The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-06-21
ROBBERY OF THE MONEY VAULT OF
THE WILHELM DER CROSSE.
DETECTIVES STILL AT WORK
New York Some Inside Information
as to the Theft-The Man who Claim.
ed the Reward for Finding the Gold
Bars-Suspicious Conduct Causes lis
Arrest-Two Americans, Supposed to
be Implicated, Traced to the United
States.

New York, June 17.-Since the arrival
here a few days ago Of Arthur Carl.
chief of police of Bremen, Germany,
on the steamship Lain, some inside in
formation concerning the mysterious
gold a robbery, which occurred last
April aboard the Kaiser Wilhelm der
Crosse, has leaked u
Thus far but one arrest has been
made in connection with the crime, but
the prisoner, Thodore Mayors. the bed
room steward. is believed to have beer
only a tool of shrewd men who planned
to reap a large quantity of yellow bull
lion by the Dlundering Of the treasure
vault aboard the liner. Mayors, who
got the reward for finding the stolen
gold. is locked up in Germany.
The north German Lloyd officials.
when h robbery was reported, offered
a reward of 81, 900 for the missing gold
bars, and three days after the vessel
reached Bremen, Mayors claimed that
while cleaning the woodwork in one of
the second cabin passageways he found
h bullion hidden on a protruding
cornico back &C scme steam pipes. The
reward was pad to Mayors.
According to the story now told, Ma
gers left the snip. saying that he was
going to have a Sood time with his
sweetheart who lived in Bremen. He
did not return to the Kaiser der Crosse
before she started back for New York,
out a week or so afterwards he put in
an appearance at the Bremen office in
a deplorable condition. He explained
that while on the way to see his sweet
heart he fell in with a man who had
been a second cabin passenger on the
Wilhelm der Crosse and that the latter
hypnotized and robbed him of he re-
ward money. He wandered about for
days with the stranger, whose name ne
professed not to know n one day
broke the hypnotic spell by jumping
into the water at Amsterdam, Holland,
to which city they had Travelled. He
was rescued. and being without
had to work his way back to Bremen
as best he,could.
The detectives suspecting nat the
place where Mayors said he had folnd
the gold bars vas not its hiding place.
again questioned the bedroom stew
ard, and, as he made conflicting state
ments and damaging admissions, ne
was arrested on suspicion.
Before Mayors was arrested the
French detectives got information
about two TRANCE men. believed to be
Americans, who had for a couple OF
days chartered a small sail boat and In
the craft loitered about the entrance
to Cherbourg harbor. They were sus-
pected to be in the conspiracy to steal
the gold aboard the Kaiser Wilhelm
der Crosse and asked about the route
of that vessel when it arrived from
America to land Cherbourg passengers,
saying that they wanted to interc'
the vessel n get a message from
friends on board who were bound for
Germany. They explained also that it
had been arranged that a message
would be dropped at the French port
from the North German Lloyd Liner.
These men vanished before the alarm
about the robbery OF the steamship
was raised. but they have since been
traced back to the United States via
Southampton.
Some of the best Berlin detectives
have been travelling on the Kaiser Will
helm der Crosse as saloon and second
cabin passengers seeking information
about the myterious gold robbery and
they are expected back on that vessel
when she arrives here tomorrow.