THE ROMANCE OF CRIME.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3889, 16 June 1881, Page 2

THE ROMANCE OF CRIME.

The Florence correspondent of the Morning Post writes :—People have talked much of the organisation qf, the Italian army, after the compleEion of the Italian unity, but I think justice ought to be rendered to the admirable results obtained in the organisation of the Italian police. Foreigners used to complain .of robberies at hotels. People also believed that jewels and money missing from tlieir truuks had been stolen during thejoucajßy in the luggage vans| audtheke numo|rless robberies in the hotels; we're f jthe only ones which it seemed impossible, to discover. But the Florence police have now been lucky enough to make » most important discoyery., A party of fashionable-looking American ladies and gentlemen have been arrested .at the Hotel de New York in this, joity, and their arrest has led to the l ,djsco*er,y l af the existence of a most important international league of thiey^r^^i^irprinoipalobject of the,league. wa» foreign bonds, 4 to falsify existing;ones, and sell them all over Europe. The bonds—which have been admirably falsified—are tWae of England, America, ;Eufcsia,ylltaly, and Canada. The many discoveries made of false bonds and extensive rdbberietiHbnfmitted of late in Switzerland* in Aanriol, France, and England are^how asoritojd to this international league,' 'which: l|Mtt8 Clt^ have its agents all over th6wdro«na!l»^ very well organised. '" It wdoJEd'be sible to calculate the importance jaf :!jfti| association andthe extent of trftirotweriei committed. Suffice it ,to say ; i;hafc the party arrested at the Hotel oTe'JTewTdrk is said to have spent during their .journey 4,000,000fr. The Readers q?. who Have been working* for years in America and northern' Euft&&i r«solv4d, it would appear, to try bperamns in Italy.' This being a cduntrymuolffre^BWttfeßjlrW tourists nd great7suspi6lbn.would be excited. Who knows how many respectablelooking genflemenT andTlßwi in«'ny prettyladies who have made up acquaintances at the table d'hote of some hotel were-hett&^r more nor less than the mysterious ftgebfe of this collossal gang of theives'? trttie sudden discovery on the TuWh, f 'Uii. Lan, Genoa, and Florence markets. Jof false ' foreign bonds attracted, tKg. -notice of the Italian police, 1 .who , at once communicated with the heads,pf the French, English, and American police. The banks and money-changer! of It»ly were warned to be careiul in pnrchafii*g foreign bonds, and precautions wef« bik*B to discover the parties who bx to short a period had succeeded ia disposing of a considerable amount, of, these false bouda. Some two moutha ago the head of tt»«

Turin police- telegraphed to the police office in this city that a party of American gentlemen, with two ladies, had left that city for "Florence, and it was believed their destination was the Hotel de la Grande Bretagne. The Florence police had .already received information from Other quarters that the party in question had resolved to go instead the Hotel de New York. The party in question were left at peace for a few days, but police agents were placed on guard at the hotel. It was soon found out that during dinnertime visits were paid by some of the gentlemen to some of the travellers' rooms, and^acquaintanqes struck up with bankers of the city.•; The party in question lived in great style, had a livery carriage, and

. drank champagne, and went about sightseeing with Murray and Baedeker in their hands just as ordinary tourists. One fine i morning, as the party was returning home to lunch, they found the drawing-room occupied by a police inspector and eight : policemenin plain clothes. The Chevalier Lorenzini, the head of the police, address ing an elderly and most respectable-looi-ing gentleman, said in polite terms, "'3e snis le cbmmiasairede police," upon which the two pretty young'ladies fainted away, and the gentlemen, protesting that they would not stand the violation of domicile, declared they would at once apply to the American Consul for, protection. The Consul was summoned at once, and requested by the ... police to assist at an examination of their luggage. The results were that the Consul was obliged to allow at once the police to arrest the whole party The two young ladies were carried to the women's prison of Santa Verdiana, and the men to the central prison of the Murate. The money found in the possession of the American tourists amounted to a considerable sum, and ss to the rings and ' diamonds found in the trunks of the two ladies there was no end of them. The watch and chain of the head of the party alone is valued at £300 What seemed to puzzle most the police was an enormous bunch of small keys curiously made, and which corresponded with none of the, locks, in the trucks and bags fotind at the hotel. However, after muoh patience, it was discovered that several of the trunks had- double compartments. On removing, certain bars which seemed strongly fastened, and on removing, a leather cover, small locks were discovered. It was soon found out that the small keys served to open the secret case. Large sums .of money in paper and gold and precious stones, and the secret correspondence with the leading , .members of the association, were ftiund in this hidden part of the trunk. All the letters addressed to the ladies and gentlemen of this party were at once sequestrated, and it soon appeared that the elderly gentleman, Wilkes, was one of -the originators and heads of the association. As the trial has not yet taken place, and will not take place for some time, I am not authorised to give further particulars of this very important ' discovery. It is really extraordinary that the police of France, where a considerable number of the gang have been in the , habit for years of carrying on their depredations, should never have discovered Anything The Italian police have rendered a good service, and it is only fair that the facts and details of this important discovery be made known to the public. The members of this association were in the habit, it seems, of stealing jewels and money from foreigners at the hotels when they had acquired the certainty that the parties they intended to rob were busy making up their trunks for; leaving the hotels. This accounts in a great measure for the suspected robberies committed' on the railway lines from Turin to Venice, or from Genoa to Marseilles. The trunks arrived safely at their destination. There were no signs of their having been broken ' open, and:yet things were missing that they remembered having put in the trunks » few hours before leavihr the hotel. And then inquiries were opened and railway porters and hotel waiters were arrested, and nothing could be found out. Now that the Florence police have come to the clue, important discoveries are being made every day and every hour, and the trial, which is to be held in Florence, will prove .' unquestionably most interesting and attractive.