Toledo Blade - October 25, 1922

Art Thieves Get Pictures from Museum

Two Marine Canvases Cut from Frames and Taken From Building in Daylight Robbery Paintings are Carried Away While Guards Are Present Theft Saturday Afternoon Was Kept Secret While Investigation Was Being Made.

Thieves have made their first haul at the Toledo Museum of Art.

In a daylight robbery late last Saturday afternoon, robbers ripped from their frames two valuable oil paintings and escaped.

The paintings belonged to the collection of 50 marine canvases being exhibited in the museum by Thomas Shrewsbury Parkhurst of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., and were valued at several hundred dollars.

The robbery was staged in the presence of guards and the owner, who were nearby at the time.

The circumstances of the theft have just been made public. Secrecy was maintained by museum authorities while an investigation was being made in the hope of clearing up the mystery and recovering the art treasures.

Paintings Were Small

The paintings stolen were among the smaller and strikingly beautiful ones of the Parkhurst collection and had been admired and commented upon by thousands who viewed them in the last few weeks.

They were known as "The Green Wave" and "Birds' Nest Rocks," two of Parkhurst's choicest, and were hung on the west wall beside the door in the small gallery in the southeast comer of the building.

They were last seen in their places about 4 p.m. Saturday, when Parkhurst stepped into the gallery, which was then deserted. Their loss was discovered early Sunday by the watchman, who supposed Parkhurst had removed them for some purpose, and did not immediately report the incident.

It was just after the museum opened early Sunday afternoon that Parkhurst discovered the paintings had been stolen. He hastened into the office of George W. Stevens, director of the museum and said:

Tells of Theft.

"George, I've been Mona Lisa-ed." "What do you mean?" asked Stevens. "I mean that two of my best small paintings have been stolen," Parkhurst replied.

An investigation by museum authorities immediately followed, which showed two empty frames, and nothing more.

"It certainly was a daring piece of work," declared Parkhurst, "and must have been done by experts. They procured the paintings, which were on beaver board, by prying them out of their frames, evidently with a knife.

"My impression is that the work was done by two men, as I have a vague recollection of having several times noticed two men loitering around the entrance to the south-west corner. They must have waited until some time between [4-5] o'clock when the coast was clear to do the job, as I was in the room about 4 o'clock and nothing had been disturbed then.

Would Be Easy Theft

"It would have been an easy matter to have used a knife to rip the paintings out of the frames, the robber placing them out of sight beneath his coat. While this was being done by one of the thieves 1 think the other was acting as lookout.

"While deploring the loss of my paintings, in a way I cannot but feel complimented that, of all the paintings in the museum, the robbers should select two of mine as being particularly worthy of stealing.

"There is just a bare possibility that the paintings were stolen by someone who admired and coveted them, but could not afford to buy them. When I return to Carmel -by-the-sea I plan to replace these two stolen oils."

Toledo Times, November 6,1922

Picture Theft is Charged to Boy

Lad Trapped by Police as he is Alleged to Have Attempted Extortion

Two paintings, stolen from the Museum of Art several weeks ago, are in the hands of police and a 15-year-old boy is in the county jail because of failure on the lad's part to avoid a trap.

The paintings were among an exhibit of Thomas Shrewsbury Parkhurst's of Toledo.

When the pictures were taken two weeks ago last Saturday, the boy marked an X on the wall of an alcove in the museum.

Saturday he mailed a letter to the museum saying that he would return the paintings if $50 was placed near the mark Sunday afternoon. In the letter was a warning not to tell police as the writer would find it out and not return the picture. Police were notified despite the warning and a trap was laid.

The bills were placed near the mark and a fine wire connecting a buzzer was set close by. When the money was moved a connection was made and the buzzer stared working. Detectives Julert and Timiney waited in the alcove when the buzzer stared and arrested the boy.

At the central police station the boy is said to have confessed the theft and told the officers where they could find the pictures. He said he planned the extortion of $50 for the pictures and that no one else was connected with the theft.

Toledo News Bee, November 23, 1922

Youth is Freed

Boy Who Stole Pictures is Given Chance

The youth arrested several weeks ago for stealing two paintings from the Art Museum has been given his freedom on condition that he report regularly to the juvenile authorities. Judge O'Donnell took this action after relatives promised to look after him.

The boy, a high school student, was arrested by city detectives when he appeared at the Museum to get $50 for which he promised to return the pictures.

The money was placed in a niche as directed. When the boy laid his hands on the money a signal was given and the detectives arrested him.