The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-08-21
ssBfONA LISA. THEFT WAS
 SENSATION OF CENTURY

One of the sensations of the century was created a year ago this morning
 by the mysterious disappe trance from the Louvre gallery in Paris of Leon ardo da. Vincfs masterpieces Mona Lisa," an art treasure of value not to be measured in francs, pounds or dollars. One of the most celebrated and valuable paintings in existence, it made the Louvre a Mecca for the art connoiseurss of the world. Prac- tically under the eyes Of a small army of guards and attendants and private detectives, the priceless canvas was cut from it's frame and carried away. Criminal records do not show more
 daring theft. nor one more successful world was startled and sat back against when the news was flashed from Paris, and the detective bureaus of all the great cities of Europe, Amer iea, Africa and Asia began a. search for the daredevil robber. A. thousand
 theories were aired and dismissed as The thief certainly acted with au- dacity and celerity, for he had but a few minutes for his work. According l to the official inquiry, the robbery oc- cured between 7:25 and S:15 of the
 morning of August q, 1911. At 7;z0 three masons passed through the Salon Carre and stopped for moment to gaze on the painting. They passed through the room again at S:l5 ana noticed that the picture had gone.
 1 The theft of the Mona Lisa recalls l the famous exploit of the notorlous Worth. alias Raymond, who is SUD- posed to have stolen Gainsborough | famous painting of the Duchess of Devonshire. Worth is supposed to be dead, but when the Leonardo da Vincl masterpiece disappeared many detec-
 tives familiar with his career Jumped l to the conclusion that his death mas
 been greatly exaggerated, and that he and he alone could have planned and carried out the daring daylight 1 burglary. Worth began his career as a naaehinist, and in that occupation acquired an extraordinary facility in picking supposedly burglar-proof locks 1 He determined to turn his Knowledge l to account. and list of his daring and brilliant thefts reads more like l a romance than the truth. He lacked only ''big jobs," and was almost uni ventor of an explosive cartridge that did it's work with practically no noise. His first important trick" was the theft of a large consignment of dia- nonds about to be shipped from Cape Town. He always worked alone, ana
 never carried weapon or any Klna, so that no charge of shedding human blood has ever been made against him. For years he was under the con- stant observation of the best detec- tives of Scotland Yard. who never per mitted him to get out of their range of observation, but they were unaple l fo hx any specific crime upon him. The Gainsborough painting which Worth is alleged to have carried away law hidden in Chicago for nearly 26
 years, and was finally brought to light through Pat Sheedy, an American gambler, who was responsible for the decIaration that Worth was dead. Worth. if living, is now about 50 years old.
 Today is the semi-centennial of the invasion of Kentucky by the Confed- crates under General Bragg. It IS the 15nth anniversary of the death of Lady Mary Wortley Monntagu, who was the first to introduce into England the practice of inoculation to prevent