New-York tribune., 1919-06-25
Mrs. Charles Millhiser, of
Richmond, Va, Reports
Some of Her Gems Placed
in Safety Box Are Missing
Police Fail to Find Clew
Detectives at Work on Case
Nearly Two Weeks; Inside
Job Impossible, 1t Is Said

On Friday, June 13. Mrs. Clarence
Millhser, widow of a merchant of
Richmond, Va, reported to the man
agement of the Hotel Blitmore that
jewelry worth in the neighborhood of
100000 had been taken from the safe
deposit box she had rented on May 20
from the hotel.
When news of the alleged loss be-
came public yesterday, detectives from
of lawyers and all the forces at the
hotels command had been working on
the case for nearly two weeks. To all
outward appearances they were no
nearer a solution than when it was
| first reported.
Mrs. Millheiser last night refused to
! discuss the situation. She declined to
say even that there had been robbery,
but referred all questions to her at
torneys, Stanchfield & Levy, who were
as reticent as she.
Statement of the Hotel
The hotel management was also mute
city, declined to talk, and the Biltmore's
lawyers, Edwards, Murphy & Minton,
contented themselves with issuing the
following formal statement:
"On May 20, 1919, Mrs. Clarence Mill
hiser, of Richmond, Va, who, with her
late husband, was a guest at the Bilt-
more, procuerd from the hotel one of
the safe deposit boxes maintained for
the convenience of guests desiring to
| store valuables.
"She alleges that she placed in this
box on that date, which was the day of
her husbands death, jewelry of con-
siderable value, and that when she
| went to the box, on June 13, to remove
the .jewelry, part of same was miss
ing"
It is understood that the most i'm
! portant piece of jewelry that has dis
appeared is a pearl and diamond neck
lace said to be worth about 100000.
Pendants, lavallieres, earrings and
ether trinkets also are reported miss
ing.
Mr.. and Mrs. Millhiser had been oc-
casional patrons of the Biltmore for
the last four years. While they we're
here in May, Millhiser became i'll and
on May 10 was removed to Mt. Sinai
Hospital, where he died May 20. At
this time, Mrs. Millhiser was still at
the hotel.
She packed her valuables into two
packages and took them to the safe
deposit window at the hotel office,
where she asked for a box. The clerk
on duty set this before her. 1t is un-
derstood that she placed the jewels in
it., locked it with the key provided,
turned the box over to the clerk and
went away with the key.
That day she left the hotel.
The funeral of Mr.. Millhiser took
place five days later. On June Is she
her safe deposit box. 1t is said that
on opening it she discovered that the
greater part of her jewelry was not
there.
Among the many theories advanced
as possible solutions of the case, it
is understood that the police and pri-
vate detectives are working chiefly up
on two.
Clever Thief Possibility
One of these is that Mrs. Millhiser,
shocked and agitated over the death
of her husband, may not have been per-
fectly clear in her own mind where
she placed the jewelry.
The other is that while she was
placing it in the safe deposit box some
clever thief managed to abstract part
Millhiser realizing what he was doing.
All Of the pawnships of the city have
been notified of the character of the
missing jewels, but so far none has re-
ported single clue.
Deacon Murphy, of Edwards, Murphy
& Minton, held consultation with
the hotel management yesterday after
noon. Mr.. Cohalen, of Stanchfield &
Levy, and private and city detectives
were also present.
At it's conclusion no one but Mr..
Murphy would make any comment on
the case, and he contented himself with
saying:
IL would like to be able to tell you
more about it, but can't l don't know
what valuables are gone, if they are
| lost"
He added that no one believed the
theft, if there had been a theft, was
safe deposit clerk was unable to open
! individual boxes. He has, Mr.. Murphy
said, master key, with which he opens
the safe and takes out the boxes, but
the boxes can be opened only by the
persons renting them, who have their
own keys, for which there are no dupli-
| Gates.
Not All Is Missing
No one but the holder Of the box
is permitted to open a box, unless def
nitely identified by the holder.
of the jewelry said to have been placed
in safe deposit by Mrs. Millhiser is
missing. No one would discuss this
phase of the case yesterday, or explain
why, if it was a theft, all of the jewels
were not taken.
Mrs. Millhiser, who is now at Deal
Beach, N. j., is about forty five and at
tractive. Her husband was a maufact-
urer of woodenware and had New York
Offices at so East Forty-second Street.
He was president of the Richmond
Cedar Works and president of the Bed
ford Pulp and Paper Company, and was
also identified with other large South
| ern concerns.
| Mrs. MiILhiser Has
w. TIsI tTT