Evening star., 1938-01-30

dle-aged millinery clerk whose income
had to support himself and his par
ents crossed 10 times between 1925
and 1936-the last time aboard the
new Queen Mary. These were people
of meager wealth, using the swiftest,
most costly liners with the regularity
Of ferry boat.
Customs men knew now who the
diamond pirates were. but where was
the chief Of this amazing band?
The only way to learn was to fol-
low one of the voyagers. And it was
first necessary to find one.
The mysterious peddler-long since
identified as one Isaac Weinberg
again was the clue. He walked down.
town with dowdy looking woman
She was Mrs. Weinberg, on her way
to the passport office She was going
abroad; going. check Of the records
showed, for the fifth time-on q doo-
dad salesman's income.
Allowed Baggage to Pass.
Mrs. Weinberg would have been
astounded, had she known of it, at
the preparations the United States
Government made for her return. In
England the time of her departure
was scrupulously noted. When her
ship arrived at Quarantine two men
got on just to make sure it was really
she. On the way up the Narrows the
ships radio told customs inspectors
ashore that Mrs. Weinberg's baggage
must pass without challenge.
Unaware Of all that, Mrs. Weinberg
stepped down the gangplank with her
shiny new black leather suit case In
one hand.
1t might have been coincidence
that in the welcoming crowd on the
pier below was Mark Ginzberg, one
of New York's biggest wholesale dia-
mond merchants. Or 1t might have
been that new suit case.
Mrs. Weinberg never reached the
place she started for with that suit
case. The taxicab in which she left
the pier was forced to the curb by
another cab not many blocks away,
and two men jumped out and arrested
her. The new suit case was taken
apart. Its phony bottom was removed.
Eighteen white envelopes were found,
filled with $286,346 in diamonds.
Frightened by the unexpected, the
peddler's wife confessed and revealed
the rings operations.
Procurer ~ Carried
The peddler was a procurer Of car
riers for the "hot" stones, which were
bought legitimately in the world gem
mart at Antwerp and sold in the
diamond club in New York. He chose
drab people who would not attract at
tention, and paid them from 5000 to
81 900 to make the trip to Europe.
Each Of the travellers went with full
instructions. Each stopped at hotel
assigned in advance-in London, Paris
or Brussels-and mailed q letter to q
man named Max Proujansky in
Antwerp. A few days later q man or
q woman would appear at the hotel
give the proper countersign, and say
something like this:
Please take this suit case to New
York for me. You can put your
clothes in it."
In New York the suit case would
be delivered according to instructions
the envelopes of diamonds would be
removed and distributed to the dealers
in accord with names or symbols
marked on each.
The smuggling ring was ultimately
smashed by the tracing Of these marks
Agents spent weeks going through the
deposit slips of the bank accounts OF
suspects and comparing handwriting
specimens. Deposits and withdrawals
were checked until the totals of pay
ments" to SUNNY" accounts tailed
exactly with the cost Of the diamonds
in Antwerp.
The trails of the 1S envelopes all led
to the family of one man, Morris Ber
Lukin, retired Brooklyn diamond pol
isher. Each Of his seven children, two
sons and five daughters, was nabbed
as a smuggler or = smuggler's mate.