The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-07-08
WOMAN TEMPTED To
STEAL A DIAMOND
Mrs. Dureka Wood Plans Clever
Theft From Bowers
Jewelry Store.
SICKNESS OF HUSBAND
GIVEN AS A MOTIVE
Detective Chase Acts on a
"Hunch" and Arrests
the Woman.

Detective Chase of the local police
department believes in ''huuches. - He
had one about noon Saturday. 1t came
upon him on street car. II was so
persistent that it led him to get off
the car. follow woman to the Sierra
Nevada Lumber company's plant at 35
South Third West street aud place her
under arrest. The woman gave tho
name of Mrs. Dureka Wood, 36 years
old, She is In Jail charged with steal
ing diamond valued at 500 from G,
E. Bowers jewelry store. 245 South
Main street, about IL o clock Saturday
morning.
The "hunch,'' or presentiment as
the less vulgar call ii, happened. like
this: Detective Chase Saturday after
noon had an appointment that called
him to the neighborhood of the Sierra
Nevada mill at l o'clock. He also
had the description of the woman who
entered the Bowers jewelry store, and
1T is charged took a diamond stud
worth $95. From his car the detective
saw upon the street a woman partially
answering the description. Mr.. Bow
ers said the woman who took his da
mond stud wore white shirtwaist and
r dark skirt, with belt of beads, was
heavy. had black hair, and bore
birthmark on the left cheek. The de-
tective could see that the woman an
swered the description as to the cloth
ing and general appearance, but he
eouldn Z tell about the beads in the
belt or the birthmark. Then the wo-
man S appearance stamped her as en-
tirelv respectable and the detective
was in an awful hurry TO make his ap-
pointment at l. which was an impor
tant one. His car hurried him by the
woman.
"Hunch'' Would Not Down.
But the "hunch' got busy and it
and the appointment kept the detec-
tive IL one of the most undecided and
uncomfortable states of mind be ever
has been In for a few seconds. The
bunch won, however. "Go to,"
said the detective to the appointment,
and he stopped the car, Jumped off and
started after the disappearing woman.
About four blocks away, in front of
the Sierra Nevada mill, he caught up
with her. a close inspection satisfied
the detective that the woman was the
right ono and he placed her under ar
rest She objected at first, but came
with the detective finally
Mrs. Wood admittd her guilt. after
some questioning. telling pitiful story
of the illness of her husband and sub
sequent big physicians and hospital
bills. also other debts The piling up
of debts against them, she said, led
TO the temptation TO take the diamond.
She said she and her husband are
spirituaistic workers of note. Wood
has been back at his work at the
Sierra Nevada mill only q week after
an illness. she said. She had gone to
the mill 10 see him when her arrest
came.
Theft Well Planned.
Mr.. Bowers says the woman came
10 his store the first time about two
weeks ago and thinks the robbery was
well planned, Five or six times since
then she came into look at jewelry,
but was not shown goods usually, for
the reason that Mr.. Bowers has an or
der prohibiting clerks from exhibiting
diamonds to prospective buyers when
he is not present Saturday morning
she looked at pair of diamond enr-
drops, Mr.. Bowers showing the goods
to her, none of which appeared to
please She asked TO be shown a dia-
mond brooch in the window. While
Mr. Bowers back was turned, it is
thought, she porketed the diamond. The
brooch suited her. she said, and she
would bring her husband to see it that |
night. Then she left.
Mr.. Bowers, in placing the goods
back in the cases, missed the diamond
stud and notified the police at once.
Then he started the rounds of the |
AT w, n. Fuller's loan of |
fec, East Second South street, Mr..
Bowers learned that a woman answer
ing the description of Mrs. Wood had |
been there a few minutes before try
ing to pawn diamond stud. but Mr.. |
E'uller's son had refused TO make the |
loan in the absence of his father
Mr. Bowers then went on to Uncle |
Sam g loan office at 80 East First
South street, and found the diamond
stud. The woman had pawned it there
the loan. Mr.. Cline had taken men
tai picture of the woman in the trans.
action and Mr.. Bowers was assured |
that the same woman who took the |
diamond from his store had pawned it. |
She gave the name of Mrs. F. Rice;
address. 335 West South Temple street. |
The woman g story affected the po-
lice, but the County Attorneys office
refused to condone the crime, and she |
was CHARGED with grand larceny.
Wood Visits His Wife.
Wood visited his wife at the Jail
early, Saturday evening. He says he is
unable to account for her theft, of the
diamond They have been here from
Pennssylvania only two months and he
says he could not establish any charac-
ter for her here, although she has
shown, herself to be a good woman.
They have not been married long. He
has been working for the Sierra Nevada
mill for $40 week and received his
weekly pay Saturday. He said he was
down to 20 cents when he got his paw
In regard to his illness he said mill |
work is too heavy for him and he can
hardly stand it. From the Jail he went
TO have talk with Mr.. Bowers about
the robbery The case is unusual.