LOST JEWEL CASE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVIII, Issue 21, 6 January 1928, Page 6

LOST JEWEL CASE

BUT SAVED CEMB. TRAVELLER TRICKS THIEVES. London, December 3. A remarkable story of how the representative of a Hatton Garden firm of diamond merchants was robbed by a gang of international thieves,' but retained his 200,000 dollars’ worth of gems, has just been revealed. The man went to Amsterdam for the diamonds and was well aware of the need for extra precautions, as during the past month there had been three cases of diamonds having been stolen on tho journey to London. Before he left the Continent he knew he was being shadowed by several men. Some spoke to him and others dined near him on the boat. He was nolito to them, but ever on his guard. The gems were safe when be reached the London terminus. Instead of taking a taxi-cab he sauntered down the stens to the underground. followed by the gang of thieves. The old policy of scattering to meet” again was adopted by the conspirators, but the man who had the wallet was not allowed to go off alone. It was feared that the temptation would upset the axiom about honesty among thieves, so he was kept under observation till the reassembly and the share-cut. The meeting place was the bar of a Clerkenwell public house, and eager faces watched the opening of the wallet. Then came the surprise. There were no- diamonds inside. The wallet merely contained articles of no value except to the owner. In Hatton Garden that night there were many hearty laughs. The loudest came from the traveller who had faithfully carried out his mission for. the the diamonds were sewn inside his soft collar.