The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-21
A Bold Thief Makes a
Rich Haul.
GEMS VALUED AT $500
DARING DAYLIGHT BURGLARY
AT THE BELLA VISTA.
Apartment Of an Army Officers Wife
Entered-Sixty-fve Dollars in
Money Also Taken-Police
Have No Clew.

A daring burglar entered the apart
ments of Mrs Lieutenant w. II. Bertsch
at the Bella Vista Hotel last Thursday
afternoon and succeeded in making one
OF the richest hauls that has been
brought to the notice of the police during
the past year. The thief got away with
two thousand five hundred dollars worth
OF diamonds and jewelry and sixty-five
dollars in cash. The bold robbery has
created CONSERVATION among the guests
Of the hotel, as they fear that their apart
ments may be looted a any moment.
Mrs Bertsch, who is the young and
handsome wife of Lieutenant Bertsch Of
the Fifteenth Regular Infantry, now sta
toned In Cuba, has only been guest at
the hotel for about a month. Her beau
tifully furnished apartments are on the
third floor close to the elevator. About
noon last Thursday Mrs. Bertsch left the
hotel to go downtown on business. She
locked the door of her apartments before
leaving and hung the key on hook in
the elevator. quite a general custom of
the guests at the hotel When she re-
turned home at 4 o'clock Mrs. Bertsch
had occasion to open the top drawer of
her escritoire, and to her amaZement she
discovered that in her absence a burglar
had entered the room and carried off her
diamonds and money.
The costly gems were encased in q
heart-shaped repousee silver jewel case
lined with blue velvet, and when Mrs.
Bertsch left her apartments to go down.
town it was lying in the left hand side
or the drawer. The money was wrapped
up in statement of her account for the
month at the hotel and was lying be-
side the Jewel case. The thief lifted the
al of ha H,-arx f1I1IU
pocketed the money, closed the drawer
and left the room in the same condition
as when Mrs. Bertsch left to go down
town.
AS soon as Mrs. Bertsch discovered her
loss she telephohned to Chief Lees and
find the thief. The detectives went at
once TO the hotel and took a description
of Mrs. Bertsch's jewels, and ever since
of a clew to the identity of the. bold day
light maurauder. The pawnshops have
been thoroughly searched, but the miss
Mrs. Bertsch firmly believes that the
robbery was committed by some of the
employees of the Bella Vista; She has in
formed everybody connected with the no.
tel that she will give a reward of 500, or
even. more, for the return of the missing
jewels and no questions asked.
In addition to their intrinsic value, Mrs.
Bertsch considers her lost jewels price
less as many of them are gifts from her
family.
The guests of the Bella Vista are both
alarmed and mystifed over the footing
of Mrs. Bertschs apartments. The
e-honored custom of hanging their
keys on the hook in the elevator has been
suddenly abandoned and the proprietor of
the hotel has placarded the walls with
written notices requesting the guests to
leave their keys at the office when they
go out.
The robbery promises to go down in the
records of the Police Department as an
other one of unsolved mysteries of Chief
Lees regime.
The only persons having access to the
apartments were Mrs. Bertsch, the Chi
nese servant and the elevator boy, all of
are working on the case. are quite posi-
tive that the Chinese servant did not COM
NIT the robbery, as they say it Is not the
custom of the Chinese to steal jewelry.
The elevator boy is also above suspicion
because, when Mrs. Bertsch left the hotel
she left the key to her apartment, in his us
would chance almost certain detection
under the circumstances. Everybody in
bafd time In trying e gure oa hoW 6e
thief gained access to the hotel, and then
to Mrs. Bertsch's rooms, without being
front door is always locked and the col
ored bell boy sits at the door to receive
the cards OF visitors; sn me Key OF the
so the boy claims, during Mrs. Bertsch's
absence.
Taking all or the ABOVE circumstances
into consideration. Mrs. Bertsch Is con-
WINGED that somebody in the hotel COM
mitted the robbery. About month ago
Chinaman who preteen nta, ito to be , 1aqn
In stealing several valuable pieces or Jew
elry from one of the guests He made
his escape but ut Wa aSs9 a1ter"ard arrested
III was never more surprised In my life
than when I returned home Thursday aft
ernoon and discovered that my jewel case
had stolen.
R raaT last night at set the 500 aside
from other money 1 had in the room, in
ronn was not disturbed in the slightest.
When / returned the first thing l did was
70 omen the drawer to get the money,
NV VA account here at the hotel My eye
instinctively fell on the vacant spot
where my jewel case should nave peen cen
tbot roo was missing. | ran across the
hail and reported the matter to my moth
ar and she advised me to report the case
TO The The detectives came here and cues
flowed everybody connected with the ho-
tel, but If they had any suspicious they
d iawe iL9' were gifts, and I would not part
with them voluntarily for twice their
value in money. 1t is rather strange now
out again without being seen by some
body. / believe that the thief was some
body who kneW Just G bson is k WoTIn my
on the case, and / have confidence in his
ability to find the thief
Mrs Bertsch has furnished Chief Lees
with a complete description of the stolen
iewelry. Mrs. Bertsch is woman of
culture and refinement. and her jewels
sonality. Among the stolen Jewelry was
a lady's gold watch. beautiful, Marquis
ring set with three opals, and several
diamonds. several plain diamond rings.
cat'seye link bracelet twelve diamond
breastpins. several amethyst rings and
breastpins, a diamond star breastpin with
q heart of pearls in the center, a Mar
ouis pearl ring set with costly olivines.
two gold neck chains and a lady's watch
with gentleman's silk ribbon fob with
ooI1 buckle