In 1959, the theft of a valuable diamond ring led the FBI on a chase across the country.
But how did it even start?
The Krupp Diamond was stolen on the evening of April 10, 1959, on a sprawling ranch about 26 miles southwest of Las Vegas. The diamond ring was massive: the center blue-white stone weighed more than 33 carats and was roughly the size of a small marble. And it was surrounded by two smaller baguette-shaped diamonds on either side. Which wouldn't be shocking to hear it was worth a small fortune: about $275,000 in 1959.
This ring was owned by a woman named Vera Krupp, a German actress and American baroness of sorts who'd come into a ton of money when she married - and later divorced - a wealthy German industrialist. The ring was everything to Krupp and wore it everywhere - always snug on her finger.
However, that changed the evening of April 10, 1959, on Krupp's sprawling Spring Mountain Ranch about 26 miles southwest of Las Vegas. She and her foreman were finishing dinner when three men knocked on the door offering to blacktop* (*a material, such as an asphalt, used especially for surfacing roads) her long driveway. But within seconds they'd forced their way in, ripped the ring off Krupp's finger causing blood to be drawn, and tied the pair blindfolded back-to-back with wire from a lamp.
These robbers seem to have previously acquainted themselves with the ranch as they were able to steal, along with the ring, about $700,000 in cash (which is worth about $7.6 million dollars today), a revolver, and a camera.
Eventually, Krupp and her foreman got free, however, since the battery-powered ranch phone was dead, they had to drive to the Las Vegas airport to call authorities. The FBI quickly got involved, under the assumption (which was proved correct later on) that the stolen diamond would be transported across state lines.
The FBI's attention was soon directed to John William Hagenson, a fugitive wanted in connection with a similar robbery in California. Drawing on nearly a dozen field offices, the FBI tracked Hagenson's zigzag moves across the country and eventually arrested him in Louisiana.
The FBI added other suspects to their list and were able to piece together the movements of the thieves from city to city - follow their trial across the map. At the same time, all field offices had their ears to the ground to see if the large stone would end up for sale.
And it did, about six weeks later. An agent in Newark, New Jersey, heard a rumor from a criminal informant that a local grocer was asking around, trying to sell a big diamond.
Bureau agents quickly located this man, and he led the FBI to one of the three thieves, James Reves. Agents searched his hotel room in Elizabeth and found the center diamond in the lining of his coat hanging in the closet. The two baguette diamonds were recovered from a jeweler in St. Louis during the course of the investigation.
Hagenson, Reves, and several other accomplices were brought to trial in November 1959. On November 20, Reves and two others were found guilty. A few weeks later Hagenson and the other suspects were convicted as well. Hagenson—the alleged mastermind—later beat the rap on appeal.
With all diamonds recovered, Mrs. Krupp was able to rebuild her ring. In 1968 after her death, it was bought at the then record auction price of $307,000 by Richard Burton for his wife Elizabeth Taylor. The ring was later sold after Taylor’s death.
Closing Thoughts
People steal for all sorts of reasons, but often it's driven by the desire to make quick money. While the motives behind these actions can be complex, what stands out in this case is that Mrs. Krupp was able to reclaim something that clearly meant a great deal to her. In a world where theft can take so much away, it's a small comfort to know that sometimes, justice can help restore what matters most.
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