LIKE A ROMANCE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 19 December 1924, Page 5

LIKE A ROMANCE

' • —— A REMARKABLE CRIME. ■ TifEFT OF #ERNHER JEWELS. EQCENTRIC AMERICAN’S ACTION. ' i •' -A . ,: ~~ ■ _ :. . ' . .Occasionally in the annals of., cjclme yre read of the deeds of . . .criminals which, had they appeared ; in; a magazine of fiction, would k&lgD been scouted as utterly im- . possible in reality. However, the fallowing cable'.' message received - this morning *.gj yes the remarkable jtoty bf tbh theft and return of ■ the famous Wen}her collection qf pictures and jewels, and proves the •accuracy of the old adage that .. t?iith is stranger than-fiction.” hi gable— rasas association—copyright, ‘; Received Dec. .19, 11.35 a.m. .• LONDON-, Dec. 18. ■ATfie -mystery regarding the loss and subsequent return of, the Wernher jewellery deepens. , Scotland fiard. now admits' that the jjrbperty is in safe keeping and has not bben-damaged,, 'but-'., maintains strict, sbcfecy. with, reference "to the method ofArecbvery.' It - ie' known, however, that : the officers in charge of t'& investigations obtained" remarkable intofmdtiori. a fewClyeeks' after the theft, (if) which, only a few officers were made hitafe/[ others continuing . their investi-;--v. ’ . ; 7 |rnel Evening Standard, declares that the- first development. ieading to the return of the property was the receipt of’ a telphone enquiry- as to whether the £SOOO reward offered’ for the retifrh ’of the jewellery coiild possibly, be increased ta £IO,(XX). • Scotland Yard Was immediately informed of the enquiry, but continues to draw a veil over the next steps, only admitting that eventually’ the- stolen treasures - were regained intact. - No attempt had been made to remove a single diamond, rifiiei-ald, or ruby from the priceless figures wherein they were studded. • ; ’ The •Central News gives the following explanation- of the theft and the return of the jewellery., which it describes Us r tHe ; nidst romantic in the history qfi-modern crime. A wealthy American jewellery collector arrived in England during April and” inspected every collection in England and Scotland. lie #as; allowed to visit the Wernher collection at Bath flouse at least a dozen times. He apparently became imbued with'; covetousness, and' realising the lldpelssness of ; inducing Lady Ludlcw to ! sell*, he returned to America'end Hired three skilled New York larglars tb. come and steal the collection. The trio arrived in London cn l)y ember were, allowed to inspect ihe collection as connoisseurs, thus- g.umng a valuable knowledge of the approaches to Bath. House. It is now known that when the trio stole the jewellery on Jiihe il they spent at oast' n i hour in the house and - removed tli9 pioporty inside a large cushion, Trey then took the “swag” to France'Tii- a ’j.- note yafcht and reached' New York Li-rn Cherbourg and r placed the ’property in a ; ; New York safe deposit. . Before they Could complete the contract by c'( Avery, t&itheir; employer the latter die 1 on the day of their arrival .n New York, j i.d, dyying to difficulties m . tJie disposal-of the . collection it became valueless .to t|ile> ‘cracksmen. . Ultimately, ; _ through lawyers in New-York and London, they Obtained the £SOOO reward for their sfl.|e return. ; It is believed that the ti'io received £9OOO in- advance- from the eccentric collector, ' and were to have .received £50,000 when' lection was* delivered.