The San Francisco call., 1908-12-14
MYSTERY MARKS
THEFT OF GEMS
WORTH $4,000
Wife Of British Columbia Inn
porter Loses Diamond Col=
Iarette During Journey
Robbery Discovered on Opening
Trunks One Day After Ar
rival in This City
Keys We're Given Attendant on
Boundary Line for Customs
Officials Examination

A diamond robbery. baf1ing in its
mysterious inception and wide compli-
cations the skill of a dozen detectives
of the United States secret service and
men in the employ of the railroads,
came to light yesterday, when it was
learned that Mrs. A. Nj. McKfIlop, the
wife of large wholesale importer of
coIlarette into which had been strung
over a hundred diamonds of rare bril-
liancy. The necklace is worth not less
than $4,000 and the police believe
that it was stolen on the train during
the trip from Vancouver or during the
confusion incident to the customs in
spection at the international boundary.
Mrs McKillop arrived in this city last
Wednesday and secured apartments at
the ST. Francis. She is en- route to
Los Angeles, where she intends to
spend a portion of the winter. 1t was
not until the day following her arrival
in this city that the theft was discov-
cred
Mystery Battles Detectives
Mrs McKillop was filled with dismay
over the disappearance of the much
priced necklace She called for the as
sistance of the police. and by them it
was referred to the railroad, which
forthwith detailed on the Investigation
a number of the shrewdest sleuths in
its detective department.
Suspicion also lodged against the GUS
tom house officials on the border line
between British Columbia and this
country and the federal government
was notified 1t Immediately set its
agents at work to untangle the mys-
terry.
Although the severest kind of inves-
tigation has been going on for four
days nothing pointing to clew has as
yet been discovered
Mrs. McKillop is herself at a loss to
explain the robbery. She said last
night at the st. Francis hotel that she
believed the collarette was stolen
while her baggage was being examined
by the custom house officials.
Key GiveE to Attendant
The train passes the border line
about midnight" she explained, land
not wishing to be disturbed at such an
hour, l gave my key to one of the at
tendants that he might see to my bag
gage.
II never for moment thought that
there was any possibility of the dia-
monds being stolen, and so even after +
reached the st. Francis hotel 1 did not
Immediately examine my trunks to see
that everything was in its place.
"On several other occasions however,
/ have lost articles of small value, such
as gloves, laces and hosiery, but I
thought the collarette was safe. 1t may
have been foolish of me to carry it in
my trunk, but 1t is an unwieldy thing
to carry in ones hand baggage. and to
save the diamonds from chipping it is
necessary to wrap the collarette about
a circular, plush covered box.
Value More Than Money
when I discovered my loss at the
hotel I notified the police immediately.
but up to this hour have received no
information that it has been found or
the culprit discovered.
81 priced the collarette very highly
because it was the gift of my husband. -
Everything else in Mrs. McKillop's
trunk was in perfect condition. The
railroad detectives and the secret serv-
ice agents are pressing the investiga-
tion at every point between San Fran
cisco and Vancouver.