The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-03-22
From The New York Tribune.

Miss Amethyst feared by gem mer-
chants from Rotterdam to Maiden
Lane, came to the end of the trail
the other day in a dingy Park Row
office, when she committed suicide by
drinking poison rather than submit to
arrest on a charge of stealing $4,000
worth of diamonds from a Broadway
firm.
The Diamond Queen" was dead be-
fore an ambulance reached Volunteer
hospital with her.
Joseph fredericksburg so years
old. in whose office she killed her
self, was arrested and held under ST.
600 bond for the same theft.
Almost seven years ago Miss Bon
ner, then %, and Joseph Brecher-kis-
linger threw the diamond marts OF
New York into CONSERVATION by drop
ping out Of sight after, it was alleged,
they had obtained on memorandum
from Maiden Lane brokers precious
stones valued at close to IA million
dollars.
The operations charged against the
pair became known early in Novem-
ber, 1913, when Francis E. Cocks of
Maiden Lane was arrested for failing
to account for jewels he had obtain
ed on memorandum from other deal
ers for the purpose of sale. He plead
ed that he had let the gems out Of
his possession on the same sort of an
arrangement to the firm of Kislinger
& Bonner, which had offices at AZ West
i ihirty-fourth street. Investigation
found the offices closed and their erst-
while occupants gone. No one could
remember having seen either Of them
since the middle Of the preceding
month.
Trail Leads to Europe
1t was recalled that Miss Banner
had often voiced a wish to go to Paris
and her partners brother told the
district attorney he might have fed
to Bucharest, his native city. Inciden-
tally, it was learned the mans real
name was Brecher
While detectives were discovering
some $4,000 worth of the missing dia-
monds in pawnshops, the grand jury
was hearing the testimony in which
career were being revealed.
Miss Bonner had entered the Ruma-
MANS employ as stenographer, but
soon showed so remarkable an apti-N
tude in his queer business that she
became Of as much consequence in
the concern as himself. At this time
she lived with three sisters at 3S West
One Hundred and Sixteenth street.
The young woman was rather the
reverse of pretty, but all who came
int ocantact with her-and they were
mostly of a discerning sort-proclaim-
ed her to be peculiarly fascinating.
She dressed richly and in the height
of fashion and was, in the habit of
casually ornamenting herself with
$4,000 or $4,000 worth of jewels.
She would get stones from Maiden
Lane merchants to sell on commission
to rich women. Brecher-Kislinger, the
authorities charged, depended for his
sales largely on persons whose avarice
he aroused by telling them the dia-
monds had been stolen and were dis
posed Of at bargain. But Miss Bon
ner, so far as known, conducted her
sales quite legitimately She made a
great many of them in the beginning
so many, in fact, that Maiden Lane
used to be glad to see her, and her
credit grew accordingly. Following
her flight, it was stated that she was
good in each of scores of diamond hou-
ses for anywhere from $4,000 to $780,
600 worth of gems at time.
A $4,000 Haul OF Stones
Cocks, who found himself in trouble
because of his confidence in Miss Bon
ner and Bercher-Kislinger, declared
that in the course of year they had
received from him on memorandum
S1S3,0O0 in diamonds. OF this quantity
they had, he said, turned in cash for
$l05.000 worth. The loss of the remain
ing $4,000 worth were what he and
the owners who had placed them with
him were mourning.
Other brokers trust in the couple
was reputed to have been responsible
for their alleged theft of additional
stones valued at learly 100000.
In December, 1913, came word that
the Diamond Queen had been seen
On a Paris boulevard. Detective Ed
mund Leigh of District Attorney Whit
mans staff, armed with eXtradition
papers, was sent overseas. In March of
the following year he cabled he had
traced her and suspected she planned
to meet Brecher-kislinger in Bucha-
:est. BY devious route. through many
continental cities. he finally followed
her to the Rumanian capital AMI was
&hOut TO pounce upon his quarry when
she gave him the slip. Every clew
70 her whereabouts and that OF her
partner vanished and Leigh came
home.
May 6. 1914. the Paris police arrest
cd the pair and detectives were dis
watched Il bring Tie fugiti es back.
rheT reached Paris June -. Legal
Droccc !nEs caused delay and then the
var broke out. Late in August the
.'rCEch authorities made known the
demand for eXtraditiOn would not he