The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-03-31
AFTER II YEARS
CASE SETTLED
DE SOTO DIAMOND ROBBERY
HAS BEEN TAKEN OUT OF COURTS
BY PAYMENT OF $4,000.

Miss Mary e. LOuEhran Given Thar
Amount by Watson a. Powers IN
Payment for Jewelry Taken from
Her Room OnsS2aIm sunday in
1S93-BrOokIyn Lady Valued Gems
mt $4,000 and Sued for That
AmOunt-Was WOrshippiDg Mt
Cathedral While Robbery Oc-
Cured.
After a wait of eleven years Miss
Mary E. Loughran of Brooklyn, N. Y,
has received $4,000 for jewelry stolen
from her room while she was a guest
of the De Soto, and her suit against
Watson & Powers, the lessees of the
hotel, has been marked settled" in the
City Court.
On Palm Sunday, March rs, 1898,
while Miss Loughran was attending
services at the Cathedral of st. John
the Baptist, jewelry which she valued
at $500, was taken from her room at
the hotel.
on Tuesday, almost eleven years to
the day since the robbery, Miss Lough-
ran, through her attorney, Mr.. r. r.
Richards, agreed to accept $4,000, an
amount that was offered in settlement
when the robbery was first reported.
At Church When Robbery Occurred.
In the courts the suit had come to
be known as the Palm Sunday dia-
mond robbery case. The suit was filed
shortly after the robbery occurred, and
it has since been pending, having
three times gone to the Supreme Court.
Even the robbery itself is well remem-
bered in Savannah. Miss Loughran,
who was visiting the city with her
father, left the hotel to attend the
services at the Cathedral. When she
returned she discovered that her dia-
mOnds had been stolen. 1t was about
this time that a professional crook WIS.,
tied the city and a number of hotel
guests suffered, two men losing Valua-
bles at the De Soto on the same day.
After it was seen that the diamonds
were not going to be recovered Miss
Loughran demanded $500 from the no.
tel proprietors for their loss. This was
refused, and suit was entered in the
City Court. The case was not without
it's features, the most interesting of
which was the part played by palm
that appeared in Miss LoughranS room
during her absence.
Palm In Her Room.
The defendants in the case first at
tempted to show that Miss Loughran's
room had been locked during her abb
sence, and that none of the hotel at
taches could have entered it. 1t was
shown, however that during her
absence a potted palm had appeared in
her room, which was conclusive evil
dence that some of the employees of The
hotel had entered. The palm was left
as a delicate attention on the part Of
the proprietors of the hotel in recog-
milton of Palm Sunday.
The defendants then attempted TO
show that Miss Loughran had left her
room unlocked, and had therefore been
guilty of careleSsness and was not en-
titled to recovery. 1t was ruled by the
Supreme Court on this point that it
mattered not whether the room was
locked, or not, the proprietors of the
hotel were responsible for the articles
in the room, as there were at that time
no notices in the room to the effect that
the hotel was not responsible for val
uables unless left in the Office. This
was the first time the question had
been carried to the Supreme Court in
Georgia and it was decided that unless
specific notice was given hotel proprie-
tors were responsible.
Was Given Two Verdicts.
When the case was first tried, Miss
Loughran was given a verdict for IS, 800
and interest. 1t was carried to the Su-
preme Court and reversed. On the Sec
ond trial verdict for $4,000 and inter-
est was rendered. For eleven years the
case has been dragged from one court
to another and back again. r. r.
Richards, Esq, represented Miss
Loughran, and Osborne & Lawrence
and W. r. Leaken, Esq, represented
Watson & Powers.