GEMS IN THE STREET.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 40, 16 February 1929, Page 3 (Supplement)

GEMS IN THE STREET.

RAIDED JEWELLER'S SHOP.

A tray of diamond rings was scattered in a crowded London street during the Christmas holiday. Just after darkness had fallen, two men drove up, in a large open touring car, close to the premises of Mr. Adolph Fisnberg, jeweller, in Commercial Road E. The driver remained at the wheel a short distance from the shop while his accomplice dashed across the pavement and smashed a great hole in the plate-glass window with a long-handled iron mallet, that had folds of cloth wrapped round it. Leaving the mallet lying among the jewellery in the window, the thief seized the most valuable tray of rings in the window display and ran off with it. Instead of returning to the motor car, however, he dashed away in another direction. The driver turned across the street and tried to follow him. Hundreds of people were at this minute coming out of a cinema near the raided shop. Many of them joined in the hunt for the thief. Police whistles were blown, shouts of "Stop thief" were raised, and confusion became general. In the bustle a man was seized and handed over to the constables. The motorist escaped, at a high speed. An eye-witness said to a Press representative:—"The tray of rings had been scattered all over the street, and hundreds of people, many of them striking matches, were soon hunting for them. "I 6aw one woman pick a ring up from the gutter and try to sneak off with it. Immediately a young woman went up to her, took the jewel from her and returned it to the shop." Mr. Fishberg said later that all the rings except two had been recovered.