EXTENSIVE JEWEL ROBBERY.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 458, 29 March 1890, Page 4

EXTENSIVE JEWEL ROBBERY.

A very extensive robbery of jewellery was brought to light at Melbourne last week, the victim being Mr Israel Silberman, a dealer in jewellery, and the alleged criminal a young man, also of the Hebrew persuasion, named Bartlett Frolig. About three weeks ago, says the “Standard,” Frolig introduced himself to Silberman as a commercial traveller of good antecedents in want of a job, and suggested that he should sell for Silberman on commission. The young fellow (for he is only about 23 or 24) had a very good address and appearance generally, and Silberman thought he might do worse than give him a trial. But first he made some inquiries, and, in a second-hand sort of way, obtained recom* mendatious as to his honesty and general respectability. Mr Silberman does business with Bouberb and Cutler, the jewellers, of Little Collins-street, and accordingly at once enlarged his stock, and started Frolig off with a jewellery box, containing property of the

value OF ABOUT £6OO. The arrangement was that he was to be paid £1 a w9ek and 5 per cent, commission on all he sold ; he was to leave the box each night with Mr Silberman, whp lived $t 144, Leicester-street, Carlton, himself keeping possession of the key. His employer had every reason to be satisfied with him. He reporced himself every night, and seepaed to be selling the goods famously, the employer congratulating himseif on having en g a ged such a first-class man. Jle kept a list pf the customers, all of whom he alleged were “ good marks,” anil handed over numerous deposits every night—the box getting lighter each day. But it was replenished last week, when, however, the employer began to be a little—bub not very—-suspicious. There were a gold watch and chain and three gold chains absent, for which there was no deposit. Frolig explained this circumstance by saying that a Post Office clerk had the watch and chain on trial, and that “ a policeman ” had kept three chains—also “on trial,” it is to be presumed, as he would make a final selection of one of them in a day or two, and pay the deposit. About the beginning of last week, Mr Silberman QUESTIONED FROLIG MORE CLOSELY about some of the time-payment customers (the whole business seemed to be conducted on the time-payment principle), bub the answers seemed to be evasive. On Thursday Frolig brought the box home about 3 in the afternoon, and left it with Mrs Silberman. At the same time he paid her 245; and showed her some deposit receipts, and also said that being a race day there was nob much doing. The next morning he did not call at the usual time, and as Mr Silberman was a bit fidgety'he sent around to his lodgings—also in Carlton —when he learned that he had not been homeallnight;.' He now became alarmed,ans lifted up the box, thinking for a moment that it might have been stripped. Bqt no; it was ‘'full weight.” He hurried round to Little Collins-street, and soon returned with a bunch of keys and opened the box. Then there was a wail of despair as he discovered it to be nearly empty. A few ordinary articles of jewellery of the commonest sorb had been left, but the fine gold chains,the diamond rings and earrings, the beautiful bracelets, diamond pins, and gold watches had all vanished. The case had been WEIGHTED BY A COUPLE OF PIECES OF IRON

artfully concealed at the bottom, and weighing some seven or eight pounds. Then he took a cab, and paid a flying visit tb a number of the “ customers ’’ entered in Frolig’s book, and found, almost without exception, they were myths. Frolig had been doing the business very artfully. For instance, he would “sell” a diamond pin for £JB, and hand over £1 as the deposit. In this way he appears to have gradually stripped the bo,x, until its beggarly array of empty jetvel receptacles struck dismay to the heart of Israel, a'most respectable dealer in jewellery living with his wife and family at the address indicated above. Frolig was described as “ a roost respectable young man without vice or bad habits of any kind.” That, at-least,’ was the general impression; Mf SilbOrmann now holds other: views. He estimates’his IO4S at 6yer£sQg. L \ *a*