£100,000 ROBBERY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14145, 21 August 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

£100,000 ROBBERY.

SENSATIONAL THEFT AT CAFE ..... MONICO. .

'TrtnovKS brought off A daring coup at the Cafe Monico, London, in broad daylight, and when. the restaurant • was well filled, getting away with a haul of jewels valued at £100,000. Two men at least were concerned in the theft, which was carried out in the most audacious manner, and was exceptionally well planned. It appears that Mr. Fritz Isaac Goldschmidt, a wellknown diamond merchant, of Paris, who is now on a visit to London, and for nine or ten days has been staying at De Keyeer's Hotel, on the Embankment, lunched with a customer at the Cafe Monica. Mr. Goldschmidt had with him a black leather hand-bag, about 18 inches long, which contained the jewels, including a number of ■loose diamonds, ten or eleven pearl necklaces, and upwards of a thousand loose pearls, and some valuable sapphires. Needlees to say, Mr. Goldschmidt did not let this bag go from his hands. The exigencies of his business compelled him to carry it with him as ho made his calls on business houses. The news of his arrival in London, and of the fact that ho had very valuable property with him, seems to have become known to what are known in criminal circles as the " high mob, 1 ' who go for big stakes when they commit a crime, for it seems quite certain that Mr. Goldschmidt has been followed since he has been in London. One day he and his nephew, who had come with him to London, were followed by two men in a hansom cab. They pulled up to let the cab pass, and the occupants immediately held newspapers in front of their faces. Bub they appeared to be well dressed and of such a mien as would enable them to pass anywhere without remark. On the day of the robbery Mr. Goldschmidt and his nephew left the hotel in the morning to make calls, and went into the Cafe Monico for luncheon. Mr. Goldschmidt, in describing the tlieft, stated that he went to the lavatory with his nephew to wash his hands. He there placed the bag before him on the basin stand. At this moment his nephew left the lavatory for a moment. Then two well-dressed men entered the room, one fair and the other dark. Seizing an opportunity whilst the jeweller's hands were immersed in water, the dark man hustled up against Mr. Goldschmidt, while the fair man made a grab at the bag, as the owner of it turned to see who was pushing him. Mr. Goldschmidt shouted to the attendant, who turned only to see the man with the bag rush out into the narrow passage into Shaftesbury ' Avenue. He ran after him, but was tripped up by the other man. Mr. Goldschmidt, who is between 60 and 70 years of 'age, also gave chase, but be tumoied over the attendant. Meanwhile the man with the bag and his confederate dashed through the buffet out into the street. There were, as stated, many people in the restaurant at the time, but the hasty exit of the thieves did not attract any special attention. One of the barmaids in the buffet saw the men vanish, but did not realise what was happening. A hue and cry was instantly raised. The alarm was sounded throughout the restaurant. Porters and policemen bustled to and fro, but the men were immediately lost in the crowds in Shaftesbury Avenue and Piccadilly Circus. Vine-street police station and Scotland Yard were communicated with, and orders were flashed to Dover, Folkestone, Harwich, Newhaven, and Flushing to have the Continental trains watched. Mr. Goldschmidt states that the full list of the missing jewels was locked up in the bag. He estimates his loss at between £80,000 and £100,000. The theft was carried out with a cool < audacity almost unmatched in the annals of crime. A reward, of £1000 has been offered for the arrest of the two thieves.