A OLIVER DIAMOND SWINDLE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5952, 24 March 1880, Page 5

A OLIVER DIAMOND SWINDLE.

One of the cleverest diamond robberies of modern times is reported by the leading -journals of St Petersburg;—“ About a fortnight ago a handsome equipage drew up at the door of the first jeweller in the Russian capital. Alighting from the carriage, an elegantly dressed and remarkably pretty young lady entered the shop, and requested that some parures of brilliants might be shown to her. Several costly sets were forthwith submitted for inspection, and after some hesitation she selected a riviere and pendants, valued at 10,000 rabies, and stating that she was the wife of an eminent mad doctor, whose name is a household word in St Petersburg, requested the proprietor of the estabblisnment to accompany her home with the jewels in order to settle finally with her husband about the price. The jeweller packed up his diamonds and got into the carriage with his fair customer. Presently they arrived at a large house, and were received at the ports cochere by a Suissee in splendid livery, who conducted them up a brilliantly lighted staircase into a richly-furnished drawing-room, in which the lady begged her companion to take a seat, and, jewel case in hand, proceeded to summon “ her husband.” Entering the doctor’s consulting room, in an apparent state of uncontrollable agitation, she informed the latter that she had brought her unfortunate spouse to visit him, in the hope that he would undertake to cure him of the strange monomania under which he had laboured for some time past. “My afflicted husband," she said, "is a landed proprietor from A—in the (loteminent of Minsk; he is quiet and harmless, but has diamonds on the brain; he will talk of nothing else, poor fellow! Will you see him? I have left him-in the drawing-room, and am much too nervous to be present while yon diagnose his case. Might I therefore, ask you to accompany me to my carriage before you go to to him ? It will be such a relief to mo to leave him in yonr care.” Her ingenious device was crowned with complete success. She drove off with the diamonds; an interview between the doctor and the jeweller fully confirmed her statement with respect to the latter’s alleged monomania, and resulted in his being placed under bodily restraint, from which ho was only rescued three days later by one of his partners, who succeeded, with the assistance of the police, in tracing him to Dr V- f’s renowned private lunatic asylum; No trace has as yet been discovered of the gifted lady who accomplished this, in every sense of the w' " brilliantcoup.