RAFFLES' CHEST OF GOLD.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 95, 22 April 1922, Page 19

RAFFLES' CHEST OF GOLD.

SECRET BETRATED BT A WOMAN'S FEAR. Two of the most dangerous criminals In Germany have fallen Into the clutches of the police In a remarkable way.

Some time ago a man and woman, apparently a married couple, settled down at Neumuhlen, near Sehwerln, in Mecklenburg. They appeared to be very wealthy, were frequent visitors to the best restaurants of Sehwerln. and were received in good society. They bought an estate In the neighbourhood, and entertained lavishly.

Then suddenly the wife was taken ill, and had to be removed to hospital. There the doctor declared an operation was imperative. The woman became alarmed at the prospect of having to go under an anaesthetic, though she said she had no fear of the operation itself.

She became excited as tbe day for the operation drew near, and told the nurses that her fear of tbe anaesthetic was based on the belief that while under its influence people spoke of things they would otherwise keep to themselves. Later she told one of the nurses that her particular fear was regarding a chest containing gold, about which no one bnt herself must know.

Other statements she made suggested that she and her "husband" bad been engaged in smuggling gold to Holland. The story came to tbe ears of tbe police, who carried oat a search at the couple's house.

A chest containing a large amount of minted and bar gold was found, and from the papers discovered it was seen that the man and woman were a couple of highly dangerous criminals for whom the police In a dozen German cities had been on the look-out for some time.

Charges against them are murder, attempted murder, robbery with violence, theft, receiving of stolen goods, and other misdeeds.

The man is a locksmith named Oskar Groii. and the woman a Bavarian named Therese Slodow. They are- suspected of having murdered and robbed a wealthy widow at Oldesloe town, between Hamburg and Lubeck. In Passau they committed a burglary, of which the proceeds were 150.----000 marks worth of jewels. From the famous Kyhsburg Castle Museum in Silesia they stole, worth many millions of marks, valuable old weapons of the period of the Seven Years' War and antiques of enor-

mons valueWhile posing as wealthy country people, it is believed they carried out numerous burglaries in the Sehwerln region. At least the police are almost certain that a considerable number of mysterious burglaries at castles and country houses In Mecklenburg, which have not been cleared up, can be traced to these clever imitators of "Baffles." Kroll already has spent 12J years in various prisons, and has thrice escaped from •_ol. On one occasion he posed as a detective and joined forces with tbe police in their-search for himself.