The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1919-10-24
Possession Of Costly Jewels Fin
ally Admitted as elimination
Of Case Which Attracted
Wide Attention.


Following is the story OF the Gull
mination OF the sensational Prather
diamond robbery and its expose as 1t
appeared in the current. issue OF the
Nampa Leader Herald:
The Prather diamonds have been
found!
More than $4,000 worth OF gems
'--including necklace, three rings,
and two ear bobs--and quantity
OF silk underwear, alleged to have
been stolen from the E. T.. Prather
residence, 800 Fifth street south, on
the evening OF September IL, have
come, to light in Portland, according
to letter received here Saturday
night by Z. T. Prather. The letter
said the jewels had been found in q
Portland pawnshop. 1t was signed
Ray" and purported to come from
Mr. Prather's wife, who left Nampa
last Thursday evening.
Enclosed in the letter was the
5000 burglar insurance policy
which Mrs. Prather has been trying
to collect and which led to Pink
erton detective being sent to Nampa
to investigate the alleged burglary.
The letter directed that the policy
be returned to G. r. Hickey, Nampa
agent of the burglar insurance conf
pany that issued It.
A Peculiar Case.
The admission by Mrs. Prather
that the diamonds are once more in
her possession brings to close a
most interesting case on which the
Nanlpa police and Detective G. l..
Boatwright, OF the Pinkerton agency
have been working for the past
month.
On . Saturday evening about a
month ago the Prathers returned
from Boise about midnight and re-
ported that their home had been
broken into during their absence.
and about $l0000 worth OF jewelry
and clothing stolen. A window an
the house had been broken and a
trunk rifled OF its entire contents,
they reported,
Carried insurarce. -
The TACT that Mrs. Prasher had re-
ceived her burglar Insurance policy
only five or six days previous to the
burglary and other facts that were
brought out during The preliminary
examination by the police. led the In
suranee company to send a Pinker-
ton man here to make a thorough M
vestigation. A suspicion existed IN
the minds OF the police that the bur
glary bore, some OF the earmarks OF
a 'frame-up,
Accordingly, few days after Mrs
Prather had filed her claim with the
insurance company, c. L Boatwright
from the Pinkerton office in Salt
Lake. arrived on the scene. Although
he had been given no information on
the case he was sent here TO investi-
gate, he became convinced, after a
few days work, that the elleged bur
giary was. fraudulent The manner
in which the house had been entered
and the lock removed from the trunk
indicated desire on the part OF the
burglar to let the world know he had
been there.
Trail Leads West.
Clearly it was a frame-up. hut
where were the diamondss
Mr.. Boatwrigh, had gathered suf-
ficient evidence SO that he felt pretty
sure he knew where they had gone
: He took westbound train ono even
ing and travelled 10 Nadia Walla.
Washington. Here he set about to
find one, NJ, Goidstein. jew junk
dealer and . former husband OF Mrs,
prather.
A little inquiry located Goidsiein
at rooming house at Ia Schamach
street, His landlady gave the infor-
nation that he had shown her dia-
mond necklace and some diamond
rings about September or 9. as
nearly as she could remember. Their
description tailed very closely with
that OF the Prather jewels.
Goldstein Confesses.
Armed with this Information, MIR.
Boatwright arranged an interview
with Goldstein. The latter. in face
OF the facts already brought to light
admitted that he had received the dia-
monds several days before the bur
glary was reported here in Nampa,
He steadfastly refused. however, to
give any information whatever as IL
how he came into possession OF them
Jewels in Seattle.
Goldstein said he had kept the dia.
nsonds only a few DAYS and had then
taken them TO his daughter. Mrs
Bertha Belask, divorcee, who live.
in Seattle. He declared that she hat
the diamonds at that time. Mr.
Boatwirght notified the p;nkertor
office in Seattle of these facts and
returned to Nampa. believing ,ha; hs
had sufficient evidence to secure !
full confession from Mrs, prather.
In addition 10 the confession from
Goldstein, he had developed the facts
that the elothing alleged to have
been stolen was taken by drs. pra,h,
er to Walla Walla last August. ant
gwen TO her daughter, Mrs Beiask
She had told her husband that she