The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-10-18
The Robbery al The Tower
AN ADVENTURE OF PETER CREWE-"THE MAN
WITH THE CAMERA EYES"
By HARoLD CARTER
W. G. Chapman United States and Great Britain

Borneos, which l have already de-
scribed, and which Peter Crewe was
enabled to solve by his peculiar op-
tical powers, we struck up a warm
friendship. 1t was arranged that we
should work together in the future for
the solution of any similar difficulties
which might come to me in the course
of my professional career. We had
arranged to catch the next steamship
for America, but on the day before
she sailed there occurred in London
robbery of such a mysterious charac-
ter that neither of us could resist the
temptation to remain and lend our
aid to the discovery Of the criminal.
Everybody remembers how the ia
nous Gwyn jewels were stolen from
the Tower of London. These emer-
aids, which had a historic rather
than any especial intrinsic value, had
been presented by Charles II. to his
famous favorite, and were preserved
in a small chamber In the Tower,
where were stored miscellaneous
treasures of secondary importance
not usually placed on public exhibit
ton. They were kept in an isolated
building, round turret which ran
straight up to height of seventy
feet, and was absolutely inaccessible
from the outside, the brick walls af-
fording not the slightest foothold. In
fact there was no direct access to
this tower at all, since it connected
with the main building by series of
passageways, intricate, and entirely
unapproachable except from the cen
ira building, 200 yards away, which
was guarded by file of soldiers.
This turret had a small barred win
dow overlooking the road, 60 feet up.
It was too high for any thief to throw
up a graphing hook; in short moth
ing but fireman's ladder could have
gained access to 1t from the outside.
Yet in spite Of this the window was
entered from the outside, a bar was
removed from the mortar setting, and
the thief gained entrance, obtained
possession of the emeralds, and calm
ly descended, unobserved. The rob-
berry was not discovered until the fol-
lowing day, by which time the perpe-
traitor of the crime had got safely
away.
The daring nature Of the crime ex-
cited all London. 1t was certain that
no ladder had been used to gain ad-
mittance. While the tower was un-
garded, persons were continually
passing and repassing in the road be-
meath, and any such device would
have been speedily detected, the
more so inasmuch as any ladder
placed against the wall would have
been set at such an angle that it
would have blocked the sidewalk I'M
derneath.
On the third day after the robbery
the emeralds were discovered in the
pawnshop of notorious fence" in
Whitechapel region. They had been
left there by an Italian, the man con-
fessed. when threatened with prose-
cution. Neighbors Of the pawnbroker
confirmed this statement. An timer
ant organ grinder, accompanied by a
monkey, had been seen to enter the
pawnshop on the day after the rob-
berry. His monkey seemed to be
sick, one neighbor added. 1t was
wrapped in blankets and lay listlessly
on the top of the organ. 1t was an
extremely large animal and those who
saw it had received the impression
that it was chimpanzee, but nothing
Of it could be seen, since it was
swathed from head to foot.
Other witnesses confirmed this
statement. 1t was, furthermore
known that an Italian organ-grinder
had been seen in the vicinity of the
tower for several days before the rob,
berry. Although he had chosen the
worst place for the plying of his
trade, and had taken in practically
nothing, he had cheerfully ground out
his tunes day after day at the base OF
the turret. His monkey, however
lay on the top of the organ, Just as
the other witnesses had described
and never stirred a muscle. Some
children, who had tried to pet it
were angrily "shooed" away by the
organ-grinder, who asserted that the
animal was sick.
That was all that could be learned
All the itinerant organ-grinders in
London were promptly investigated
by the police, but no man with such
an animal was found. Although the
Jewels had been recovered, fear OF
other daring robberies of a similar
kind impelled the authorities to prose
cute their search in the most vigorous
manner.
"The first thing to do" said Crewt
to me, when we had agreed to do oul
best to unravel the mystery, sis tC
look at the turret"
We went thither accordingly an6
found a curious crowl standing in 6
solid phalanx at the base of the
tower, gazing up at the trick walls
while a couple of policemen stolidly
moved them on whenever their mum
bers became too great for strest
traffic to pass. II seemed impossible
that anyone could have scaled those
walls without ladder.
DO you suppose the man sent hil
monkey up?" | hazarded.
Crewe smiled and shook his head.