New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-27

JEWELS STRANGELY TAKEN
GEMS VALUED AT $1,000 DISAPPEAR
MYsTERIOUSLY.
BUTLER AND ASSISTANT BUTLER EMPLOYED
BY T. E. sTILLMAN PLACED UNDER
ARREsr-rHEY MAKE DENIALs.

ARREsT-THEY MAKE DENIA1S.
Mr.. and Mrs Thomas Edgar Stillman, OF NO %
Joralemon-st BROOKLYN Heights. were roboea Oh
about $1,000 i'm diamonds and jeweiry IN the last
two three weeks. and George e. Hird, thirty
two years old. and Robert r. Wright. twenty years
old, butler and assistant butler In the employ Vi
the stllmans. were arrested yesterday afternoon
about o'clock suspicion. The Jewels "ere
taken from the private compartment IN mousse
safe 10 which neither OF the buffers had iuii
access. The safe bears evidence OF having oeeh
tempered with.
The prisoners we're arrested by Detectives Muir
ply, Delehanty and Donohue.. OF the brooklyn
Central Office. and taken 10 the Adams street
Police Court. They deny knowledge Of the crime
with which they charged They VIII Dc ar
raiened this morning at oc.ock.
Mrs Stillman told the police that the two buffers
came TO her with good references. She engasea
Hird In February and Wright soon afterwaro'
Hird II Englishman and Wright a Scotchman
Mr.. and Mrs. stman were away good deal IN
the early spring and in their absence the house
was In charge OF the servants and housekeeper.
large part OF the family jewery and plate was
locked up in the safe specially provided TOT the
purpose. Mr.. and Mrs. Stillman returned to Brook
iyn on May 2. and the burglary took place some
time between then and Tuesday Of this week MIS-
Stman had occasion to go 10 the safe on TUESDAY
and when she opened the inner compartment she
noticed that the combination bore traces Of having
been tempered with. and when she finally opened
the door she discovered the absence OF several
valuable Jewels. one OF these was diamond
pendant valued at $1,000. Also missing was part OF
a diamond necklace with one large ana number
OF smaller stones. The Stillmans informed William
J. McKelvey. former Superintendent OF the Brook
iyn Police Department. and after he had nvesti-
gated the he advised turning It over 10 the
regular detective bureau OF the Brooklyn Police
Department.
Mr. McKevey sent word to Deputy-Chief John
Mackellar. and the latter turned the case over TO
Captain James Reynolds. Of The Detective Bureau:
Suspicion was directed toward Hrd and Wright ny
n chain Of circumstances. As soon "a the police
WeTe informed they made careful search d OF o the
ing was found on The floors on Thurssday Mrgh.
GR Sunns for lost ne 3eT si tool
Mrs siman coyer-; e pin studded win d h.d
found IL on the floor in the parlor. This struck
Mrs stlman as cxtraordinary. as The floors nsd
and nothing found
ANOTHER ORNAMENT FOUND
Yesterday morning Wright saw Mrs. stIllman
again. and handed her diamond and pearl orna-
ment saying that Hrd had found it on the parlor
floor. Mrs. Stllmans surprise greater this
time than before she had put the diamond and
pearl ornament in the safe the day before She
went 10 the private sa fe again and found evidence
of it having been visited between Thursday after
noon and Friday morning She told the detectives
OF this and the arrest OF trd and Wright followed
Hrd and Wright lodged AT Mrs. Heads boarding
number at once. and brought away with them all
the belongings OF the two buffers The young men
good quality. Among Hirds effects was a photo
graph OF himself. dressed In the uniform or the
United States Army his coatsleeve bearing stripes
indicating the rank Of sergeant. Among his papers
was discharge from the United states ATmy, IN
ambulance service Of the Army, after a term OF
three years. This discharge was early in February
last and IL in the same month that Mrs: Still
man engaged Hird, as he calls himself, as butler;
The police are OF the opinion that Hird ana
Hird is really Stanley Croft. who was born IN
Hirds effects indicate him to he Of a patriotic
temperament He had IN one Of his satches pict-
destruction OF the Maine. Among other things was
a bayonet. either burned or rusted, made in Toledo,
graphs Indicate that Hrd or Croft served in the
18th Infantry in the Spanish. American War ana ana
this port for Manila. on the Sheridan His satehels
SrTo H eTs Sa Dozen sa ,eMy boxes ali
empty. His photographs included two of hand
taken when the girl was young and the other is
a recent picture. Another picture is that OF
ton on the Hudson. The women are dressed In
white. and Hird is in summer attire.
There is also bearsl<in cap such as is used by
United States Regulars on the plains In winter
time
ENGAGED ON HIRD's RECOMMENDATION.
The police say that Wright engaged by Mr..
and Mrs stlllman in April on Hrds recommended
ton Wright who ia about twenty years old. was
a steward on a Cunard liner and when Hird found
that Mrs Stman wanted another butler he sug-
gested that he had friend who would do. The
Stillmans live i'm a pleasant home in Joralemor-
st. and employ about a dozen servants. Their
daughter Miss Mary. is prominent In society She
was one Of the four women outside the Diplomatic
Corps presented by Mrs. Choate wife of the Ameri-
can Ambassador at the Queens Drawing room
on Thursday OF last week The Choates and Still
mans are intimate. Mr.; Stillman IS prominent
Manhattan corporation lawyer, and head OF the
firm Of Stillman Il Hubbard
Mrs. Stillman visited headquarters last night and
identified a cake basket and a water pitcher, both
OF silver: some glassware and some linen as prop
erty that belonged 10 her household. The things
found among the goods of Hird, which were
brought from his room in Hicks-st.