New-York tribune., 1920-03-06
DianaondQu
Ends Life to
Escape Arrest
IN each Of scores Of diamond houses
for anywhsre from 100000 to $4,000
worth Of gems ut time.
$4,000 Haul of Stones
Continued from page /

$4,000 Haul of Stones
Cocks, who found himself in trouble
because Of his confidence in Miss Bon
ner and Observation-Disclosures, declared
that in the course Of year they had
received from him ON memorandum
$4,000 In diamonds. OF this guam
tity they had, he said, turned In cash
for 100000 worth. The loss Of the
remaining $4,000 worth were what he
and the owners who had placed them
with him were mourning.
The police encountered more than
one obstacle In getting anything def
mite out Of the other brokers, whose
trunt In the couple was reputed to
have been responsible for their alleged
theft Of additional stones valued at
nearly 100000. 1t was not calculated
as OF advantage to their own credit to
have 1t known they had been so snugly
taken In.
In December. 1913, word came that
the Diamond Queen" had been seen
on q 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-
rest. BY devious route, through MANY
Continental cities, he finally followed
her to the Rumanian capital and was
ABOUT to pounce upon his quarry when
she gave him the slip. Every clew to
her whereabouts and that of her part
ner vanished and Leigh came home.
On May 8, 1914, the Paris police an
nounced they had arrested the pair.
Detectives Michael @. Summers and
Michael W. Collins wore dispatched to
bring the fugitives back. they reached
caused delay and then the pruase6aoKs wsr broks
out. Late IN August the French au-
thorittes made known the demand for
extradition would not be honored until
hostilities ended. Summers and COL
Inns returned to the United States.
put IN October Summers and Detective
Bernard Ditsch were sent across for
another try at 1t. Their vicissitudes
included being detained as suspected
German spies, and 1t was not until a
year after Miss Bonner and Brecher-
Kislinger had disappeared, that thew
were returned to stand trial
IN the interval, prior to their arrest
IN faris, 1T was limited, they had not
been altogether unknown to the dia-
mond dealers Of Rotterdam and other
european centcrs of the gem trade.
Couple Were Acquitted
They were tried in General Sessions
before Judge Grain in February, 1915,
on the specific charge of the grand
larceny Of lavallere valued at S675.
They were acquitted February TO- Dis
trict Attorney Perkins caused the de-
PENDANTS to be held under S25, 900 bail
for while, in the hope he could find
a way to try them on some other
count, but the hard and fast rule that
an extradited person can be put to trial
only on the charge upon which he was
extradited interposed, and they had to
be set free
Until recently the activities and
whereabouts Of the "Queen of Dia-
monds" and her coworker had not been
called to the attention of the police.
MISS Benner has been living at 1870
East 10th Street.
Thursday last George II. Cummings,
manager Of the New York Novelty
Company, Informed the police he was
suspicious of woman who had induced
hlm the day before to let her have
$1,000 worth Of diamonds on memoran-
dun to sell to "Mr. Lucas" She sold
Cummings she was in business at Is
Park Row. Cummings swore to COM
plant, in which f.e alleged he had gone
to this address, met Brecher -Kislinger.
demanded the return of the stones and
received curt refusal
1t seemed patent that Miss Bonner.
anticipating the arrival of the de-
tective, had provided herself with the
poison, with the premeditated plan Of
ending her life rather than again risk
conviction. A second vial Of the deadly
potion was found in her handbag, as
were diamonds to the value of about
$4,000.