PARIS THEFTS AND MURDER.

Patea Mail, Volume XLIV, 26 November 1920, Page 4

PARIS THEFTS AND MURDER.

JEWELS, MOTORS, SUGAR. A dancer strangled in her bed and her jewels worth .100,000 francs stolen, a theft of motor ears, and a police inspector killed while attempting to arrest the theives, and the arrest of a gang of theives, intludiug, it is alleged, a former American oflicor, who stole a waggon-load of sugar—such arc among the “fails divers” recorded at one week-end (says the Paris correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, an September .IS.) Mademoiselle Yvonne Schmitt's jewels had dazzled (he thieves, who saw her dance at Marseilles, and they resolved to obtain possession of them. They forced an entrance into the house where she was lodging, and strangled her in. bed; but not finding the jewels, tlr.y entered the room of her landlady who, under threats of death, indicate 1 the place where they were hidden. In escaping with the treasure they found themselves in the room of a doctor, whom they knocked on (he head, and threatened to strangle if he interfered with their flight. The doctor locked himself in a room, and the thieves got away. Curious statements have been made in connection with this affair, and there is a hint of coming revelations.

The police inquiry into the theft of two motor care at Hpiaay brought to light the fact that one of the vehicles luiil been brought to a garage in the Hue Vereingetorix. The police inspectors kept a watch on the place in the hope of arresting the thieves, and three of them duly arrived at three o’clock in the morning. The police inspectors attempted to seize the thieves, who ran off. One took refuge in a house, and was arrested; the others, closely pursued, were on the point of being captured when they faced the inspectors and tired their revolvers at them. Inspectors Giro! and Aymard fell, the former dying in hospital. J’assers-by gave chase, and succeeded in arresting the rulUans. The lirsf man arrested confessed that I lie concierge of the nursing home at Kpinay from which the motor cur.-, were stolen had facilitated the theft. The con-

cierge was arrested. During the last few months (hero have been extensive thefts on Slate railways, truck loads of cloth and sugar having disappeared. The railway police were mobilised, and a waggon-load of sugar was followed from Havre to Haris. During the journey the tickets and letters on the wagons were changed. The police allowed the wagon io lie discharged at Vangirard Station, and found that the consignee handed over the sugar to a former American officer, who paid throe francs a kilogramme for it, and sold to a firm quantities of (ho sugar for PO,0(IO francs, the n*®«oy changing hands in a little cafe. The firm sold the sugar to a

dealer, who in turn sold it to a commision house. The commission house sold it to another dealer, who sold it to a group of confectioners. Sweets are very dear in Paris just now, and no wonder when sugar passes through the hands of so many intermediaries. The consignee, the American, and four accomplices were arrested, and the chief of (he band was caught later on.