Polk County news-gazette. (Benton, Tenn.) 190?-191?, 1914-03-05

Remarkable Ending OF mysterious
Theft That Had Puzzled the Police
! Of Two countries-Faets Seem tc
Be That Robbery Had Been Most
cIeverIy contriVed by Astute Band
of Thieves Who Spent Fortune
in Endeavorine to Perfect Their
! Plans
= ONION, ENGLAND.-On July Is
a necklace of 81 graduated pearls
and three separate large pearls,
the whole valued at 100000, were
stolen from the mails between Paris
and London. Six weeks later four
obscure jewel dealers had been arrest
ed on suspicion, and reward OF $6O,-
600 offered. But for two months the
whereabouts of the stolen necklace
remained a mystery.
At nine O'Clock on the morning OF
+ September 16 Augustus Horne, a WORK
ingman, proceeding along London
street with his lunch basket and KIT
OF tools toward the scene OF his daily
! labors. noticed a soiled and battered
match box on the curb near q lamp
post. With a flick of his toe ne
! brushed it into the gutter Then, Win
an impulse of mild curiosity, he fished
1 the box out of the gutter and opened
it A man who had been standing
near the lamppost turned and walked
| away.
What Horne saw IN the box, So he
| thought, was a string of beads and
three small marbles. He stuck the
package carelessly in his pocket and
walked on. Coming to the Swan pub
lie house, he stepped inside for
morning dram Finishing his drink,
he produced the dirty match box and
showed it's contents to the bartender,
explaining:
81 picked 'em out of the gutter
little way back"
"a string of beads and few mar
bles," said the bartender 4 wouldn't
give a shilling for the iot-"
Take EN- for beer" said Horne.
Nor a beer, either" said the bar
tender.
Maybe they're no good" remarked
Horne. but I'll turn 'em in at the
police station. anyway"
Leaving the disreputable little pack
age with the desk sergeant, also his
name and address as the finder. Horne
went about his usual business.
Earns $4,000 Reward.
Next day this poor London working
hot hn
unable to exchange for glass of beer
had earned for him fortune of $780,
600 for he was the finder of the $780,
600 worth of stolen pearls about
which two continents were wondering.
Much mystery still surrounds this
astonishing Paris-London mail rob
berry of one of the finest and costliest
necklaces of pearls ever strung to-
gether. They are perfectly graduated
pearls, weighing a total OF l,26O
grains, the great central pearl of the
made-up necklace alone weighing
nearly so grains.
How did the thieves get their hands
on that sealed and registered mail
package? How were they able to
break the seals, open the wooden box
and the jewel case within it, remove
the pearls, deliberately substitute cut
loaf sugar of exactly the same weight,
and close and reseal the package with
out detection?
Carried $4,000 Insurance.
The necklace was made last Octo-
Der, a year ago, for Max Mayer, whose
wholesale jewelry establishment Is at
8S Hatton Garden, London. Mr. Mayer
had no particular customer In view
at that time. Safely and uneyentfully
1t passed in the mails three times be-
tween London and Paris during the |
winter, as prospective buyers were
located in one city or the other.
b, For this purpose the registered mall
package is regarded as safer than the
travelling agent Of the jewelry house.
and Mr. Mayer was satisfied, for q
specified period to carry blanket In
surance policy of $750,000 to cover
any losses or jewels thus transported,
Early in July the famous necklace
was again in the keeping of Henri
Solomons, Mr. Mayors Paris agent.
AS the Paris agent was about to go
away on his vacation, Mr. Mayer In
structed him to mail the necklace TO.
the London house. Accordingly, on
the morning of July 10, Mr.. Solomons
personally took the necklace from the
bank, where 1t was kept carried II to
his home. and there packed and sealed
II as above described. The outer
wrapping was OF blue, paper backed
with linen. This he sealed with wax
in half dozen places stamping each
seal with the Mayer initials, IN. M"
He carried the package to the Paris
postoffice in the Rue de Provence. saw
IT weighed by a clerk named Louron'
who registered II at a cost OF $1.41 to
Mr.. Solomons. and threw 1t into
basket with other registered matter.
At 7:40 o'clock that evening the
registered bag bound for London was
sealed and taken in a motor van to J