A PRINCESS JEWELS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9617, 15 September 1894, Page 2 (Supplement)

A PRINCESS JEWELS.

CRACKSMEN AT WORK.

A BURGLARY WHICFT WAS BUT HALF ACCOMPLISHED.

A most daring burglary was committed on Wednesday night (August Ist) at the mansion known as Beechwood, in the Windsor Road, the residence of Princess Soltykoff. The thieved were ab once singularly lucky and unlucky. They captured jewellery worth several thousands of pounds, they captured the keys of the safe, wherein lay jewellery worth ab least a hundred thousand pounds, bub left the safe unopened—either through nob seeine it (ib was in a wooden casing), through being interrupted, or through nob realising that they held the key. The burglars evidently got into the house by a ladder raised against the window of the dressing-room. As soon as the thieves gob in they started work on the dressing-room, and ransacked it thoroughly. The cases in which the princess' jewels were kepb were emptied, the cases being afterwards found on the door with a burglar's jemmy and other tools, the thieves having apparently taken their departure hurriedly ab the lasb. A deed box was broken open, and all the documents were taken. The key of the safe is missing, and ib was supposed that the burglars found the key and cleared the safe of all valuables. Happily this proved to be incorrect however, as, though they took the key, the safe, when drilled open, was found untouched. From the dressingroom of the princess the burglars obtained access to the rooms of Mrs. and Miss Croker, taking all the jewels and valuables, including bank-notes, money, and cheques, they could find. THE STORY OF THE THEFT. The princess, who is a handsome and accomplished lady, and the widow of the lato Princo Alexis Soltykoff, formerly lived near the Champs Elysees in the French metropolis, but after the death of her husband went a few months ago to Slough and settled in her present home, a villa standing in its own grounds, and furnished with the most exquisite taste in the latest Parisian style. The robbery was committed almost precisely at 10 o'clock in the evening. Princess Soltykoff and her guests, Mrs. Croker, widow of Colonel Croker. who was killed ab Chicago, and her daughter, were in the drawing-room. A housemaid had taken up hob water for the baths a quarter of an hour previously, and her Serene Highness' steward and femme-de-chambre were chatting upon an adjoining landing within a few feet of the unwelcome intruders at the time of the occurrence. The theft was speedily discovered. Miss Crokor on going to her bedroom, which adjoins Princess SoltykofFs boudoir, found the door locked, and hearing a noise within the apartment returned downstairs and told her mother. Mrs. Croker accordingly went up, and passing through Princess SoltykofFs bathroom and bedroom, found the princess' boudoir in great confusion. It was then discovered that an elegantly designed satinwood cabinet had been forced open, and that a splendid diamond and pearl chatelaine and gold eye-glass, which had cost 16,000Fr., and other bijouterie, mostly GIFTS FROM PKIKCK ALEXIS to the princess, had been stolen from three caskets lying upon an upper shelf. The thieves broke open the princess' deed-box, a japanned case which was kept under the toilette table, where it was concealed by the drapery, and abstracted several documents, including the princess' American and Russian passports, a copy of the form relating to her reception into the Russian Church, another document referring to the partition of PrinflE Alexis' property, receipts and insurance policies against burglary and jewel robberies, and other papers of importance. A purse containing several pounds in gold was also stolen from the drawer of a writingdesk, the key which opened it having been taken from another drawer in the same piece of furniture. The thieves seem to have been disturbed by Miss Croker knocking at the bedroom door, as the Chubb's safe in Princess SoltykofFs bathroom, which contained other jewellery, was untouched. The following is a description of some of the jewellery stolen, in addition to the articles already mentioned : —A long black pearl brooch surrounded by diamonds, two similar gold brooches ornamented with dogs, a gold horseshoe brooch set with seven turquoises separated by diamonds, a gold and diamond frog brotch, a globular gold watch encrusted with diamonds, a gold chain and pin, two gold pear-shaped solitaires set with six turquoises and diamonds, three flab gold turquoises and diamond studs, a pair of gold diamond and sapphire links, two gold moonstone and diamond hat pins, three sapphire pins, two gold racket-shaped pins set with five pearls, a gold horseshoe and diamond pin, a gold pin with "A" in diamonds, a gold knitted and ringed gold purse containing 100 francs and 40 franc pieces, a gold-mounted knitted portmonnaie having email chain attached, a gold and sapphire-topped crystal scent-bottle, a gold emerald and diamond-topped cub-glass scent-bottle, and a chased gold sweetmeat box topped with a lady's miniature. WHAT THE THIEVES MISSED. j The contents of the safe consisted of two magnificent pearl collars, one having no fewer than 14 rows, and the other fivo rows, of large pearls ; a great diamond spray, a large diamond and sapphire butterfly with ruby eyes, and many other jewels, the whole being valued at about £100,000. Only on the day previous to the robbery Princess SoltykofFs maid, who had charge of the duplicate keys, made a list of the princess' jewellery, including that within the safe, and ib was from this catalogue, which was written in French, that the description of some of the stolen jewels was complied. As in the case of every other jewel robbery which has taken place during the last few years in Berks and Bucks, the thieves on entering the room went straight to the receptacles where the valuables were deposited, thus proving that they had been told where they would find them, and accounting for the celerity with which the theft was committed.