Omaha daily bee., 1919-12-18
With Admirable Courtesy
Locks Mrs. Sample in Closet
To Save Her Pain of Seeing
Him RanSaCk Jewel Tray.
GETS ST, 900 RING AND
$35 CASH IN DAY RAID
Picks Up 5000 String Of
Pearls, But Fails to Recog-
nize Their vaIue-Woman
A Prisoner Three Hours.

A gentleman burglar Of the same
type as the one who worked
Omaha so successfully early last
fall paid an informal call on Mrs.
w. c. Sample, 5108 lizard street,
yesterday afternoon, ordered her at
the point of revolver to put $35 of
her money into his coat pocket, took
a 81 800 diamond ring from her jew
elry tray, locked her in a clothes
closet and left her in solitude.
She was released three hours later
when her husband removed the door
from its hinges.
"He was certainly gent1emanly,"
commented Mrs. Sample. He was
dressed like gentleman, he talked
like a gentleman and he acted like
a gentleman. I wasn't afraid of
him, even though he had gun
pointed at me. He seemed too
much of a gentleman for me to be
afraid"
Mrs. Sample told the police the
gentleman burglar knocked at her
back door just after 3 o'clock yes
terday afternoon.
Asked for Widow Spence.
II looked out an upstairs window
and asked him what he wanted"
Mrs. Sample told Detectives Fritz
Franks and Jack Graham. He
asked me if the Widow Spence lived
here. When ! said no and assured
him that I had never heard OF
Widow SpeHce ffeztifanked ME and
walked around to the front of the
house. I watched him start down
the street.
"Only few minutes later I heard
someone coming up the staircase
from the first floor l called, Nor
man. thinking it to be my son.
Eyes he answered to my call.
"What do you want? | de.
inanded as he reached the head OF
the stairs. He had put on a mask
in the meantime. but | recognized
him at once as the man l had just
talked to at the back door.
"'Just want to talk to you, please,
he said softly.
"'You want to get out OF my
housep | ordered.
Shows Revolver.
"'No,' he said, exhibiting re-
vo1ver. 4 want your money"
Il took S35 from pocke tbook and
neld it out toward him. He opened
his coat pocket and told me to put
the money in. / did.
"He walked over to my dresser
and took a diamond ring from, my
jewelry tray. A string of pearls
Law near the ring, but he ignored the
pearls"
Mrs. Sample said she valued the
pearls at 5000.
"As he took up the ring he looked
at me-" said Mrs. Sample.
"It must be hard on you to
watch this he commented feeling
ly. Come over here
"He opend a clothes closet and,
ordering me in, closed and locked
the door. I don't know what he
took after that. | didn't even hear
him 60 downstairs. The telephone
rams, and rang. 1t was after dark
when I heard Norman, my son,
COME home with his sled. | called
to him to open the door of the
closet, but he couldn't find the key.
He telephoned Mr.. Sample, who
came and removed the door from
the hinges and released me after l
had been held a prisoner for three
hours. 1t was then after 6 o'clock"
Mrs. Sample gave the detectives
good description of the gentle
man" burgular. Il am sure l would
be able to identify him if I were
to see him again." she said.
The police believe from the de-
scription furnished by Mrs. Sample
that the man who robbed the Sam
pie home is the gentleman burglar
who operated here several months