Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1916-10-10
Attempt to Substitute Rings With
Glass Settings for Diamond
Rings.

this city Friday, as attempts were
made at four jewelry stores to sub
stitute rings with cheap glass set
tings for diamond rings.
The first known attempt was at
the Teed & Teed jewelry store in the
afternoon, when couple entered
and asked to see loose diamonds. Mr..
Teed was suspicious of them and re-
fused to show the loose stones. He
did, however, show them the mount
ed diamonds but watched them very
closely and they soon left the store.
About $3.50 o'clock they entered
the Downward jewelry store. The pro-
'prietor had gone to supper and J. L.
RENTER, the optician, was on duty
They asked here. for rings for a
twelve year old girl, asking to see
small diamonds. The rings were all
tagged in the trays shown and no
attempt was made to substitute a
cheaper ring. The loose stones were
locked in the safe and these were the
ones they particularly wished to see,
so left the store only to return in a
few minutes and ask again for the
proprietor, who had not yet return
ed, that they might see the loose dia-
monds.
At twenty minutes of six the same
couple, according to description, en-
tered the Oleson jewelry store and
asked to see small rings. Gradually
leading up to the subject of dia-
monds, they requested the proprie-
tor to get out his diamonds which
were mounted. The couple were q
woman, with auburn hair. rather ov-
er medium weight, age probably
about twenty-five, accompanied by q
youth Of about eighteen or nineteen.
After looking at the mounted
rings for time the young man held
one up to the light and in a few mo-
ments apparently put 1t back in the
tIdy. NIL OACSOu, a. 40 tAS AAOAI VI
jewellers. looked at once at the re-
turned ring to see il it was the same
one and quickly detected the cheap
stone. drop that ring!" he shout
ed at the young man, who dropped
1t" hurriedly, with an ''all right"
The couple then edged toward the
door while Mr.. Oleson made hur-
ried inventory of his tray. When his
survey was satisfactory he looked for
the couple, but they had vanished. :
He, with customer who was in
the store at the time, made the
rounds of the stores then. looking
for the couple, but found none an
swering their description. Their
"pals," however, were almost at that
minute busy with the same game Of
"penny-weighting" in the ]. M.
Richardson jewelry store of which
the proprietor had gone to supper.
The jeweler, Mr.. Winslow, was in
the store and the couple which en-
tered there does not answer the de-
scription Of the one in the other
stores. N
This couple was woman of prob
ably twenty-seven years, very chem
ically blonde as to hair, and she was
the spokesman. Her companion was
a youth of about eighteen, nervous,
and giving the appearance Of dope
fiend. Shortly after they began look
ing rings over, Mr.. Winslow became
suspicious of them and in few mo-
ments, while putting away tray of
rings, got the flash Of a fake ring
secreted in the young mans hand,
Just below the edge of the count
er glass.
At once he told them he was about
to lock up the rings and unless they
saw one they wished to buy, closing
time had come. They promised to
come in in the morning and left the
store.
A sequel to the story Is one told
by DR.. F. A. Boysen whose Office was
entered by young man of the type
above mentioned, late in the after
noon. The stranger was nervous and
had every appearance Of dope
fiend. He asked for "shot" Of NOR
phine, claiming he was enroute to
Kansas City and must have enough
to get him there. He was referred
to physician and left the office
without procuring his morphine.
There were evidently four in the
party which was observed several
times during the day, and concert
ed effort made to smuggle diamonds
out of the stores entered. Not in