Evening star., 1946-10-27
|S63,200 Thefts Pose
Three New Mysteries
For Scotland Yard
BY the Associated Press

LONDON, Oct. 26.-Scotland
Yards general staff. already without
a trace of the stolen $4,000 jewels
of the Duchess of Windsor, was con-
fronted with three more mysteries
today-the disappearance or theft
of $63,200 in gems and furs from
st. James Palace and the bouaoirs
of two American-born titled women.
The thieves who have got away
with 100000 of jewelry and furs in
the past two months in Britain's
postwar crime wave added these
three coups to one of the most amaz-
ing records ever entered in Scotland
Yards cross indexed archives:
l.. Stole $4,000 worth of diamonds
from fabulous st. James Palace,
housing personnel of the royal
household. The victim was Ameri-
can-born Lady Piers Leigh. Sir
Piers is the one-time equerry to the
Prince of Wales who became King
of England and Duke of Windsor.
2. Looted the home Of Kathleen,
the Marchioness of Harrington, who
is the daughter of Joseph P. Ken
nedy, the blitz-time United States
Ambassador to the Court of st.
James. The loss was estimated at
$40, 1000 in gems. -
8. Robbed the Orme Square home
of j. Harvey and his daughter, R.
Betty Lexington, of $4,000 in pearls
and two mink coats.
Inside Job Held Possible.
A Sotiand Yard pronouncement
on the st. James Palace case raised
speculation that it might have been
an inside" job. The detectives said
that case was mot a burglary-the
jewels have only been reported
stolen"
The British Press Association
speculated that a pre-war gang OF
country house thieves might have
picked up commando training dur
ing the war to accomplish the "cat"
burglaries of the Duchess of Wind
sor's apartment and a similar string
OF battling crimes.
To cope with the mounting thefts,
Scotland Yard sent six Labrador re-
trievers into the mounted police
school in the hope their hunting
noses could be trained to sniff out
a clue which has baff1ed the ma
tions foremost experts in crime and
fngerprinting.
Although there was speculation
that someone inside st. James
Palace might have made of with
the diamond ring, brooch and
bracelet of the former Sarah Polk
Bradford of Nashville, Tenn, in the
hope the theft would be attributed
to the "cat," detectives swarmed
the ancient building in a
fruitless search for fingerprints and
clues.
There was no evidence to show
now a burglar, if any, entered the
Palace, which is patrolled night and
lay by uniformed guardsmen car
-ying bayonetted rifles. A close
guard, however, failed to stop the
Windsor burglary at Ednam Lodge
/ few days ago. II
Live Near Clock Tower. II
Sir Piers and his wife live in an
apartment near the famous Clock
Tower built by Henry VIII when
1e was holding court there with his
successive wives. The palace, occu-
pied by the royal family for many
years, now is used on state occa-
lions only rarely.
The method at the Harrington
nome was that of a modernist1c
'Rafdes" and followed the pattern
If minute planning combined with
exact knowledge of his victims
and secret hiding places
.or precious stones.
1.-THE robbery took place during
;wo hours when the house was emp
"" said Lady Hartington's house.
keeper. II
When she returned after a short
absence, II found the front door
open. The lock did not look as it
aad been forced" she reported. Il
vent to Lady Hartington's room and
found the jewel case empty"
Lady Harrington, who lives on
Smith Square, Westminster, only
few blocks from the Houses Of Par
lament and Scotland Yard itself,
cut short country week end with
aer brother-in-1aw, the present Mar
1uis of Devonshire, and returned to
london to confer with detectives.
The 26-year-old second daughter
If former Ambassador Kennedy is
now a widow. A month before D.
Day, she was married to the Mar
1uess of Harrington, son OF the
Duke of Devonshire. A major IN
The Coldstream Guards, he was
killed in action in Europe four
months later.