Evening star., 1909-07-18
REGA|NS HIS jewels
Isaac F. LIoyd's Diamonds to
Be Returned to Him.
STOLEN FoUR YEARS AGO
Valuables Taken by Trusted
Housemaid.
PASSED TO BR0THER-IN-LAw
When Latter Is Arrested He Pleads
Guilty to Smuggling and Re-
ceives Light Sentence.
STOLEN FOUR YEARS AGO
PASSED TO BR0THER-IN-LAW

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, July 17.--Vice President
Isaac r. Lloyd Of the Mutual Life In
surance Company was mildly pleased to-
day to learn from Chicago that the FED
eral government had decided to return
to him about $1,000 worth of diamonds
which were stolen from his home in this
city four years ago. That his pleasure
was mild rather than in the degree OF
elation may be understood when attention
Is called to the fact that the government
has known all these four years that the
jewels belonged to NJ. Lloyd and mad
been stolen from him, and that the gov
ernment also knew the thief and had
(mildly) punished him. To be sure the
government did not punish him for the
theft, that not being an offense against
the United States, but it punished him
for smuggling ''smuggling" the jewels
that he stole. The thief has not yet
been punished for the stealing. as he dis
appeared after his short prison term for
Smuggling" The government acknowl-
edged that it had been "duped'' as the
Chicago information puts 1t, when yester-
day Judge Francis Wright in that city
signed q federal court order that the
diamonds in question be turned over to
Mr.. Lloyd. 1t was slick and ready
crook that did the duping. How he was
able to get away with the game, how
ever. remains a mystery. since the reve-
lation Of the theft of the jewelry from
Mr.. Lloyd's house was made before he
was sent to Jail. So also remains the
long delay of the government In ordering
the return Of the stones Mr.. Lloyd is
not criticising anybody. however: he ac-
cepts the governmental mystery and just
hopes that the diamonds are coming
along.
Robbed by Housemaid.
Mr.. Lloyds houss on West 10th street
was robbed in the spring of 1905 by Lena
Hoffman, alias Becker. alias several other
maid and seamstress on false recommen-
dations with forged signatures. She was so
punctiliously honest that when she picked
UP a penny from the floor of her mis-
tress' room she would pin it to the
cushion with note that she had found
1t on the floor. So presently she had the
run OF the house.
ment room and there at the window she
was often visited by her brother-i law,
Henry HOFFMAN, who. it was found later.
had left his wife in Europe and come here
since lived. Another later discovery was
that the seamstress had stolen guam
titles of jewelry and clothing from her
employer. and the surmise was that she
had passed the articles out to Hoffman
on these window visits. Only twice had
Hoffman called upon her in the house.
One day In March. 1905. Lena went out
"for few minutes and never returned.
Immediately afterward the loss Of the
stolen goods was discovered.
In the following fall the local police Of
Chicago arrested Hoffman on suspicion
when they found him trying to sell loose
diamonds: In his room they found 27S
of these unset stones and large guam
tity of gold partly melted which had
been their settings, also some partly
melted silver.
HOFFMAN "Confesses" Smuggling.
Hoffman seems to have been we'll aware
that his punishment for smuggling would
doubtless be less onerous than what he
would probably receive II sent back to
New York to be tried for robbery, espe-
cialiy as the ''smuggled' stones were re-
covered or seized by the authorities. 1t
Is said, also, that Hoffman knew that II
he was brought back here there were
several other charges that would prob
ably be brought against him.
At any rate Immediately upon his ar
rest he confessed" that the jewelry he
had been offering for sale had been SNUG
gled and he had smuggled them. The
federal authorities and he was sent to
Leavenworth prison for t-o years. In
the meantime his accomplice had been
arrested here and she confessed the whole
story of the robbery. Until then the pub
lie had not learned of the Lloyd robbery,
but the authorities had got on the track
through finding among Hoffman's sWag
small gold Tiffany clock, by the num-
ber of which it was found that it had
been sold to Mrs. Harvey Fisk, who had
presented 1t to Mrs. Lloyd. The seam
stress, by reason of her confession. got
of with three and one-half years In Au-
burn prison. Some of the Lloyd prop
erty had been disposed of before Hoff-
recovered.
The circumstantial evidence and the
confession in detail OF the woman made
the matter reasonably clear. The govern
ment presently turned over to Mr.. Lloyd
the half-melted gold and silver, but the
diamonds were retained, nobody here
knows why, until today.