The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-06-18
HE TOLD A QUEER STORY
BEDROOM STEWARD OF THE KAIS-
Err WILHELM DER CROSSE,
Who 'Discovered" Stolen Gold, Got
Robbed nnd Later Arrested.

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 information
concerning the mysterious gold bar robbery
which occurred last April aboard the Kais-
er Wilhelm der Crosse has leaked out Thus
far but one arrest has been made in con-
nection with the crime, the prisoner being
Theodore Mayors, the bedroom steward. He
is believed TO have been only a tool of
shrewd men who planned to reap a large
quantity Of yellow bullion by the plunder-
ing 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
the robbery was reported, offered a reward
CT $1,000 for the missing gold bars, and
three days after the vessel reached Bremen
Magers claimed that while cleaning the
woodwork in one of the second-cabn pas
sageways ne found bullion hidden on a pro-
truding cornice back of some steampipes.
The reward was paid TO Mayors. Accord
ing to the story now told, Magers left the
ship. saying that he was going to have a
good time with his sweetheart, who lives
in Bremen. He did not return TO the
Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse before she
started back for New York, but a week or
so afterward he put in an appearance at
the Bremen pier in a deplorable condition
He explained that while on the way to see
his sweetheart he fell in with a man who
had been a second-cabin passenger on the
Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse, and that the
latter hypnOtiZed and robbed him of the re-
ward money. He wandered about four
days with the stranger, whose name he
professed not to know, and 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 funds, had TO work his
way back to Bremen as best he could.
The detectives, suspecting that the place
where Mayors said he had found the gold
bars was not its hiding place, again Ques-
toned the bedroom steward, and. as he
made conflicting statements and damaging
admissions, he was arrested on suspicion.
Before he was arrested the French detec-
tives got information about two strange
men, believed 10 be Americans, who had for
a couple of days chartered a small sailboat,
and in the craft loitered about the entrance
TO Cherbourg harbOr. They were suspected
TO be in the conspiracy TO steal the gold
aboard the Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse, and
asked about the route of that vessel when
II arrived from America TO land her Cher
bourg passengers. saying that they wanted
TO intercept the vessel and get a message
from friends on board who were bound for
Germany They explained also, that IL 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 on 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 Wilhelm der
Crosse as saloon and second-cabin passen-
gers seeking information about the mys-
terious gold robbery. and they are expected
back on that vessel when she arrives here
tomorrow.