Weekly Dispatch (London) – Sunday 29 May 1910
Lord Crofton Robbed by Audacious Thief.
Peculiarly audacious in its methods a robbery committed at Lord Crofton’s house in Stanhope-Gardens, South Kensington, in broad daylight. In the middle of the day, while several of the occupants and a number of servants were moving about the house a man entered at the basement, ascended to the top of the house, robbed two rooms. and made off with a quantity of jewellery. The clever ruse adopted by the man was described by Miss Diana Crofton and Miss Gertrude Crofton, the two victims of the robbery.
Miss Gertrude Crofton said: ‘Repairs are being executed on the roof, which was, damaged by fire a fortnight ago. It was apparently the presence of the workman and their scaffolding which afforded the thief his opportunity. On Tuesday morning about ten o’clock the man entered by the basement entrance at the rear. He was met by the nurse, who asked him what he was doing. He replied that he had come to see about the building work proceeding on the roof. She said that he must go outside and up the ladder. The man then left the house, but returned about half-past twelve, and this time reached the upper part of the house before being challenged by Miss Diana Crofton, who met the man upstairs as she was coming out of her bedroom. She asked him what he was doing there, and he told her he wanted to see the foreman on the roof. She told him he had no business there, and that he must ascend to the roof by of the ladder outside. Miss Crofton, being in a hurry, and thinking the man was a workman, went downstairs believing he was following her. On going to dress in the evening Miss Crofton found that her jewel-case had been rifled of a heap of brooches, a watch and chain, a number of rings, and a few other things. Miss Crofton added: “There is one ornamental brooch I should particularly like to get back “It is a brooch with seven points in shape resembling a sun, and set with diamonds and rubies”. Miss Gertrude Crofton also had her jewel case rifled, losing among other things an exceedingly valuable ring set, with diamonds and emeralds, which was an old family relic.
- To visit the full Genealogy Page please click on:- Crofton for Gertrude Crofton
Not sure who the Miss Diana Crofton is.
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