Affair at the Louvre.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 66, 17 March 1908, Page 2

Affair at the Louvre.

An extraordinary affair has occurred at the Ijouvre. About a month ago, when the attendant at the Galerie d'Apollon took up his service, he found that a large pane of one of the windows had been cut away with a diamond, and that half of it had fallen on the balcony i known as that of Charles IX., outside. , The gallery contains a number of costl}'' j objects, including Crown jewels. Bcr-! j nard l'altssy's collection, and other ar- j : tielcs which could not possibly be re- i I placed, and great was the worthy man's | trepidation when he made this very un- j

pleasant discovery. How did it happen ? There is an all-night watch in this gal- ; lery, and every hour guards made the round of the historical museum. At first it was thought that the offender might have climbed up to the balcony and cut I the glass from there. Closer inspection, however, revealed the fact that the mischief had been committed from inside, but by whom? Who could have gone stealthily down the gallery without arousing the attention of the watchman, who has to keep a sharp look-out? Such was the mystery, which was rendered even more peculiar by the circumstance that not a single article had been taken away. Nor is the mystery yet cleared up. When the man who keeps guard over the Galerie d'Apollon left off in the morning, he being relieved by the attendant, he did not seem to have noticed what had happened, as he did not report it, , nor, again, had the chief of the band , which goes the round every hour anything to say.