THE COUNTESS OF DUDLEY’S JEWELS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4373, 26 March 1875, Page 3

THE COUNTESS OF DUDLEY’S JEWELS.

A special train conveyed the Princess of Wales from Paddington to Windsor, on a visit to the Queen. Tho Earl and Countess of Dudley were also passengers by it, and on reaching tho platform some of the servants deposited a case of jewellery, said to be worth £50,000. The case was shortly afterwards missed, and, as we are informed, has not since been heard of. Tho Earl of Dudley desires that it should he made known that tho value of the jewels in the case lost at tho Great Western Station hy the lady’s maid, who had charge of them for tho Countess of Dudley, has been found not to amount to half what has been stated. The Earl, now supposing that tho jewel case has been lost, offers a reward of £IOOO for its recovery with the contents intact. Tho case is of black Russian leather with a brown leather cover, and on the top is stamped a coronet with the letters “G.E.D.” Among tho contents a gold watch with emerald back, gold chain with emerald beads, a dark blue enamel watch with a diamond coronet on the back, a gold watch set with turquoise and rubies, a crystal watch, three bracelets hung with diamonds, one with diamonds and emeralds, one with rubies and

emeralds, three plain gold bracelets, a diamond necklace, earrings of diamond, of pearl, of opal, &c., diamond pins, ruby pins, emerald pins, &c., brooches of opal, pearl, &c., necklaces of gold and jewels, and solitaires of diamond, opal, pearl, ruby, and emerald. Though these articles are of considerable value intrinsically, this value is largely enhanced to the Earl and Countess from the fact that most of them have been presents, and therefore cannot be replaced by any fresh outlay of money. The robbery was effected under circumstances that leave little doubt, the thief was a practised hand, and had laid his plans with an ingenuity worthy a better purpose. The. Earl and Countess of Dudley arrived at the railway station in his Lordship’s brougham at 6.20 p.m., and were immediately followed by a four-wheeled cab, conveying two of the Countess’s waiting-women, each in charge of a ponderous jewel box and other articles of a lady’s toilette. Miss Scott, one of the women, was the first who alighted, and, having deposited upon the pavement the box under her care, whilst turning round to assist her companion, for better security, and with commendable caution, she placed one foot upon the jewel-case. In an unbicky instant her attention was diverted by the other maid, and abstractedly she removed her foot from the box. Her companion having alighted, Miss Scott stooped torecoverthe box,when to her great conshe found it had been removed. An instant search was made by the Earl’s servants and the railway officials in attendance, but no tidings could' be gained of it. His Loyal Highness the Prince of Wales arrived at this moment, to travel by the same train in a slip carriage as far as Slough, on his way to Windsor, and desire, on the part of the railway authorities, to , despatch the train punctually, led to some little confusion, amidst which the express left the station, without any intelligence of the missing box having been obtained. The Worcester express made its first stoppage at Leading, on arriving at which place Lord Dudley, having had time to reflect upon his loss, alighted, and explaining to the station agent the circumstances, he required that every compartment in the train should be searched, in the hope that the missing box might have been separated from his other luggage. The search proving fruitless, his Lordship decided upon returning to London at once, which he did, accompanied by Miss Scott, in a special train, as soon as the express had left Leading.