Evening star., 1946-06-11
106 Diamonds Taken
From Col. Durant by
u. 5. Customs Agents

Extra tidbits in the 81 ,50O 900 Hes
sian jewel theft case were served
up by Army authorities today with
the disclosure that customs in
spectors had taken LOG unset
diamonds from Col Jack W. Durant
when he came into this country.
Col Durant, former Interior De-
parunent attorney here, and his
WAC bride. Capt Kathleen B. Nash
Durant, are in Army custody. The
Army said they confessed to snug
Cling the glittering loot from
cellar in Kronberg Castle, Frank
furt, Germany, to the United States.
Maj. Gen. Lloyd Parks, the War
Departments director of public re-
lations, said he presumed the
Durants would be returned to Ger
many for trial, but that this was a
decision for the judge advocate to
make
He also thought it likely the for
tune in jewels would be returned
to members of the House OF Hesse,
but that also was a decision that
would be made later through legal
opinion. At any rate, the gems will
be impounded for evidence up to
the time of prosecution, he added.
No Bearing on Case.
Col. A. C. Miller, who investigated
the case for the provost marshaIs
office, told of the LOG diamonds
today in answer to newspaper ac-
counts that this identical number
of jewels still were missing.
The diamonds taken by customs
had no bearing on our case, and
don't know whether it is the same
case" said Col. Miller, explaining
that Army investigators had not
checked with customs until our
case was almost finished"
Clarifying still another published
rumor that general was involved
in the theft, Col. Miller said he
wished to state categorically that
no one higher than Col. Durant
was ever implicated"
The colonel, who tracked the jewel
thieves over two continents, said
he had reason to believe all suspects
had been rounded up, but that some
of those arrested might implicate
others
Major Under Arrest.
In addition to the DurantS, Maj
David F. Watson of Burlngame,
Calf, is under arrest in Frankfurt.
Col. Miller refused, as he had earlier,
to comment on the part the Army
accused Maj Watson of playing.
AS to corporal mentioned earlier
as fourth member of the conspira-
tors, Col. Miller reiterated he still is
implicated" that the Army knows
where he is, but it is not known
whether he will be arrested. The
corporal definitely has none of the
loot, Col. Miller added.
Col. Miller made it clear that both
Col. Durant and his bride of two
weeks are free to see anybody they
( want to, but they have said they do
not wish to see the press"
However, they are reading the
papers every day" and Capt. Nash
wants to make it clear there there
never was any snooping around the
castle for wine or anything else by
military personnel that led to dis
covery of the Jewels.
Revealed Throughss.Grudgs."~
She gave Col. Miller a Statement
for the press, telling how the jewels
actually were found. 1t came about
when Ludwig Weiss. an electrician
for the royal family for years. let a
long standing grudge against Prince
Wolfgang get the better Of him.
The electrician told a mess SER
geant at the castle, then converted
into rest home for officers, where
something" was buried under flag
stones of the cellar. Col Miller
would not say whether the mess
sergeant was the enlisted man said
to have taken part in the jewel theft
Previously it was reported that
American soldiers, tempted by wine
found in the cellar, had run across
the buried treasure.
| According to Mrs Durant, the only
part wine played in the proceedings
was to keep group of German
plumbers, brought in to repair the
heating system, "plastered" every
day for two months. When one of
the plumbers was discharged he told
of the wine cache and what re-
manned was taken by the soldiers.
Made Final Search.
Col. Miller also revealed that Col
Durant was returned by train to
Chicago Sunday night for a final
search for any missing jewels. The
expedition revealed nothing and Col.
Durant has been returned to an un-
disclosed place near Washington.
In Chicago, where the Durants
were cornered after two-continent
chase, Maj John D. Evans, 9Th Serv-
ice Command provost marshal, told
how Col. Durant made secret tele-
phone call to an underworld figure
and shortly thereafter delivered a
cache of unset gems.
Maj Evans said Col. Durant S
| telephone call was made from a
public booth and that arrangements
were made at that time for a return
call
An hour later, in a Chicago res
taurant, Col. Durant was called to
the telephone. A short time later
he picked up key at an undis.
closed place and led Army authori-
ties to a storage locker in the Illinois
Central Railroad Station. From the
locker he took a stationery box full
of diamonds, rubies, emeralds
moonstones, sapphires and anne
thysts.
Fate Of Fence Hidden.