The Star of India was given to the American Museum of Natural History by
J.P. Morgan in 1900. The gem safely resided there until October 29, 1964. Soon
after that night it found a new place of residence in a public locker in a bus
station in Miami, Florida.
The bad men who effected this transfer of locale had unlocked a bathroom
window in the museum during public hours, thereby assuring themselves an avenue of
ingress and escape. That night they completed the job, making off with this
star sapphire the weight of which was over 563 carats. They also took the
Midnight Star, the DeLong Star Ruby and the Eagle diamond.*
Subsequently, Jack Murphy, Roger Clark, and Allan Kuhn were indicted for
the theft.
Fast forward to Miami in early January, 1965. A group of New York City
detectives brought Kuhn to Miami in an effort to locate the swag. According to
reporter Milt Sosin in the Miami News of January 8, “All day Wednesday and early
Thursday, the assistant D.A. and the detectives, with Kuhn in tow, raced around
Miami, Miami Beach, and North Dade in their quest.”
Apparently the group checked into a motel and eventually received an
anonymous call specifying the location of the jewels. The informant told them
where the key was hidden. Early on the morning of January 8, the group rushed
to the sites specified and did, indeed, find the booty, with the exception of
the DeLong Star Ruby, which was later recovered, and the Eagle Diamond which has
never been found.
The crooks got three years.
*According to Wikipedia, the only one of these gems that had an alarm device was the Star of India. The battery was dead.
Sources:
1. Wikipedia
7 comments:
Only three years? Wow...
Where would one unload such one-of-a-kind gems? (And it is way to big for an owner to go unnoticed while wearing it as a piece jewelry.)
Shelly, perhaps that was the length of time required to "reform" them.
Vee, from things I've read, I guess there are rich collectors who don't worry about legal niceties. Surely not.
Three years seems a bit short, doesn't it?
Pearl
Sounds like a scenario for a story- what happened to the Eagle diamond!
Shark, there you go. A direction for your next mystery!
Pearl, people have served less time for crimes more heinous, imo.
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