DEAD BEAUTY'S JEWELS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1366, 17 February 1912, Page 12

DEAD BEAUTY'S JEWELS.

GRAVE VIOLATED BY THIEVES, Mile. Lantelnie, the lovely actress (says the I'aris cunespondent of 1 lie "JJaily .Mail" on December ii), is not allowed to rest quietly even in lier grave. Ghouls last night "broke into her tomb to steal the jewels which were buried with her, and this morning the broken coiiin lay beneath clouds ul smoke. The outrage was perpetrated at the great Paris cemetery uf Pore la Chaise. The thieves were unable to find tho jewels, which had been placed in a small sack benewth the dead beauty's head, and were found untouched by the authorities this 'afternoon. The jewels arc two large pearls, a pearl necklace, anil a pendant consisting of a largo pear-shaped black peart and emeralds, of a total value of about Mile. Lantelnie, one of the most beautiful and most promising actresses of the French stage, was married to M. Alfred Edwards, one of the founders of "Lo Matin," and a prominent figure in Parisian life. She was drowned in the J?bine last July, while talcing a holiday on board a kind of houseboat-yacht, I/Aimce, with a number of friends. After retiring to rest one hot evening she fell from the wideopen windows of the houseboat into tho swift current, and was drowned. Her tody was drawn up from the river clad in evening dress and many jewels. The news of her death caused a very deep impression in Paris, where she was famous for her beauty, her marvellous jewels aiul toilettes, and her ready wit. The body was brought to Paris for burial in the Edwards family vault at Pere lu Chaise, and her husband insisted that her favourite jewels 6hould.be buried with her. This was done, and tile fact evidently excited the cupidity of the authors of last night's outrage. Tho violation of tho vault was discovered bv a cemetery attendant, who, when passing the Edwards chapel at S o'clock this morning, noticed that a stained-glass window had been smashed. The door of the little chapel was open, and the interior full of smoke. The attendant immediately- gave tho alarm, and the local police inspector with a number of constables arrived. The police discovered that the thieves had entered by means of a small stained-glass window, about 3ft. high, at the back of the altar. The thieves moved the stout iron bars protectin." tho window on the outside and broke'the thick glass. One of them must have cut himself, for blood marks were found cverywhece inside and outside the vault, and' along the route pursued by the robbers to the cemetery wall, over which they climbed. In order to have more room to work, the thieves handed out from the chapel the handsome Byzantino cross which stood on tho altar, and a number of vases and other objects, which, wlien I arrived 011 the scene, still stood in the rain. Having-gained the floor of the chapel, the thieves raised three great flagstones concealing the vault, and thus exposed the leaden coffin containing the actress's remains. Cutting through the shell, they unscrewed the lid. Then they laid bare the body, which was surrounded by lint. Finding that the jewels were not round the neck of the corpse they abandoned their search. It is possible that the wounded thief was overepwo •by _ tile atmosphere of the place, and that his accomplice or accomplices had to get. him away before thev were discovered.

The police found cotton wool' nil about tlio floor. It was smouldering,, tho thieves having apparently dropped a match by accident, and- the chapel was full of smoke, i'iremen were sent for 1 before'further investigations were made, for the impure ail" and smoke/. .rising; from the vault rendered further action impossible. ■ The Kdwards , vault is a narrow little , chapel'm. grey', stone, with an inscription" over the door . running, "Familo Edwards, Requios Aeterna." It stands in a broad avenue of cypresses in tho new part of the cemetery." "When I reached the chapel the firemen wero just concluding the work of pumping fresh air into the vault to. enable the poiica to enter. Brass-helmeted -figures pressed. • round tho'small door'while, a snorting red fire-engine stood in . the'middle of tho nvemip. _ An electric light attachment hat] been laid on, and an occasional flash of light came from the chapel. With the nauseating atmosphere, the pitiless rain, and tho black, staring hole beyond the door, the proceedings were horrible. Tho firemen drew back, and a knot of black' ooated forms entered tho Vanlt, among them Dr. Danriac, tho 'lifelong friend'of the dead actress. Presently ■ a gravedigger behind him held up something in his two hands. There, reposing on a discoloured ,picce of linen, were poor Lantelme's great black single pearl and its fellow, which were admired so often on her little head on the stage, a small pearl necklace, and another ornament she wore in "Les Trois Sultanes," one of her greatest successes. JI. Deslandres, the police commissary, informed mo that tho robbers left behind thein two jemmies, a screwdriver, and a centre-bit, ; They had 'placed-tile lid of the coffin, on an armchair in-Hvhich jr. Edwards is accustomed to sit at;h|s'* daily visit to his, wife's grave when in "Paris.