The times., 1901-06-16
A NOTED DIAMOND THEFT.
History of Robbery That Occurred
in South Africa.
CFrom thc london TcIegrarh)


| Somewhat reconstructed and re-en-
! forced by wcii-kuuwn Yankee crooks, the
mon who stole the famous portrait of the
| Ouch, - of Devonshire in 1876 from
] MeSSrS \ Agnyy the London picture deal
| ers, successfully carried out few years
! later their projected great South African
/ diamond robbery. the pans for which had
/ been laid years before. 1t had been duly
/ noted that the diamonds were sent by
! mail coach every fortnight a distance Of
. 800 miles to the nearest railway station,
I and thence 10y train to Port Elizabeth to
catch the mail steamer for Cape Town
and England. The plctters had observed
J in passing over the route that the coach
. had 10 be fvrried Ccross the river. the
/ hat5oat being held by a wire cable. Their
. idea was to cut the cable on the night
! before the coach was due and so let the
I boat free 70 float down the river. In that
way the delay Of some hours would be
Eained-sufficient TO prevent the train
from catching the mail steamer to Eng
land Consequently. the diamonds would
then have to ne kept for a fortnight in the
Port Elizabeth postoffice
In Port Elizabeth the acquaintance Of
the postmaster was made and cultivated.
lie was JoVial, unsuspecting man, and
had no idea that his new friends were
locating the safe and taking wax i'm
preston of his keys With this mold
they had returned to England, and in due
course the services of a keymakeT. VINO
formerly kept Il lOckSmith shop in Lam
bert were requisitioned al the suburban
mansion. FROM this place the general di-
rector presently despatched a confederate
with his wife to start housekeeping at
Port Elizabeth, SO that a place OF refuge
might be open to the thieves when the
time came for the real work to be done.
and no one could point to them as loiter-
ing strangers without friends in the dis
tIiCt Thus carefully were all the plans
laid, and then the prime movers in the
plot arrived from England upon the scene
OF operations. Their first business was
to buy a two-horse team and a light cape
Catt; GIVING out that they Were ostrich
feather dealers, they started up country
to the river, and on reaching the ferry
put up for the night.
In the darkness one of their number slim
ped out and cut the cable. so that as had
been foreseen, the boat was carried down
the river eight miles before ii was discov-
cred next morning. The mail coach came
to the opposite bank. but there il had To !
stor until the wandering ferryboat could |
be -scoEered and replaced. Everything |
foil wed as had been foreCasted. The !
ma train did not bring the mails in time /
70 -atch the steamer and the two mail |
bag containing the diamonds We're there |
l'rC deposited in the postoffice, and the |
rest was easy.
But there still remained the disposal of !
the stolen diamonds, which we!e OF great |
value, and the plan which was conceived |
was equally Well thought out The rob
bers waited a few months and then one of |
Inc principals opened an Office in the
Of Hattongarden. and there
II. II Is ssIG IN the ordinary way Of business,
We're sold TO the real owners-the mer-
chants TO whom the stones had been con-
slgned-the stolen diamonds
" ME thus engaged acquaintance was
picked up with a dealer in uncut dia-
Tnonds and a South African mine owner
who regularly received every fortnight
diamonds u the value of $1,000 to el2-
tyn One Of the trio arranged TO accom- |
pany their victim TO a Turkish bath !
while the two others got at his clothing
ana took an impression Of the KEY Of the |
safe IN which he usually locked up his |
diamonds. As fortune favored him. on
the particular night the thieves deter
mined TO rob his safe. it happened that
10 diamonds had arrived by mail so the
roSues had to be content with whatever
)ther vaiuables the safe contained Sus-
7icion did not fan upon the gang how
-Fer, and they continued in the diamond
rade until their stock was exhausted 1t
vas valued ct ET0U00