THEFT OF DIAMOND RINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 115, 14 May 1912, Page 2

THEFT OF DIAMOND RINGS.

j' — ■ ! BY HOAXING A JEWELLER. i I A theft of jewellery from the shop !of Mr. J. Pascoe, of Karangahape-road, was effected yesterday afternoon by- ' means of a neatly-worked confidence trick, by means of which the thief obj tamed: four diamond rings of a collective value of just on £50. Mr. F. Beck, the I manager of "the jeweller's shop, received ! a call on the telephone, purporting to I come from Mr. Da'ifid Nathan, of KarI angahape-road. The fictitious Mr. Na- , than asked Mr. Beck to send some diamond rings to his residence that he I might make a selection of a present for ; a yonng lady. Incidentally, he also . stated that he had a marble clock which i needed repairs, and that the messenger I with the rings could take the clock back Ito the shop. Mr. Beck picked on four ! diamond rings, of values running from j £10 to £15 apiece, and despatched them Ito Mr. Nathan's residence by Walter I Wright, a watchmaker employed in the shop. As Wright arrived at Mr. Na- ; than's gate, he was met by a man carry- : ing an overcoat, who accosted him, statj ing that he was Mr. Nathan, and was i expecting the messenger from Pascoe's ! with a small parcel for him. He added, ; too. of his own volition, that the marble clock was down at the warehouse (presumably Messrs. L. D. Nathan and Co.'s store), and that he would send for it and despatch it to the sh,.p later on. Satisfied by the man's knowledge of the affair that he was Mr. Nathan, the messenger delivered the parcel, and the stranger ] stating that he would make a selection I and send the other rings back, turned J • and went up the drive leading to the house. Any suspicion that was in j , Wright's mind concerning the matter : was set at rest when he had waited ' sufficiently long to see the man with the i parcel go, apparently, into the house. • But his report to Mr. Beck did not satisfy that gentleman, who immediately rang up Mr. David Nathan, who disavowed any knowledge of the telephone I message or the diamond rings. Immediate communication with the police sr.a----j tion set detectives on the track of the i clever thief within ten minutes or so of j his obtaining possession of the jewellery. lAt last reports, however, no arrest had j been effected.