San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-11-15
IpeTQ ana the theatres ana + OlIOIUS
omen Who Wear Valuable Jewels,
Pointing the Way for the Hold-Up
Gang, Who Do the Robbery

A much jewelled woman may take fancy to the
Cafe Splendide or the Club Magnifque. She goes
there from time to time. She is cautious does not
give her name, tells her chauffeur not to give it and
is with an escort unknown in the place. This latter
rarely happens nowadays however. since nearly all
clubs and cabarets wet and admit only those
they know since prohibition walked abroad in the
land
At any rate, the woman is not known and her
escort will not say who she is The pathfinder solves
this problem by patience. He waits and watches the
victim until on some fortunate night gentleman at
another table bows to her she enters and takes
her seat.
Presently the pathfinder, using some smiling and
polite excuses, engages the man who bowed in a
conversation.
."Who is that charming woman saw you bow
to ?" he asks presently "She comes here so much
We think she is SO interesting, beautiful. so dis
tnguished.".
In another breath he has the lady's name, and
so he has made his first step of progress. Nothing is
then easier than to find out where she lives and.
afterward, to address her pleasantly by name
when occasion offers.
- But it is not this type of woman that the path
finder and his gangs usually attack. They are after
all, cautious, and they like to choose victims who,
for another will not the hunt for
the thieves their prosecution should they be
caught If the pathfinder can spot a woman who is
the secret pet of rich man and has received her
jewelry from him. he is on fairly safe ground. He
knows that the rich man is very likely to buy his
favorite fresh stock of baubles and insist hush
ing the whole matter up, because he has wife or
children who must not hear of the hidden flame or
because he cannot, for business, social political
reasons, have his denquences became known.
The woman who has been out with not
her husband, the husband who has been out with his
friends wife, the theatrical star who does not want
a scandal either for herself the donor of her
pearls-these and many more who, for an endless
variety of secret reasons which the crooks discover
do not and cannot make much of commotion,
much preferred by the pathfinder and his criminal
associates.
One of the representative cases of pathfinder
work the still celebrated robbery of Mrs. C. P.
Hugo Schoellkopf, wife of Buffalo millionaire, in
downtown New York apartment below the one in
which she had been attending holiday party.
Mrs. Schoellkopf, woman old enough to know
better, inordnately fond of visiting the bright
her collection of blazing jewels that her husband
who was busy and didn't dance and was past such
folies, hired kind of dancing and cafe-going
tary for her, young man named Frank Carman.
Escorted by Frank Carman Mrs. Schoellkopf used to
sweep into the most expensive New York restaurants
bedecked with a quarter of million dollars worth
of jewels at one Intermediates, dog collars. rings.
brooches, pendants earrings and an arm filled with
bracelets from the wrist to the elbow. Naturally
she caused some gasps and drew to her the posses
sive gaze of many pathfinder out of work.
The lady loved admiration. and didn't much care
where it came from.
Thus it was easy for Bidduph, plausible and
impressive crook in his dress suit and waxed NOUS
tache tips to make Mrs Schoellkopfs acquaintance
and do pathfinder job which perfect success
Then came the night when Mrs Sthoellkopf at
tended party given in Carman's apartment. There
was dinner and plenty to drink. There was dane
!ng and more dining, drinking and dancing. All in
all, gay, noisy and successful party and Bidduph
was there ready to tip off the gang who were wait
ing outside the door,
Late at night Mrs Schoelkopf started to go home.
On the stairs she met good-looking Young man in
evening dress who lived in the apartment below and
had been invited into the Carman party earlier in
the evening. This stranger invited the lady to step
into his apartment for special goodnight drink
She did SO without the least fear.
Once inside she seized, beaten tied up and
stripped of about three hundred thousand dollars
worth of gems, most of which recovered after
romantic hunt that became police history The
case sent three to prison and the source of
several lawsuits still pending in the courts In
this case the work of the Broadway pathfinder was
simple enough-nobody could miss the ostentatious
blaze of Mrs Schoellkopf's jewels and she was de.
lighted to welcome to her table admring young men
she knew nothing about
The pathfinder is natural development of mod
ern city nightifehe is everywhere in the resorts of
bejewelled women, but he is difficult to catch and
convict.