LADY LUDLOW’S JEWELS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 19058, 10 July 1924, Page 9

LADY LUDLOW’S JEWELS

AMATEUR BURGLAR'S WORK. SCOTLAND YARD PUZZLED. ► LONDON, June 14. z The art critic of the Daily Mail Jtates that the burglar who robbed the bouse of Lady Ludlow, in Piccadilly, where was housed the wonderful collection of antiques accumulated by her first husband, the late Sir Julius Wernher, the South African millionaire, had a sound knowledge of art. No Bond Street dealer could have been more discriminating in selecting the gems of the collection and leaving the others undisturbed. Although many of the stolen articles were wrought in the most precious materials, their real value lay in their beauty, in the invention of their designs, and in the perfection of their craftmanship. The burglary presents Scotland. Yard detectives with a difficult problem. Investigation shows that it was. firstly, a single-handed burglary; secondly, that the thief was more or less an amateur: and thirdly that he had intimate knowledge of the house, He did not possess the professional fewrglar’s equipment. The locks of the cases containing the jewels were not picked or forced, but a portion of

the woodwork was removed with tools found in adjoining room. The thief had an electric torch, but used a candle-end. He did not come provided with bags for the removal of the jewellery, but cut up cushions from the drawing-room and from Lady Ludlow's boudoir so as to get the covers to wrap up the jewellery. There are other indications that the thief worked nervously instead of with the coolness of a professional thief. He did not attempt to obtain from other rooms the valuable family plate and Lady Ludlow's personal jewellery, which would be easily converted into cash. He left many blurred fingerprints. which indicates that he wore thin gloves. A reward of £5OOO has beer, offered. It is said that the jewellery, now estimated to be worth £200,000 would lose from 80 to 90 per cent, of its value if it were broken up. Probably the robbery was arranged on behalf of a syndicate able to wait for a favourable opportunity to dispose of the articles.

“The loot is probably stored already in some safe deposit where it may remain for 15 or 20 years,"says a leading official of a company dealing with insurance on jewellery. “There is no open market for such jewels, singly or collectively, for years ahead. The. promoters of the burglary are men commanding money, and able to lock , up capital for many years. Nobody would plan a difficult burglary of this kind for immediate realisation of the proceeds. The spoils wore so expertly chosen that they are difficult to dispose of. and thev will lose their chief ( value if molted down. The jewels worn not insured."