The Washington times., 1920-04-11

w fashionable Aiken recently
w that Mrs. Clarence w. Dolan,
wife of the millionaire Philadelphia
gas and traction owner, had tele-
phoned late the night before to the
chief Of police and reported the
stealing OF about $4,000 worth OF
jewels from her bedroom safe,
shiver Of apprehension went through
the colony. Was this the prelude
to another epidemic Of robberies
such as had occurred two years
ago, when not only Mrs. Dolan then
suffered a considerable loss, but o
number of others. among them Mrs.
Dorothy whitney Straight, Josef
Holman and Lady Kemp? =
At that time the thief showed q
remarkable familiarity with the
habits of those from whom he stole
and an unusual discrimination in the
matter of the jewels he took. Nor
were the robberies done by servants
that was clearly proven. The evi-
dence pointed to someone, unscrupu-
ious and daring who moved among
his victims as one Of them. A Raj
files, IN short, who either did the
stealing himself or furnished the in
formation by which his aides could
operate. a
The details of the second robbery
OF Mrs. ,Dolan when they were
secured only stimulated the uneasi.
ness.
For the Jewels had been taken
from a safe in her bedroom; safe
that was hidden behind heavy sur
tains in the very room where she
slept!
The gems consisted Of pearl
necklace to which Mrs. Dolan was
sentimentally attached, two pins and
q pair of earrings. The necklace
contained fifty-nine rare pearls,
three very large. One pin she con-
sidered priceless because Of its asso-
ciations-it was a diamond and ruby
service badge given her by the Gov
ernment for teaching French to
soldiers about to go overseas. The
earrings were Of extraordinarily
large and perfect pearls set in rare
old French gold. The other pin
was a very valuable one Of platinum
diamonds. Altogether the jewels
worth from $4,000 to 100000.
The Dolan residence in Aiken is c
Calico Cottage. Mrs. Dolan's boudo
Oh the second floor The safe, whit
about four feet high. is placed nea
open window looking out upon the SCI
story porch. Mrs. Dolan insists that
window be left open night and day no
ter what the temperature. Up the
runs, like the steps of ladder, a b
trellis for the climbing roses which a
a screen to the lower piazza. The sa
covered with heavy curtains.
Mrs. Dolan wore the Jewels on the
day night previous to the Wedne
when the theft was discovered. Sh
sists that she locked the safe when
put them in and arranged 1t accordir
a combination which she thought that
shes knew. She keeps, however, a m
randum Of the combination for us
event OF memory failing or some
such emergency.
The servants are absolutely beyond
picion: they are all old servitors on v
the greatest dependence is placed. l
safe had not been locked II would have
no hard matter for one who knew its
ton to pass. in the darkness, the
watchman; to climb the trellis to tn,
porch, crouch at the window, and vii
entering thI room, wherein Mrs.
might at the time have been sound a.
have swung open the safe door ana sli
away with its contents.
On the other hand, II the safe had
locked, as Mrs. Dolan believes II was,
Il would have been necessary for the
Der to have entered the room and ma
lated the combination.
But-and this is what troubles not
society but the police-both of these
ries presuppose the alarming facts
the thief must have known where the
was, known Mrs. Dolan's whereat
known the combination II the safe
locked and--whether IL was or was
locked-must have been possessed {
formation that no mere casual bu
could possibly have!
Where did the thief get this inf
ton?
II the safe was opened, the work
that OF a super.eXpert, for upon it's
ished surface there was not left so
81, N rlr anraIch. NOR nara fhnro an,