The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1911-10-19
CLEVER THEFrs OF DIAMONDS.
Some Ways that Have Puzzled the
Detectives.

A former State street jeweller who
is now a member of a jewellers pro-
tective association and travels over
the entire world in search of diamond
ad gem thieves, was in Chicago sew
eral days ago and during his con-
versation told some of the interest
ing methods used by the expert thief
to steal jewelry, says the Chicago
Daily News.
"Of course" he said, 1--WE all know
of the fellow who travels along with
the diamond salesman for a month
or more ostensibly carrying another
line, but in reality only awaiting a
chance to make away with the sales
mans trunk. This fellow works a
long time for haul and is usually a
topnotcher, as diamond statesmen
are naturally suspicious of any
chance acquaintance. This crook,
however, is a polished fellow, tells
good stories, drinks good drinks,
smokes good cigars and is generally
agreeable and well liked.
''He does not push his presence
on the salesman, but manages to run
into him numberless times, and by
various methods of his confederates
usually has considerable important
appearing mail meet him wherever
he goes Then some day the sales
man packs his trunk after finishing
sale and starts it for the express
Office. On the way it disappears; it
is either taken from the platform or
picked up somewhere and the thief
is gone.
women make good diamond
thieves, too, as dealers must not take
a chance of offending a customer,
lest she be rich mans wife or
daughter, whose trade if obtained
regularly would amount to thous-
ands a year. Any woman we'll dress
ed and possessing certain amount
of refinement can see the entire stock
Of almost any dealer in the country.
When she is clever enough she can
get stone or piece OF jewelry dur
ing her inspection.
Zone New York woman came in
to a large store and asked to see
some unset diamonds. The pro-
prietor waited on her and showed
her large collection of fine stones.
She displayed a monster roll of bills
and was about to purchase an ex-
pensive jewel when she asked wheth-
er her husband could see it. Why,
certainly replied the proprietor.
we will send it over to him now.
The woman hesitated, and finally
asked whether they would hold the
stone until that afternoon and she
would make deposit of $40 on it..
"This appeared perfectly proper
to the owner, but when she left two
valuable stones were missing. The
woman was hailed, taken to police
headquarters and searched. The
gems were not found on her, and in
her indignation she threatened to
bring suit against the proprietor. He
was sure she had taken the stones,
but in his profusion of apology Of
fered to give her the one she had
been looking at and at the same
time refund her s1s. This was bet
ter than suit and the, loss of all
the supposed friends of the. woman,
thought the dealer. She accompanied
him back to the store, and while
there. watched by detectives, made
her way up to the case where she had
stood before and slipping her hand
along the under edge recovered the
two missing stones, stuck there in a
little ball of chewing gum.
''The detectives did not know posi-
lively at that time whether she had
taken anything from the counter, but
decided to keep further watch over
her. At another store several days
later while she was inspecting gems
a stone dropped on the floor "acci-
dentally" and this also was lost.
Gum on the front of the shoe had
got this one The woman was ar
rested and confessed that she had
swindled nearly every dealer in New
York with her gum trick.
zone of the most ingenious thefts
was made in Berlin, where a fellow
walked into a general jewelry store
knowing the owner had a fine dia-
mond himself and went into the store
apparently to have an old German
watch repaired. He started to talk
about diamonds and exhibited his
own as choice stone. He was shown
the other stone by the dealer. They
discussed diamonds lin every phase
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