NELSON RELIC STOLEN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19997, 14 January 1927, Page 11

NELSON RELIC STOLEN.

TRESS OP LADY HAMILTON. PEER’S RESIDENCE ROBBED. ‘■'Cat ' burglars, who broke into the house of Lord and Lady Cable in Grosvenor Square, London, early one morning a few weeks ago. took away a number of valuables vnd heirlooms worth about £IOW, and d.id a considerable amount of damage, I but left behind a quantity of family plate and jewels worth thousands of pounds. The discovery of the theft was made by a servant shortly before 7 a.m. It was found lhat the lights had been left on in four rooms visited by the intruders. These rooms wore in great disorder. There was evidence that the burglars had entered by a skylight after scaling the scaffolding in the front of a house two doors away, and climbing over theflat roofs to Lord Cable’s house. Among the articles stolen were two valuable miniatures of Lady Cable’s eldest daughter and an oval diamond pendant containing a lock of the hair of the beautiful Lady Hamilton, famous as a friend of Nelson. The thieves also ■ tqpk £SO in ' notes. Lord Cable, formerly Sir Ernest Cable, was raised to the peerage in 1021. He is the senior partner in Messrs Bird and Co. and Messrs Hedgers and Co., of Calcutta and London, and is prominently connected with the 'ndustrial devolpment of India. Ho was formerly Sheriff of Calcutta> and a member of the Viceroy’s Council. Lady Cable, in referring to the robbery, said: "“The thieves evidently had a considerable knowledge of the house and of our habits, and appear to have known what they wanted. The servants wore sleeping on the top floor, but. the burglars did not enter any of these rooms. They also avoided the second floor, on which we were sleeping. The butler and footman sleep in the basement, where the plate is kept, and this, too, was avoided. There were some Oriental daggers lying on tables in the drawing room and these were used , to force open a lacquoij cabinet. The. . burglars took some flowers from a rose , bowl and fixed them, with an ivoryhandled dagger, to the- label describing the pendant containing Lady Hamilton’s hair, which thev stuck on the back of a chair.” Apparently the intruders wore gloves, as ‘ no finger-prints were found. Lord and Lady Cable entertained a large company, including the Maharajah of Burdwan, at luncheon on the day after the robbery. The arrangements were considerably upset by the damage caused by the burglars.