The Detroit times., 1908-08-13
| T|PT0ED IN AND
JUST REAC HE'D
UNDER PILLOW"
BENJAMIN BENNETT, NoRMANDIE
HOTEL PORTER, TELLS Ora
PHIc STORY OF THEFT OF MRS.
BOWD'S JEWELS.

Il don't care so much as far as |
am concerned, personally. ! am guilty
and will take my punishment, what
ever it may be. But I'm sorry for my
mothers sake that this thing hap
pened Il will be awful hard for her.
The speaker was Benjamin Bennett.
the Normandie hotel porter who stole
So 600 worth OF diamonds from under
the pillow OF Mrs. L. A. Bowd, a guest
in the hotel. and is now in Jail charged
with the larceny OF $500 diamond
from Maj. George w. Stone. of Lans-
ing, Mrs. Bowd having refused TO
prosecute him for the present.
How about the girl" was asked.
The reference was 10 Miss Rose
Sche minski, Benefits sweetheart,
who also worked in the hotel
"Oh. Rosie?" he laughed. Then he
laughed again. Rosie was evidently
not as much TO him as he had been
10 the girl, who tainted when she
caught glimpse OF him In police
headquarters the other day, in the GUS
tody OF an officer.
How did | come to steal Mrs.
Bowd's diamonds?" he repeated in an
swer TO the query. We'll, Mrs. Bowd
came in late and took her up in the
elevator OF course, she had on her
diamonds. and they were certainly
good to look at. They made me nun
CRY. Well, after Il while she rang for
ice water and when | went into the
room | noticed that she was still wear
ing the diamonds and concluded that
she must be going to keep them In her
room instead OF putting them In the
hotel safe. That's when | mode up
my mind TO get them. | was so anxi-
Gus about II that l told Schneider
was going to get them, and that's why
| gave him three of the rings after
wards, SO he wouldn't tell.
We'll, / went up to the room about
o'clock in the morning, when all the
guests were asleep. l had noticed be-
fore that the door opening from the
hall into Mrs. Bowd's private bath
room was not locked. Ordinarily 1t
couldn't have been opened very cas-
lily, for 1t stuck at the top. But |
just pressed down on the knob and II
opened without a sound | tiptoed to
the head OF the bed, reached under
Mrs. Bowds pillow, got the channels
skin bag | was looking for and tiptoed
out again without disturbing her in
the least She didn't know until Z
o'clock the next morning that she had
been robbed"
How did you know they were un-
der her pillow" was asked.
We'll, where would they have
been? l Just figured that it would be
quite natural for her to put them
there. IL she had put them any 9TH
er place, | probably wouldn't have
got them. / wouldn't have taken the
chance"
Bennett says he did not hear OF
the theft until the day following the
robbery BY that time it was all over
the hotel and he manifested even
more curiosity than his fellow en-
ployes In the affair.
Bennett was arraigned before JUS
tice Jeffries on the Stone warrant,
Wednesday morning, and his examina.
ton was set for Aug. 81. He will prob
ably waive TO the recorders court,
however. He says he intends to plead
guilty in the higher court and have
his case disposed of as speedily as
possible.
What's the use OF standing trial."
he says. Il might as well plead
guilty and take my medicine right
away"
Charles Schneider, the Normandie
bell boy arrested with Bennett in con-
nection with the robbery OF Mrs.
Bowd's jewels, was released from Gus
tody by the police, Tuesday afternoon.