told his men who cover the uptown
districts to look after the thief. Mr.. Burden
gave so good a description of the gas man
that II would not be difficult to identify him
should he run across the path Of any OF the
detectives He described as being we'll
dressed Of a light and ruddy complexion. with
q smooth face He light Fedora hat
with a black band and black lining for the
under side of the brim. Detectives Berkley and
/ Arfken saw man answering his description
walking in Madison yesterday afternoon
and took him into custody.
To Captain McClusky the prisoner finally ad-
mitted his guilt. Pawn-ticHets for Mr. Burden
| tewelrv and tickets calling for much more jew
elry were found upon him. The man described
| himself as Carl L. Z. Hansen, otherwise known
| as "Bjorkman," twenty-three years DID, porn IN
Sweden He said that he left Sweden two years
! ago and came to this country. He was sailor
| and enlisted in the United States Navy as 4
| seaman on the Inflated battle ship Maine de
| remained in the naval service only snort
! time when he deserted his ship. He afterward
went back to Europe on the Paris and renamed
| in London for a time finally returning 10 New
| York VI
! on February 3 he robbed the house Ct A H.
! Iamson No III West Seventy-second-st.. IN
the guise Of an employe or the gas coinpahy,
| of a brooch containing twenty-five diamonds. a
! large amethy5J breastpn set with pearls. a rupy
| ring and three diamond rings. valued at S%.ooo.
on Monday last he en6ered tne nouSe ~
| st as a gas Inspector and robbed the place OF
| a gold watch, solitaire diamond ring ana a
large pin. set with thirty pearls all valued al
81 900
Tickets for aIl Of this jewery were found in
tho nrisoner's possession and the articles were
recovered from the pawnshops where they had
| been plcdgd. The prisoner was identihed as
being the culprit by servants from the Burden
house and from the other houses he had visited
The former Burden jewelry robbery occurred
on the night Of December o. 1895. while MT
| and Mrs. I. Townsend Burden and their daugh-
| ter Miss Evelyn. were at the opera. Robert
| Dunlop the butler. and William Turner. en-
| ployed in the house by means OF false keys;
| opened the safes OF Mr.. and Mrs. Burden ana
| stole diamonds valued at about S5O.0Oo. In the
| house at the time Of the robbery were young
William Burden and his little sister. and the
servants. Before leaving the house. Mrs. Bur-
! den opened the safe in which her Jewels were
| kept and took some gems out. which she wore
| at the opera On returning home, she found her
safe open. and the floor strewn with empty Jewel
/ cases and settings from which gems had been
| extracted.
The case was at reported to Captain
/ pickett who was then in charge OF the Nine
! teenth Precinct. and his detectives and many
| from Captain O'Briens staff at Police Head
| quarters were assigned 10 the case. For long
| time the robbery remained mystery.
In February. 1896 Turner left the employ or
| Mr. Burden. because he said, the detectives
! annoved him by asking him questions he
! later went 10 London. where ho was soon after
! his arrival Joined by Dunlop no had been dis
! charged by Mr. Burien. as II was believed that
! such an action would possibly lead 70 the dis
| covery of the cuprits.
| Word was received from London on April II,
/ 1896 OF the arrest there OF Dunlop and Turner.
1 who had been acting suspiciously, ana VINO
oil a
/ possession Of the men were found nearly All
The gems that had been stolen from the Bur
ders In the latter part Of June. 1896. Dunlop
and Turner were tried for and convicted Of the
! robbery and sentenced to nine years of hard
/ labor at Sing Sing by Judge Cowing In General
sessions few days before they were SEN
/ fenced thev confessed that they were guilty of
the crime charged against them.