The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-06-13
THE BLUE-DIAMOND ROBBERY.

the interest aroused, now several years
ago, by the trial of one Robert Morris
for what was known as "The Blue-Dia-
mond Robbery" In the minds of some,
perhaps, the details of this crime may
be still fresh. But for the benefit of that
infinitely greater number Of persons
whose memorial faculty is only nine
days affair, it will be as well to reca-
pitulate all the facts Of the case before
proceeding to the elucidation Of one
very mysterious point, which at the time
baffled the cleverest detectives in Lon
don.
First, then, for the recapitulation of
the facts, as disclosed before the Right
Honorable the Lord Mayor at the Man
sion House, and subsequently before the
recorder of London at the Old Bailey.
The victim of the robbery was one ia
COB Blumefeeld, an Anglo German Jew
and well-known diamond merchant in
Hatton Garden. This gentleman, in the
course of visit to the Dutch East In
dies, with view to the purchase of
pearls Gin which also he deal) had
picked up from a native Samaritan, for
song, six stones, which the vendor
supposed to be small, pale and therefore
comparatively worthless sapphires, but
which Blumefe9ds practiced eye told
him at once were those rarest and cost
Hest stones in the market-viz. blue d.
almonds. 1t was stated in court 1 recol-
lect, by expert witnesses, that there
were not more than thirty blue dia-
monds known to exist, and that the ra-
ito of their value to ordinary diamonds
of 1,n e,t
one hundred to one. On this basis the
six stones referred to, despite their in
significant size, We're worth fully twenty
thousand pounds; indeed, at the time
when they We're stolen Blumefeeld was
negotiating sale of them to Messrs.
Rostron, the Bond street jewelers., for a
sum several thousand in excess Of that
amount. 1t may be readily imagined,
therefore, that the theft of such gems
excited no small sensation
The circumstances of the theft were,
or appeared to be, sufficiently common
place. On the day of the robbery
Blumefeeld had carefully locked the
blue diamonds in his safe when he quit
ted his Office at six o'clock. AT about
eight or nine the Waterman who was on
duty. and who had received particular
instructions to keep an eye on Blume-
feeld's office, happened to catch the flash
of light through the keyhole, and
pushing onen the door, which he found
unfastened, made his way inside and
actually caught the thief red-handed in
Blumefeeld's room. He at once COL
Jared the fellow-a small, weak man,
who made little resistance to his stall
ri nh
a minute or two several constables were
on the scene, and a little later an inspec-
tor arrived, who lost no time in dis
patching a special messenger to Blume-
feeld's private residence in Pembridge
Square.
On the diamond merchants arrival, a
thorough examination of the premises
was made, disclosing the fact that his
safe had been opened with a duplicate
key, which, in fact, was still in the lock,
and that, while everything else had been
left untouched, the most valuable con-
tents, namely, the blue diamonds, had
heen distracted. The thief, of course.
was then conveyed, without delay, to the
nearest police station, and duly charged
by Blumefeeld, who now recognized him
as man who had called upon him at
his office few days previously in REFER
ence to proposed purchase of gems,
which had fallen through. He recollect-
ed, also, that he had had occasion to
leave the stranger alone in his office for
a minute or two, when, probably, the
latter had managed to get an impression
of the lock Of his SAFE The prisoner
did not deny this. Nor, in spite of the
usual caution, did he make any secret of
the fact that he had broken into the Of
flee for the purpose of stealing the blue
diamonds. But that he had stolen them |
he stubbornly denied.
Some one else had forestalled me-" he |
said. II found the safe open and a key |
in the lock, I'd got my own du-
plicate, but I didn't have to use it. If |
you search me you'll find it In my waist
coat pocket"
In confessing he had entered the office
with felonious intent he was of course
only admitting as much as the circum-
stances of his capture rendered obvious
and incontroyertible, arp, SO far as that
went, was doing himself neither harm
nor good. But his statement that he
had been forestalled was so clearly of
the -afld-bull type that no credence
whatever was naturally attached to it.
He was subjected to the usual rigorous
search. The duplicate key, as he had
said. was in his waistcoat pocket, and
n his coat pockets there were one or two
other felonious instruments. Yet not a
sign of blue diamond, nor any other
level nor valuable, was found upon him.
His clothes, his boots, his hat, his per-
son, even to the inside of his mouth,
we're again and again examined Not a
race of the missing stones. And this
vas the more remarkable because he
lad been collared red-handed, and from
hat moment had no chance whatever
allowed him Of throwing away or other
wise disposng of the stones.
"I tell you I haven't got Them" he
lept persisting. "I'd have prigged 'enn
{ I'd had the chance, don't deny; and
t would be no use if did. But was
orestalled / tell you. Some other chap
must have got in just before me and
fitted 'em. You're only wasting time
nd trouble in searching me- You are,
ndeed"
OF course, no attention was paid to
his ridiculous assertion, and after the {
process of search had been repeated ;
gain and again. Blumefeeld returned
With two of the police to his office in ]
iatton Garden, where it was thought {
ossible that the thief might have man {
ged to dAop the stones. But the most
q ref,11 snr,Itinv Of every nook GRANNY F.,