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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 1920)
5 THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 14, 1920. A Very Puzzling Real Life Adventure l : . . Which Reads Like a Motion Picture Tragedy SCENE ONE The Young Bride I Thrilled with Admiration at - the Splendid Fur Adornment. SCENE TWO Sitting Behind Her af the Waldorf , Mrs. VanderhUt Remark on That Exquisite Wealth of Ermine. The Adventures of Mrs. DeBarros Valuable Neckpiece in Six Curious Scenes. SCENE THREE A Burglar's Eye Is Also Entranced with It and, Watching His Chance, He Steals It. SCENE FOUR Returning to Her Apartments and Finding the Stole Cone She Is Broken Hearted. r SCENE FIVE Coming Out of a Theatre Sereral Weeks Later Mr. DeBarros Whispers "Look, Violet! Is That Your Stole?" SCENE SIX On the Shoulders of the Passing Stranger Was, Indeed, Her Stolen Stole and' the Other Scenes of the Tragedy; Are Now Being Enacted in the New York Courts. - ? " - , b - I ' J ' S A ' ' A u V A " A , I '"' ' - , -t . v-f f 1 I V 1 - ''-.'.1? , -. , l r C,?' ' 4 " , yl I & . , V v ( ' ' ' W ' I V ,-i iv .!: tit v sT - , ' ' . , X. . . i - s 1 "-'- - y rf. i Mrs. Violet Fleury DeBarros. I T was a balmy October evening. The Nov York theatre crowds were slowly emptying to the sidewalk when some thing suddenly happened. , Mrs. Violet DeBarros, leaning on the arm ot her husband, emerged from a thea tre entrance, and as she looked down to watch her steps her husband cast an eye forward at the throng. "Look, Violet!" whispered Mr. .DeBarros in her ear, "Is that your stole?" ; In a:pther instanV a dozen ,men and v omen in front of her were surprised at what seemed the unnecessary haste and rude jostling of a yery pretty and a very earnest young woman. An instant later they were still more startled to see the gliding form of Mrs. DeBarros at the side of a young woman who wore a gorgeous ermine stole. Clutch ing the fur with eager fingers, Mrs. De Barros brought the stranger to a stand still and, as the young woman turned about expecting to face a thief, vshe heard these "words from the banker's wife: "Pardon me, but I think yon hare my missing ermine stole!" 1 Dumfounded with astonishment but re lieved to find that she was not in the.hands of a highwayman, the young woman held Jiimly to one end of the long, sweeping fur and said: , 1 don't know what you mean to imply, but I will tell you that this ermine stole was a present to me," "Quite likely," said Mrs." DeBarros. "and I wish to make no charges against you nor to imply anything. But I repeat that you certainly are wearing the very same ermine stole which was . stolen from my apartments," The crowd had closed In about the two young women and Mr. DeBarrosi realizing that some definite step must be taken, mo ' tloned to aa approaching policeman, and explained that it would be necessary to re quest the wearer of the fur to come to the nearest police station and explain; how she came Into possession of the stole.! A few moments later the next act in the tragedy took place In front of the police sergeant's desk at the station house. ! Turning to Mrs. DeBarros the sergeant said: "Do you charge this woman rwlth stealing your fur?" ' "No. I make no charges." . "Then what do you want to do?" "This is my stole, and I want my prop erty," Mrs. DeBarros said firmly. j "But maybe you are mistaken about Its being your fur," the sergeant replied cau tiously, "No. I cannot be "mistaken." "But all furs look alike," said the ser geant. "You will have to prove that this particular thing Is yours." - 1 "That I can do," said Mrs. DeBarros wlth quiet confidence. - j "You can?" inquired the sergeant doubt fully. "Now how can you. prove that this fur that thla lady was wearing and says was given to her is the very same furl that you say was stolen from you over in your apartment near Riverside Drive?' ; "Quite simple. I will prove It to you at once." Drawing a jewelled hatpin from her hat Mrs. DeBarros glanced at the sharp point and reached for the end of the stole. "Wait!" shouted the startled police ser geant. "What are you going to dor" ! "I am going to open ,the lining1 and prove that the skins are mine.' i " "But I don't know whether they are your skins or not. All Bkins look alike, don't they?" "But every one of tfie little ermine pelts in that fur stole is stamped in indelible ink with my Initials." . A look of Incredulous astonishment swept over. the. ace, of the police sergeant Mrs. DeBarros with the Ermine Stole and Muff. He peered at Mr. DeBarros with an in quiring glance and then fixed' his gaze upon the young woman who stood with open mouthed astonishment' at the drift of the conversation. - , While pondering the proposition of open ing up the lining of the garment, the ser geant played for time by saying to Mr. DeBarros: "Are yon the husband of this lady hero who claims this fur?" "Yes, I am." "Do you know whether the stole which she says was stolen from her had the In side of the skins marked?" "Yes, that is true." Then turning a judicial eye on the young woman who had been wearing the fur, the sergeant said: "Do you know if there is any mark of Identification on the skins?" . VNo," replied the young woman. ."This was a present to me by my fiancee, and, of course, I never broke open the lining to look inside." "Are you satisfied to have this lady here show us whether those skins are really marked with her name or not?" inquired the sergeant In his endeavor to play safe. (C) 1820, International Feature Serrica, Ioa Certainly . I am willing,' the young woman said promptly. "What '-are your initials?" the ser . geant asked. i "V. D. B.,' Mrs. Bar ros replied. , "Go ahead," said the sergeant.. . ' "Open it up and well see what we'll see." Mrs. DeBarros, who had held the hatpin, poised px front of her, now ran her fingers down toward the sharp point of it, grasped It firmly and drawing 'the stole close to her eyes searched for thej fine silk threads of the lin ing. With deft touch, she soon picked open six or eight Inches of stitches, laid back the lining and with a pleas ant little smile of triumph, held the gar- . ment up to the gaze ot the police sergeant, r "Well," said the sergeant, "they sure are marked V. D. B., just as you said." With darkening brow the officer fixed a glance upon the young woman, then said: "Now, what have you to say?" - "I repeat exactly what I said before," re turned the young woman calmly. fThls fur was a present to me. If It was stolen from this lady here I did not know it nor did the person who gave It to me." : "Well, who did give it to your asked "the sergeant, picking up his pencil. "Mr. Lester Jacobs, the theatrical ' man ager. You can telephone to him and he will come here Immediately and substan tiate what I say ; The sergeant called the number and Mr. Jacobs at 'once started on his way to the police station. j !i i While the little party were awaiting his arrival the sergeant made a memorandum of this conversation with the young woman who had been found with the fur on her ? shoulders. "Name: Mildred Loeb. Business: motion-picture actress." Mr. Jacobs then arrived and in response to the police officer's questions explained that he had bought the fur from two young i Great Britain Bifhts Beserred. : men Harold Burns and August Mariano whose addresses he gave. They had of fered the stole for $200 and Jacobs had finally secured it for $150, he said. Miss Loeb had been present at the transaction, corroborated Mr. Jacobs statements and the sergeant looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Paid $150 fo this piece of fur? Some bargain!" the sergeant mused under , his breath, and then handing a slip of paper with the names and addresses of Burn) and Mariano on it to two detectives, said: "Bring these men in right away." . i Then- turning toi Jacobs the police ser geant said: ' "How, did you come to be dealing with these men?" i "I knew one of the fellows slightly," . Jacobs replied. "I met him and he. told me he had a fine! piece of -fur he would like to sell. I made an appointment to meet him at his apartment, where both of the men live. As I contemplated buying it for Miss Loeb, I asked her to come along and see how she liked it. Naturally she was delighted with it, and after some bar gaining they agreed to sell it for $150, which I paid." "WTiat is the fur worth?" the sergeant "I don't know," replied Jacobs. I have never had any experience in buying furs." "What do you say it is worth?" inquired the sergeant, turning to Mrs. DeBarros. "I don't know what it is worth, now," re plied Mrs. DeBarros. "The stole wasi pur chased in Europe before the present Sigh prices of furs. It Is made of specially se lected matched Russian ermine pelts. I have been told that it Is worth at least ' $4,000 now perhaps even more." "How did it happen that they only stole this stole when they broke Into your apart-:;- ments?" - - "On, that was not all I IobL The thieves went through everythingthe closets, my trunks and bureau drawers and just abtbut cleaned them out.: They took half a dozen evening gowns, but this ermine stole was the thing that upset me the most. "It had been so much admired, you know," continued Mrs. DeBarros, fixing an affectionate gaze upon the ermine. "It al ways attracts attention and has been so much complimented and I waS so proud of it Were you at the Bluebird Ball in honor of Maeterlinck, the poet?" . "Well, no. I couldn't go that night," said," the sergeant with a smile. "It was at the Waldorf-Astoria and MrtL Vanderbilt had a seat Just behind me. I heard her say, 'Just look at that magnifi cent ermine!' So you see how much ad mired it was wherever we went, and I naturally prized it almost more than any thing I had. Can you let me take it home with me now?" j -j "Well, not just yet. It seems to be yours aU right, but it is material evidence and we will have to keep it until this case is thoroughly sifted and, we find out wbe broke into your place and stole It" ! Mr. and-Mrs. DeBarros drew off to one corner of the" big room while Mr. Jacobs and Miss Loeb etood chatting together in another corner. The sergeant went on with the regular business of the precinct station house and the magnificent stole nestled beside his lelbow on the police desk. . . .-!"- Before long the detectives returned bringing with them the. two young men. "Are these the men you bought this fur from?" asked the sergeant. . . i"Yes, they are," replied Mr. Jacobs with out hesitation. " -. "Where did you get this far piece?" in quired the sergeant, glancing from one .to the other of the two men the detectives had Just brought in. "I never saw the fur before," said Burns. "He didn't get the fur from me" said Mariano. ' "Lock them up, officer," said the ser geafft, "and put this piece of fur In the safe." Then turning to the other Interested members in the party; he added, "Be at court iu the morning at 9 o'clock. That Is all." In the Magistrates Court the details of the previous evening were gone over again and when all the testimony had been of fered, the police - magistrate turned to Burns and Mariano and asked; "What have you to say?" "Nothing," both men replied. "Held in $2,500 ball' for larceny to await the action ot the Grand Jury," said the Judge as he waved to the officer to take his prisoners to the cell room. Who stole the stole? Have the police by good luck gotten their hands upon some ot the West Side resi dence and apartment house robbers? 'It will be interesting to see what the next act in the tragedy of Mrs. DeBarros' $4,000 ermine stole developes when Burn; and Mariano are put on trial. i