The San Francisco call., 1903-01-20
GEMS
AND FURs
ARE STOLEN
Thieves Get Sable
Coat Valued at
Thousands.
Rob bers Substitute
Cheap limitations
for Pearls.
American Consul Is Asked
to Make a Searching
Investigation.

the personal eUectS OF the late Mr.. and
Mrs Charles l.. Fair arrived from Paris
few days ago. The magnificent Rus
sian sable coat, valued at Sl0,G00, which
Mrs. Fair beqneathed in her will to Mrs
Joe Harvey, Was gone. and "a cheap irnita-
tion affair, not worth $50, had been sub
stituted in its place. Mrs. Fairs famous
pearl necklace of five strings valued at
$1,000, had been tampered with, and in
stead of real pearls in the necklace, cheap
imitation gems had been set in their
places. Numbers of articles of iewelry
which the Fairs known to have
taken to Europe were missing. and their
only effects which were returned through
the American consulate in Paris intact
were Mrs. Fairs chinchilla and mink
coats and Charley Fairs scarfpins.
Steps have already been taken to at
tempt to locate the stolen booty. affida-
Wits are on their way 70 the American
Consulate in Paris and clever detectives
will be detailed in the hope that the rob-
bers. whoever they may be. will be
brought to justice.
A few days ago when the Fairs ef-
fects arrived from Paris, the seals that
bore the insignia of the American Con-
sulate were broken by Assistant United
States Appraiser Jacob Shaen in the
presence of Joseph Harvey and Charles
S. Neal, administrators of the estates
of the deceased, at the Federal building.
One of the first articles saken out of a
trunk was the famous sable coat. Mr..
Harvey looked al the garment and i'm
mediately said that he always thought
that the coat looked much longer
CHEAP IMITATION.
A message was sent to Mrs Sidney
Melbourne who was Mrs Fairs maid at
the time of the couples tragic death in
France. Mrs. Melbourne. upon examin-
ing the coat stated positively that Mrs
Fair never wore such a coat and Mr.
Liebes, who sold the coat to Mrs. Fair,
after moments inspection, said that it
was cheap imitation not worth the ex-
press charges. He wound up his argu-
ment by stating that in the original coat
handsome lace was used four inches
from the bottom on the inside lining,
while in the substitute cheap window
lace had been sewn to give the garment
the same effect.
The inventory that accompanied the
effects was then consulted, and, to the
surprise of every one, Mrs Fairs famous
pearl necklace and earrings were listed
as imitation jewelry.
why Charlie Fair never bought an,
imitation jewelry in his life" said Mr..
Harvey when he saw the inventory. Il
know that he paid $4,000 for the pearl
necklace"
Harvey then said that he had recently.
paid a visit to Hammersmith Field $
jewelry store and that he had been shown
imitation pearls and was explained that
imitation pearls could be detected easily
as they crushed like an egg when a slight
pressure was exerted on them.
IMITATION GEMS.
After a little argument Mr. Neal con-
sented to select one pearl from the neck
lace and determine its genuineness The
moment that his fingers pressed 1t. It
crushed into powder. Mrs Fairs hand
some pearl earrings were also discovered
to have been tampered with and were
also filled up with imitation stones.
Mr.. Harvey at once sent a dispatch to
the American Consul at Paris announcing
that Mrs. Fairs sable coat had been taken
and a cheap one sent in its place and
that the gems had been substituted The
officials at the consulate at once sent back
word that II Harvey was absolutely posi-
tive in his charges, they wished him
to forward affidavits to that effect and
the. coat and imitation gems at once Af-
6davits of the salesman who sQd the
original coat and of Mrs. Melbourne and
many others are already on their way to
paris. as are the coat and gems.
Mrs. Melbourne says that when Mr. and
Mrs Fair were killed in France she was
ordered by the attaches of the American
consulate to turn over-everything belong
ing to the decedents to them. She hand
cd them the keys to the trunks and Jewel
boxes. and a receipt for the famous sable
coat. which was at that time in the cus-
todv of the firm of Gruenbergs, furriers
of Paris.
SECOND OUTRAGE.
Shortly after Mrs. Fairs arrival in Paris
che told her maid that as the coat was
valuable and that as she and her 1b,,s-
hand were travelling she did not wish n
tole care of it. They took the coat ~
e.ruenburg's and receipt was given
them for II.
The changes were made, 1t is believed.
before the valuables were turned over r.
the American consulate. Great fndigna-
tion was expressed when the bodies ~
the Fairs.arrived here, owing to the care
less way in which their remains had boen
prepared for shipment in Paris, and now
this outrage has been added. Who the
ouiltv parties are no one can at prese,t
even conjecture.