BIG JEWEL THEFT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume L, Issue 16458, 17 June 1924, Page 5

BIG JEWEL THEFT.

SHOWCASE BROKEN OPEN IN HOTEL AUSTRALIA. £I3OO WORTH OF DIAMONDS. SYDNEY, June 5.—A daring jewel thief, whose presence in Sydney has been hinted at by many small thefts of diamonds and similar articles, made liis big haul on Tuesday, when a showcase in the Hotel Australia was rifled, diamonds and pearls valued at £I3OO being stolen. The robbery was discovered at 4.20 a.m. by tlie nightwatchman, who found that the glass in the side of the case -had been smashed, and the whole of the contents had been removed. They comprised earrings, brooches, pins, single diamonds, cigarette cases, necklets, bangles, and diamond set wristlet watches. The case was on the first floor, with others, but the one attacked was in the least frequented part of the floor, the value of tho contents of all the showcases being given as £SOOO. | Tlie watchman did not discover the theft until after 4 a.m., but the detectives are satisfied that tho audacious theft was committed by an outsider before midnight, or by a man working from the inside about 2 a.m. The floor is covered by a pile carpet inches thick, so that the only sound which might be taken as suspicious would be the smashing of the thick glass. This could have been done with one blow, and would sound' much like the click of a door, unless one of the official's of the hotel was in the vicinity at the time. Detectives were at the hotel soon after the discovery of the theft, and they examined all the rooms. The thief cut his hand on the glass and the police searched all the washbasins for signs of any inmate having washed his hands and left traces of blood.

It will be a hard job for the perpetrator of the theft- to dispose of the articles in this State, for the first act of tho police was to broadcast the description of the stuff to every pawnbroker, and also to police headquarters all over Australia. Their theory, however, is that it was the work of a clever man, and that he had arranged beforehand for the disposal of the stones. Finger-prints were found on the glass case, but they have given the police no indication as to the identity of the thief, and the authorities are inclined to believe that they belong to one of the emnloyees of the place, who might not have had, any connection with the crime, but left the prints there after cleaning the case. The contents of the rifled case were covered by insurance. If the robbery was committed at 2 a.m., and this is the more likely theory, the police are at a loss to, understand how the thief made his escape from the hotel. All the doors are locked at midnight, and there are four watchmen on duty, so the chances of a man leaving the hotel between midnight and 6 a.m. without attracting the attention of one of them are small. Tlie possibilities of the thief-being an exnerf from overseas has not- been overlooked by the police, but- there seems little chance of an arrest being made.