The News and Observer from Raleigh, North Carolina (2024)

March 23, 1990

Publication:

The News and Observeri

Location:

Raleigh, North Carolina

Issue Date:

Friday, March 23, 1990

Page:

2

Extracted Article Text (OCR)

lA The News and Observer Raleigh NC Friday March 23 1990 Close up News summary Art thieves rarely target masterpieces es 1: (:::: i '4' 4- i ks et 's t4 t' 4: 7 4: Ak' i 1 l'sk: 'n' -r 1 1 i 'f 1 i 7-: I -41'i" k-: i :1 :4 A -41 i i 0 tt kyo- -k i 1it '44 I i rr i 0 kkg'' 1 :1 1': 1 1-4k 01 '1 f' 7 7 4f '''1t 1 7 The Assockrted Press 5 4 '4 er 44''! i 4 42ti: 4: I I 1 A r- i i i :41 I i is? 1 :::4: :::1: i 4'4 I t''r-L 't 4 13 i ennummom mmonomMift :1 r1 rkttv I 0 1:: I -1 tiftealowitr II I 1 )i )fik 'y (717r71t to: 1') 9-- 7 1 ti'4: 'i 466-- 4 '1 141 1 7'Atft'4' 44 Ethnic protests Continue Romanians demonstrate for the fourth straight day in Tirgu Mures a Transylvanian town where at least six people have died In clashes between Romanians and ethnic Hungarians A special commission met with representatives of the two communities In an effort to defuse tensions Story page BA The Dutch Room of the Isabella Boston was left In a shambles known to be in private hands "They have taken the cream" Sir Alfred said after the robbery The thieves demanded a ransom of $12 million and the transfer of four Irish Republican Army members serving life sentences in London to jails in Northern Ireland Eight days after the theft the Irish police found the works undamaged in a vacation cottage near Glandore a resort They arrested Bridget Rose Dugdale 33 the daughter of an English millionaire who had rented the by The Associated Press Stewart Gardner Museum in art thieves cottage After pleading "proudly and incorruptibly guilty" she was sentenced to nine years in prison She was released in 1980 With his collection restored Sir Alfred installed an alarm system connected to the local police station At 2 am on May 21 1986 the alarm went off The police searched but found nothing amiss and concluded it was a false alarm After daybreak it was discovered that 18 of Sir Alfred's paint ings most of them the ones stolen in 1974 were missing The police speculated that the thieves deliberately set off the alarm then hid until after the search In December at an Interpol seminar on art theft in Lyons France Thomas Burns detective superintendent with the Dublin police said contact had been made with a criminal group that claimed to know about the Russ borough works and he hoped the works might be recovered One of the lessons of the Russ-borough case said Constance Lowenthal executive director of the International Foundation for Art Research is that "when an art collection becomes vulnerable it's really vulnerable" The 1974 theft probably put an idea into the minds of those responsible for the 1986 theft she said A small Rembrandt self-portrait in the Dulwich College Picture Gallery at a British prep school outside London has been stolen four times in the past 15 years she said The theft of nine Impressionist paintings from the Marmottan Museum in Paris in 1985 is notable both for the fame of the paintings and the audacity of the crime Five unmasked gunmen held up nine guards and 40 visitors at the museum in broad daylight and drove away in a gray car with five Monets and two Renoirs valued at $125 million One of the Monets "Impression Sunrise" gave its name to the Impressionist movement Officials said the museum's security system which was wired directly to the police station had not sounded an alarm because it was activated only at night Elizabeth Gams an art-theft specialist for Interpol in Lyons said Wednesday that although there are no direct leads in the case she thinks the paintings have left France Another person in the French police said that delicate talks were under way concerning the Marmottan Museum theft but that recovery of the paintings was still in doubt In each of these cases the authorities say they think ransom was the motive "The problem is the people who steal are not any good at the second part of the game" Dr Lowenthal said "That requires a whole different set of connections and skills" the ones issing I that the off the after the I Interpol In Lyons detective re Dublin lad been roup that the Russ hoped the ed the Russ-Constance 'rector of lation for "when an vulneraD" )13 put an of those theft she idt selfh College itish prep has been past 15 Iressionist Earmottan is notable paintings crime en held up ors at the 'light and with five valued at name to nent museum's was wired ation had )ecause it ght art-theft in Lyons although ads in the paintings re French ate talks tning the ft but that was still ases the ik ransom leople who )d at the me" Dr requires a )nnections Nationworld Verdict favors Hazehvood: A jury in Anchorage acquitted former Capt Joseph Hazelwood of all but one minor charge in the grounding of the Exxon Valdez in Alaska's Prince William Sound Mr Hazelwood was cleared of charges of criminal mischief a felony and intoxication and reckless endangerment He was found guilty of negligent discharge of petroleum IA Soviets pressure Lithuania: Soviet authorities began confiscating weapons from Lithuanians sent in KGB troops to reinforce border posts and pressed the republic to back off its claim of independence from Moscow Lithuanians stood firm IA Anti-abortion bill advances in Idaho: Idaho's Senate gave final approval to anti-abortion legislation specifically crafted to force the Supreme Court to consider overturning its 1973 decision legalizing abortion The action was hailed as a significant victory by the anti-abortion movement but it was unclear whether Gov Cecil Andrus would sign the bill IA Meese defends Poindexter: Former Attorney General Edwin Meese III testified for the defense in John Poindexter's Iran-contra trial Mr Meese said he had no knowledge that Mr Poindexter had participated in a cover-up of the affair However the prosecutor's interrogation suggested that Mr Poindexter had concealed key facts from Mr Meese 3A Health gap widens: The US Public Health Service said that by most major indicators life expectancy infant mortality heart disease stroke and cancer whites are getting healthier while minorities are doing worse Other reports also have documented a widening gulf in health status between the white majority and blacks Hispanics and other minorities 3A Agency recalls L-tryptophan: Expanding an earlier limited recall the Food and Drug Administration recalled all products containing the dietary supplement L-tryptophan The drug has been linked to a muscular disorder called eosinophiliamyalgia syndrome (EMS) that has killed at least 19 people 4A Teaching gains as career choice: Interest in the teaching profession which fell on hard times in the early 1980s is growing propelled by public concern over education and by increasing salaries Enrollment in teaching programs rose by 61 percent between 1985 and 1989 a study found Minority teachers are still in relatively short supply SA Labor candidate routs Thatcher's choice: Voters in a by-election in central England strongly rejected Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's candidate The Labor Party victory marked the Conservatives' worst defeat in a special parliamentary election in 50 years The outcome was likely to fuel speculation that the Tories might try to dump Mrs Thatcher as leader this fall BA De Klerk stresses commitment to change: After meeting with President FW de Klerk in Cape Town US Secretary of State James A Baker HI said Mr de Klerk bad told him that his government was on an irreversible course toward creating a non-racial democracy Mr Bush said he was impressed by the South African leader's commitment BA fe'? i v'ciIr 4f i 1 1v 1---77t I ''i----- rs'40 'W'ssA I 0 W6 rlS :4 A 4elr 11rt'4- csa 7 r- i The Associated Press The two suspects who posed as police officers are shown in sketches with and without the mustaches witnesses described By WILLIAM HONAN New York notes News Service The theft of 12 masterworks valued at more than $200 million from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston on Sunday may be the biggest art theft in history but it is hardly unique Enough stolen masterpieces are still "out there" to fill a museum art professionals and police specialists say Last year the International Foundation for Art Research which compiles data on stolen art reported about 5000 thefts The organization says only a small percentage of stolen art is recovered Masterpieces are not usually primary targets for theft because they are so difficult to dispose of Thieves usually take more obscure works that are difficult to trace But some masterpieces are stolen One difficult and risky way to convert a masterpiece into cash is to return it to its owner for ransom That prospect is chiefly responsible for some of the more sensational art thefts of recent years authorities say Apart from the Boston theft the two biggest art robberies in recent years are the Russborough and Marmottan cases Other major unsolved thefts include 28 15th-century and 16thcentury Dutch and Italian Old Master paintings and drawings valued at $6 million to $10 million stolen from the Colnaghi gallery in New York in 1988 and the loss of "Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder which was stolen from the Courtauld Institute in London in 1982 The Russborough case involves two thefts 12 years apart In April 1974 an armed gang led by a young woman burst into Russborough the elegant 18thcentury stone mansion in Blessington Ireland of Sir Alfred Beit a gold-mining millionaire Sir Alfred and his family and servants were tied up and the gang stole 19 masterworks by Vermeer Francisco de Goya Peter Paul Rubens Thomas Gains-borough Diego Velazquez Frans Hals and others The police said the paintings were worth $192 million then One of them a small painting by the 17th-century Dutch master Jan Vermeer "Lady Writing a Letter With Her Maid" is noted for its remarkable luminosity and sense of intimacy It was valued at $72 million Apart from a Vermeer owned by Queen Elizabeth II it is the only one of about 35 of the master's extant paintings 0 l'! 1 :::1 11t 0 1f r' -7' A-: 'A 1 '50 A 1 A A 4 '4: I (OD 1-1 at" A I ia ur a APOP 4buni a Jot IFNAtra W1 Nowhome security al you need household tool I k' Localstate Grades figure in NCSU arguments: NC State Universi ty's attorney has told trustees they have two legal grounds academic performance and NCAA violations on which to argue that the contract with Jim Valvano is not valid Records show that of the 41 basketball players who had played for Mr Valvano by the spring of 1988 six had a grade point overage of 10 or less on a 40 scale Another 24 had a GPA of 195 or less IA Democrats offer option to prison plan: To correct an overcrowded corrections system key Democratic leaders favor a statewide house-arrest program and fewer new prison beds than Gov James Martin has proposed Democrats would add only 3274 new beds by 1992 while expanding two non-prison alternatives for 8200 other convicts The Republican governor has called for building 9500 more prison beds and for a $490 million prison bond issue 1 Atlantic Beach imposes ban: The town board of Atlantic Beach banned public drinking of alcoholic beverages on the town's boardwalk Officials of the Carteret County town said the ban was aimed at upgrading "the circle" the town's main entertainment area 1 UNC proposal calls for drug testing of athletes: A draft policy calls for athletes at UNC schools across the state to be Subject to unannounced drug tests Athletes who refused to take urinalysis tests would not be allowed to play and those who who tested positive more than once would be suspended or have their scholarships taken away The policy is likely to be approved by the Board of Governors in April or May 28 Zoo opens new center: The NC Zoological Park in Asheboro dedicated its new $22 million David Stedman Education Center which is stocked with books bugs and a "Bioscanner" that magnifies insects' movements 4B City gets clearance for big annexation: Jacksonville will become the state's seventh-largest city on July 1 when its annexation of Camp Lejeune and adjacent civilian neighborhoods will take effect The US Justice Department cleared the way for the annexation which will bring the city's population to about 67000 more than double its present total 4B Judge orders funeral home operator's arrest: A Wake Superior Court judge ordered a Raleigh funeral home operator arrested after finding him in contempt of court for not cleaning up a Pitt County barn filled with human bones and other medical waste The operator John Gray did not attend the hearing 4B 1 116 11111J mipl 1 1 Thanl you don't electr At ope 6--' 'o'' a :4 i----- sy rt 5 1 II 1: :7 Pi' is so simple is this Thanks you don't electrical i 4 3 1 to Alert Centres need a PhD in engineering to operate a home security i system Just your finger 3-LI'' i Well design a system that you re 41 comfortable with Memorize this Program that Turn this on Turn this off If your system is too difficult to operate what's the point of having one? Just stop by our new store and we'll design a system that gives you all the protection you want We have a staff of top professionals who really linow the business They can show you systems that'll do verything from changing security codes over the phone to turning your house lights on and off And you won't have to worry about installation Because all security systems are professionally installed We can do it for you in one trip Finding ds security system t-- -4 i used to take 14 14 44411 41 hours Even days 4 f'--)1 But The Alert 1: :4 Centre makes it easy And quick So stop by our brand new store and take a look around And bring your finger You'll need it to pick out the system that's right for you 1 4'4 ::::4 01'' 1 '711is 'ko 5t zm TIS ights tion 1Y a tern days rt es it uick a A Sports Duke stays alive In tourney: Duke's Blue Devils defeated UCLA to advance in the NCAA basketball tournament but fellow ACC members North Carolina and Clemson lost IC ALERT CENTRE -4-- THE 1i How to reach us: News departments: Local news 829-4520 State news 829-4540 Triangle Observer 829-4575 Business news 829-4562 Other departments: Circulation 829-4700 information 829-4500 Sports 829-4560 Features 329-4564 Chapel Hill office 821-7518 Editorials 829-4511 Classified ads Display ads Js 829-4600 829-4646 0 Pleasant Valley Promenade 6208-102 Glenwood Avenue Raleigh NC 27612 (919) 783-4848 't 111.

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