STORY OF A REWARD

Evening Star, Issue 10339, 12 June 1897, Page 4 (Supplement)

STORY OF A REWARD

Mr I. Townsend Burden, the New York millionaire, has now agreed to pay at least a portion of the £2,000 that he offered for the recovery of the £20,000 worth of diamonds and jewellery stolen from his house by Dunlop and Turner some eighteen months ago. Turner and Dunlop were, it will be remembered, the butler and footman respectively of the rich American's borne in New York. They secured their booty while Mr and Mrs Burden were at the opera, and promptly fled to London to dispose of it. When the two thieveß offered their plunder to Mr E. VV. Streeter, of Bond street, diamond merchant, that gentleman promptly cammunicfted with Scotland Yard, ind in a short time the thieves were under lock and key. By some clever detective work on the pirt of Detective-inspectors Hare auu Froest, aided by one or two subordinates, the whole of the precious stones were discovered in out-of-the-way pawnshops and in an East End fjeweller's shop. Mr Burden, who came to England With his wife to identify his property, publicly stated thit his valuables were worth rather more than £20,000, and that he was glad to have an opportunity of rewarding the skill and fidelity of Sootland Yard by paying over the reward he had promised. However, Mr Burden left England without having drawn his cheque for the £2,000, which was to have been divided in the following proportions : -Mr Streeter, £500; Mr Donald Swanson, Superintendent Scotland \ard, £500; Inspector Hare, £500; Inspector Froest, £SOO. Mr Haro and Mr Froest were, of course, to make suitable alio wane 38 out of the amounts they received to the detectives, sergeants, and others who had helped them to recover the property and discover the thieves. No sooner was Mr Burden back in America than his views as to the pleasure of rewarding the people who had helped him in his time of need underwent a change. Indeed, so complete was Mr Burden's right-about face that he even refused to pay a sum of £IOO due for the shipment and insurance of his recovered jewellery. Mr Streeter, who had from the first advised against the return of the jewels until the reward was made, wrote him polite letters, but without avail. Mr Burden at first did not even deign to reply. Then he sent over a letter to the effect that he could not pay the reward at present, because he was bsing sued for it by-bis ch(f and by his housekeeper. Time wore on. One of the subordinates who had assisted in the capture died, and hie wife was sorely in want of the promised share of the award. Another detective had married on the strength of his share in the reward which Mr Burden was to send over. It was time to take decided steps. Pressing letters were sent to Mr Burden, who wrote back that he had five more suits for the amount of the reward on his hands. The American courts are overcrowded, but at last one of the suits against Mr Burden was called. The plaintiff did not put in an appearance, and again letters were sent from England respecting the reward. Mr Burden wrote back of more suits in New York, but at last began to talk of compromise. Mr Streeter was ready to accept almost anything by this time. Mr Burden sent his final offer. It was, in place of the original £2,000, a promise ol £1,300, with a cash payment by the next steamer of £650, the balance on the conclusion of the suit now brought by the wife of his chef. This offer was promptly accepted. ____________