The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1886-04-03 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

EXTRAORDINARY ATTACK ON A DIAMOND MERCHANT.  Last week Dorato Toussaint, a Frenchman, aged 53, who gave no address, and who described himself as of no occupation, was charged at Bow-street Police-court, London, before Sir James Ingham, with being concerned, with another man not in cu.tody, with attempting to murder Jules Tabak by striking him on the head with a life preserver. Re was further charged witn stealing a quantity of diamonds, value £2OOO. Mrs. Tabak, of 5, Belgrave-street, Euston-road, said: I am the wife of Mr. Tabak, a diamond merchant. This morning, at half-past nine, I was downstairs in the dining-room. The prisoner and another man called on Wednesday to look at some diamonds. They returned at eleven, when Mr Tabak was out. They made an appointment to call again, and came this morning, at half-past nine. They went upstairs with my husband. Shortly afterwards I heard screaming for help. I rushed up. As I did so the two men rushed out into the street, and I called out "Murder!" and " Thieves ! " My servant followed. One man ran one way and the other one in the opposite direction. My servant followed the prisoner, and a constable stopped him. I found my husband lying on the floor, bleeding from wounds on the back of the head and temple, He had other injuries. A life preserver was found on the table. After the prisoner was taken into custody he was placed in front of Mr. Tabak, who accused him of stealing £2OOO worth of diamonds. The other man escaped. Inspector Kelly asked for a remand, and the prisoner was removed.  Th recovery of a portion, if not all, of the diamonds stolen from Mr. Tabak has been effected a most extraordinary manner. The prisoner, a Frenchman, after being remanded by Sir James Ingham at Bow-street Police-court, was removed in the ordinary prison van to the House of Detention, Clerkenwell. He had to pass along a passage to the cell allotted to him. A pail of water was standing in the corridor, and shortly after the prisoner's arrival at the House of Detention the diamonds were found at tho bottom of the pail, concealed in a glove. belonging, it is alleged, to the prisoner. It is suppesed that he secreted the brilliants in the fingers of the glove, and so eluded the search made when he was taken into custody, and that he dropped the glove in the pail as described. The residence of Mr. Tabak is a very modest and unimposing one. It is situate in agenteel neighbourhood just off Euston Station, and in proximity to Argyle-square. Unless, therefore, any one was aware of the business carried on there the character of it would not be imagined by the uninitiated. The inference, consequently, is that the perpetrators of the robbery were experienced and expert hands. The two men alleged to have been engaged in it were each about the same age, well dressed, and plausible in manners. One was a Frenchman, the other an Englishman. One day last week the men saw Tabak. The Frenchman represented that he had been recommended by a Paris firm, that be wanted diamonds for a tiara and necklet, that be would select them at once, and would call next day and pay for them. The appointment for next morning was half-past nine, and an interliew resulted. Parcels of brilliants of the respective value of .EBOO and £l3OO were produced, and while Mr. Tabak's face was for a niomeit turned the Englishman gave Lim a savage blow on the back of the neck with what subsequently transpired to be a life-preserver, and then, on the unfortunate man turning round, gave him a second heavy blow over the temple. Meanwhile the jewels were taken. The cries for help brought up Mrs. Tabak and the servant, but the men ran away, each in a different direction. The Frenchman ran into the arms of Police-constable Ohapman, attached to the Hunter-street Polioe-station, but the other fellow, who was evidently better acquainted with London, slipped down one of the bye-streets, and eluded apprehension.