The Washington times., 1919-11-09
GeY. INTERNATIONAL

Case and Other JelDeL RObberieS.
time, the visitor said. 81 knew she taking to
some sort of an affair this evening and should have been
here promptly at TO- but something interfered 1t is
very awkward Did she say where she was gongf Was
it supper dancef should like to find her. if it
were possibe send in my explanations if nothing else "
Now the maid frightened. She could help out tn
disappointed Mr.. Davis this far any way
"Oh, yes indeed, sir can tell you that She went
to the Country Club just mile down the road to
the usual Monday night dance She would be glad to
have you send her your card there, am sure
''Thank you very much Now if you will just tell my
chauffeur how to find the club- is quite dark along
these roads, know shall be very apprecative."
He took his hat and scarf and drew his gloves
while the maid explained carefully to the chauffeur who
sat, sty the limousine wheel As he stepped into
his car, Mr. Davis fingered long enough to ask the
maid express his deep regrets her mistress it, by any
chance he should miss her the club dance and not have
the opportunity of apologizng for his lateness
All of this occupied, perhaps not more than seven
mnutesseven minutes from the time the door bell rang
until the limousine wheeled around in the private drive
way and out the gate into the public road Perhaps
another two three minutes before the maid had
switched out the driveway lights which she had switched
when she answered the doorbe and reached her
room upstairs whereshe had been awaiting her mistress
return
Yet, in that seven or ten minutes eighty thousand
dollars worth of Mrs Paterno jewels had been stolen
from her dressing rooml The false Mr. Davis had
donned his evening clothes with the object in as
the commoner thief who equps himself with his burglars
jimmy. The seven minutes of conversation with the
maid III the Palermo hallway part of carefully mi.
nutely considered plan to flch the Palermo jewels
1t because of such weaid plans this one fire.
quently carried with remarkable success that the
ceverest detective minds the United States to-day
turned upon the task of erretng out the master criminal
who consolidated into vicious organization the
cunning minal minds in the country
What has come to be known as 1.-the Palermo case is
most interesting example of the painstaking detail with
which the actors rehearsed and the stage set for
each of these daring and immensely profitable crimes The
remarkable personal history of Mr. Paterno and the r-
mantle history of the jewels themselves add unusual inter-
est to this particular exploit of the criminals band
Mr.. Paterno, with his brothers, to America not
many years ago. poor immigrant with only the money
necessary TO pass hun by the imm grafton authorities at
Ellis Island who demand that every newcomer to this
country have at least $25 in his possession
When he married, few years ago. he took his bride
INTO home which had cost him almost million dollars
His Winter residence is of the sights of New York
because of its unique architecture-a great pile
overlooking the Hudson, with and turrets that
make it resemble a mediaeval castle 1t is known, in
fact as the Patcrno Castle -
On each anniversary of his wedding Mr.. Palermo
always gives his wife magnificent jewel. 1t these
gems that became part of the master criminals loot
Undoubtedly the decision steal the Palermo gems
was made long before the crime actually perperaed
Agents of the master-crminal watching Mrs. Paerno
and famiarizng themselves with the customs of the
Palermo household discovered that there would be
little opportunity to find more than a small part of the
paterno jewels in the house at tme-and even then
they would be too well guarded
But when Summer came, and the Paternos moved
into their Summer mansion at Allenhurst, the New
Jersey shore, Mrs Paterno habitualy took with her
enough of her jewels to for the semforma enter
talnments which are part of the fashionable Summer
colony life. 1t too far into to the safety de-
posit vaults to make trips each time there dance
eli ThrOuphOut
OF the Summer months the watchers kept Mrs Palermo
under constant surveillance
No lntruders could hope to get near the Palermo
jewels even with Mr. and Mrs. Palermo absent and all the