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Diamond jewellery stolen in 1851
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<p>[QUOTE="Rene_R, post: 9483674, member: 81814"]Here's the basic timeline:</p><p><br /></p><p>· 19 April: A package of diamonds valued £450 is sealed at the office of Schwabacher, Birnstingl & Co., where Thonen, who is employed as their clerk at the time, enters the diamonds into their books.</p><p>· 20 April: Thonen goes to the office, to write letters to his family and friends. He is tempted to take the diamonds, but puts them back. He returns the following day, but again does not take them.</p><p>· 22 April (evening): Thonen finally takes out the diamonds. He reseals the empty package and puts it back into the strong room, to obfuscate the crime.</p><p>· 23 April (9-10 a.m.): Thonen pledges some of the jewellery to a pawnbroker in London, receiving £40.</p><p>· 23 April (morning): Thonen is last seen at the office, and is thought to leave for Eastbourne the following day. He finds the sealed package on his employer’s desk, and, worried that his crime may soon be discovered, decides to flee immediately.</p><p>· 24/25 April: Having taken the first train north to Peterborough, and from there to Liverpool, Thonen pays for a ticket on the <i>Camillus</i> (a steamer) to America.<a href="https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftn3" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftn3">[43]</a> The ship’s departure, scheduled for the 26th, will be delayed multiple times.</p><p>· 28 April: Schwabacher notices that the diamonds are missing, and alerts Scotland Yard. Inspector Haydon of the London police is charged with the case the same day. Thonen is soon suspected of the crime.</p><p>· Early May: Having sent an officer to Eastbourne, the police concludes that Thonen had left London a few days prior, but that he had not assumed his teaching position.</p><p>· 3 May: After multiple delays, the <i>Camillus</i> finally departs from Liverpool, with Thonen on board. Before embarking on the <i>Camillus</i>, Thonen had written letters to his family in Germany, to explain what he had done. These letters are later opened at the London Post Office, who hand them over to the police.</p><p>· 3 May: Information about the crime is forwarded to all stations of the Metropolitan Police. The media get involved.</p><p>· 4 May: The <i>Camillus</i> suffers a collision with the steamer <i>Africa</i> and has to turn back to port.</p><p>· 2/4 May:<a href="https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftn4" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftn4">[44]</a> Thonen sells some of the diamonds to a jeweller in Liverpool, acquiring a further £25 and a gold watch.</p><p>· 4 May: First reports of the robbery appear in newspapers. A few of them mention the reward of £50 that was offered for the return of the diamonds.</p><p>· 6-7 May (night): Inspector Haydon, having traced Thonen first to Peterborough and then to Liverpool, arrives in the city.</p><p>· 7 May (morning): Thonen boards the <i>Sardinia</i> (a sailing vessel) for New York.<a href="https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftn5" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftn5">[45]</a></p><p>· 7 May (four hours later): Haydon is informed of Thonen's departure on board the <i>Sardinia</i>. He hires a steamer and pursues Thonen, overtaking him 60-80 miles offshore. Thonen is captured, and held at a prison in Liverpool overnight.</p><p>· 8 May: Thonen is brought back to London.</p><p>· 9 May: Thonen first appears before Alderman Wilson at Old Bailey.</p><p>· 13 May: Thonen is committed to Newgate Prison for trial.</p><p>· 15 May: Thonen pleads guilty. The judgement is respited until the next session.</p><p>· 26 May: Judgement respited again, until the next session.</p><p>· 16 June: Thonen is finally sentenced to one year imprisonment.</p><p>· 24 June: Thonen is transferred from Newgate to the house of correction.<a href="https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftn1" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftn1">[46]</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftnref3" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftnref3">[43]</a> Almost all contemporary sources state that the ship was called <i>Camilla</i>. This is wrong, as we will discuss below.</p><p><a href="https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftnref4" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftnref4">[44]</a> The exact order of events is unclear. In his testimony, Thonen stated that he sold the diamonds after the <i>Camillus</i> had returned to port (May 4th). On the other hand, the jeweller who bought them stated that this happened on May 2nd, which is before the ship had even left.</p><p><a href="https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftnref5" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftnref5">[45]</a> The <i>Sardinia</i> sailed for New York on 7 May 1851. See “Liverpool. May 7. Sailed. Sardinia for New York”, in: Morning Herald (London), 8 May 1851, page 8. <a href="https://search.findmypast.co.uk/bna/viewarticle?id=bl/0002408/18510508/076&stringtohighlight=sardinia" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://search.findmypast.co.uk/bna/viewarticle?id=bl/0002408/18510508/076&stringtohighlight=sardinia" rel="nofollow">https://search.findmypast.co.uk/bna/viewarticle?id=bl/0002408/18510508/076&stringtohighlight=sardinia</a>; also, “Sailed for foreign ports”, in: Glasgow Chronicle, 14 May 1851, page 7. <a href="https://search.findmypast.co.uk/bna/viewarticle?id=bl/0003088/18510514/083&stringtohighlight=sardinia" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://search.findmypast.co.uk/bna/viewarticle?id=bl/0003088/18510514/083&stringtohighlight=sardinia" rel="nofollow">https://search.findmypast.co.uk/bna/viewarticle?id=bl/0003088/18510514/083&stringtohighlight=sardinia</a></p><p><a href="https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftnref1" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftnref1">[46]</a> Thonen stayed at Newgate from 13 May until 24 June, at which time he was transferred to the „house of correction“, most likely Bridewell Prison in London. The prison-building programme of the 19th century had ensured that, by 1850, Newgate only held those who were awaiting their trial at Old Bailey, or who had been sentenced to death and were waiting for their execution. Compare Halliday, S.: „Newgate: London's Prototype of Hell“, 2008, page 162.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Rene_R, post: 9483674, member: 81814"]Here's the basic timeline: · 19 April: A package of diamonds valued £450 is sealed at the office of Schwabacher, Birnstingl & Co., where Thonen, who is employed as their clerk at the time, enters the diamonds into their books. · 20 April: Thonen goes to the office, to write letters to his family and friends. He is tempted to take the diamonds, but puts them back. He returns the following day, but again does not take them. · 22 April (evening): Thonen finally takes out the diamonds. He reseals the empty package and puts it back into the strong room, to obfuscate the crime. · 23 April (9-10 a.m.): Thonen pledges some of the jewellery to a pawnbroker in London, receiving £40. · 23 April (morning): Thonen is last seen at the office, and is thought to leave for Eastbourne the following day. He finds the sealed package on his employer’s desk, and, worried that his crime may soon be discovered, decides to flee immediately. · 24/25 April: Having taken the first train north to Peterborough, and from there to Liverpool, Thonen pays for a ticket on the [I]Camillus[/I] (a steamer) to America.[URL='https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftn3'][43][/URL] The ship’s departure, scheduled for the 26th, will be delayed multiple times. · 28 April: Schwabacher notices that the diamonds are missing, and alerts Scotland Yard. Inspector Haydon of the London police is charged with the case the same day. Thonen is soon suspected of the crime. · Early May: Having sent an officer to Eastbourne, the police concludes that Thonen had left London a few days prior, but that he had not assumed his teaching position. · 3 May: After multiple delays, the [I]Camillus[/I] finally departs from Liverpool, with Thonen on board. Before embarking on the [I]Camillus[/I], Thonen had written letters to his family in Germany, to explain what he had done. These letters are later opened at the London Post Office, who hand them over to the police. · 3 May: Information about the crime is forwarded to all stations of the Metropolitan Police. The media get involved. · 4 May: The [I]Camillus[/I] suffers a collision with the steamer [I]Africa[/I] and has to turn back to port. · 2/4 May:[URL='https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftn4'][44][/URL] Thonen sells some of the diamonds to a jeweller in Liverpool, acquiring a further £25 and a gold watch. · 4 May: First reports of the robbery appear in newspapers. A few of them mention the reward of £50 that was offered for the return of the diamonds. · 6-7 May (night): Inspector Haydon, having traced Thonen first to Peterborough and then to Liverpool, arrives in the city. · 7 May (morning): Thonen boards the [I]Sardinia[/I] (a sailing vessel) for New York.[URL='https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftn5'][45][/URL] · 7 May (four hours later): Haydon is informed of Thonen's departure on board the [I]Sardinia[/I]. He hires a steamer and pursues Thonen, overtaking him 60-80 miles offshore. Thonen is captured, and held at a prison in Liverpool overnight. · 8 May: Thonen is brought back to London. · 9 May: Thonen first appears before Alderman Wilson at Old Bailey. · 13 May: Thonen is committed to Newgate Prison for trial. · 15 May: Thonen pleads guilty. The judgement is respited until the next session. · 26 May: Judgement respited again, until the next session. · 16 June: Thonen is finally sentenced to one year imprisonment. · 24 June: Thonen is transferred from Newgate to the house of correction.[URL='https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftn1'][46][/URL] [URL='https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftnref3'][43][/URL] Almost all contemporary sources state that the ship was called [I]Camilla[/I]. This is wrong, as we will discuss below. [URL='https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftnref4'][44][/URL] The exact order of events is unclear. In his testimony, Thonen stated that he sold the diamonds after the [I]Camillus[/I] had returned to port (May 4th). On the other hand, the jeweller who bought them stated that this happened on May 2nd, which is before the ship had even left. [URL='https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftnref5'][45][/URL] The [I]Sardinia[/I] sailed for New York on 7 May 1851. See “Liverpool. May 7. Sailed. Sardinia for New York”, in: Morning Herald (London), 8 May 1851, page 8. [URL]https://search.findmypast.co.uk/bna/viewarticle?id=bl/0002408/18510508/076&stringtohighlight=sardinia[/URL]; also, “Sailed for foreign ports”, in: Glasgow Chronicle, 14 May 1851, page 7. [URL]https://search.findmypast.co.uk/bna/viewarticle?id=bl/0003088/18510514/083&stringtohighlight=sardinia[/URL] [URL='https://www.antiquers.com/#_ftnref1'][46][/URL] Thonen stayed at Newgate from 13 May until 24 June, at which time he was transferred to the „house of correction“, most likely Bridewell Prison in London. The prison-building programme of the 19th century had ensured that, by 1850, Newgate only held those who were awaiting their trial at Old Bailey, or who had been sentenced to death and were waiting for their execution. Compare Halliday, S.: „Newgate: London's Prototype of Hell“, 2008, page 162.[/QUOTE]
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Diamond jewellery stolen in 1851
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