The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-21
WELL-PLANNED THEFT.
Diamonds Worth u Kings Ransom
Stolen in South Africa.

Somewhat reconstructed and reinforced
by we'll known Yankee crooks, the men
who stole the famous portrait of the
Duchess of Devonshire, in 1876 from
Messrs. Agnew, the London picture deal
ers' successfully carried out q few years
later their projected great South African
! diamond robbery, the plans for which
| had been laid years before says the Lon
don Telegraph. It had been duly noted
That the diamonds were sent by mail
| coach every fortnight a distance of 400
| miles to the nearest railway station, and
thence by train to Port Elizabeth to
! catch the mail steamer for Cane Town
and England. The plotters had observed
IN passing over the route that the coach
nao 10 De ferried across the river, the
natboat 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
boat free to float down the river. In that
way the delay Of some hours would be
galned-sutt1cient to prevent the train
from catching the mail steamer to Eng
iano' consequently the diamonds would
ellen nave TO be Kept for a fortnight in
the Port Elizabeth postofice
In Port Elizabeth the acquaintance ne
me postmaster was made and cultivated
ne was a 1cvial, unsuspecting man and
mad no idea that his new friends were
locating the safe and taking a. wax i'm
preston of his keys With this mold
they mad returned to England and In
que course the services or a keymaker
VINO formerly kept a locksmith shop in
l1alnoeth' We're requisitioned at the sub
urban mansion. From this place +ha
general director presently dispatched
confederate with his wife to start house
keeping 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 20 tnem las lettering strangers without
friends in the district.
Thus carefully were all The. MANS 1aia
and then the prime movers IN, tbn nIo+
arrived from England upon the scene
OF operations Their first business was
TO buy two-horse team and a 1fqh+
cape cart Giving out that thew were
ospr1ch feather dealers, they started IN
country to the river, and on reaching
Tue Terry put up for the night In the
darkness one Of their number slinnsd
out and cut the cable, so that as beS
peen foreseen the boat was carried down
the river eight miles before ii was dis
covered next morning The mail coach
came TO the opposite bank, but there
IT had to stop until the wandering ferry
boat could be recovered and replaced
Everything followed as had been fore
casted. The mail train did not bring tha |
mails in time to catch the steamer and
the two mail bags containing the dta-
monds We're, therefore, deposited in the
postoft1ce, and the rest was easy.
But there still remained the disposal
or the stolen diamonds, which were of
great value, and the plan which was con- |
celVed was equally well thought out. |
Inc robbers waited a few months and |
then one of the principals opened an Of |
nee IN the neighborhood of Hatton |
square, London, and there, 1t is said |
IN the ordinary way of business, were |
soid to the real owners, the merchants
TO whom the stones had been consigned.
the stolen diamonds. While TINS engage
ed, acquaintance was picked up with a
dealer In uncut diamonds and a South
African mine owner, who regularly re-
celved every fortnight diamonds to the
value of 10000 to 212,C00 One of the
trio arranged to accompany their VIC
tim to Turkish bath, while the two
others got at his clothing and took an
impression Of the key of the safe in
which he usually locked UP his diamonds.
AS fortune favored him, on the particu-
lar night the thieves determined to rob
hds safe, 1t happened that no diamonds
mad arrived by mail, so the rogues had
to be content with whatever other valua-
bles the safe contained Suspicion did
not fall upon the gang, however, and
they continued in the diamond trade I'M
til their stock was exhausted It was
valued at $4,000