THE VATICAN BURGLARY
A MILLION PRECIOUS OBJECTS STOLEN FROM THE TREASURY OF SAINT PETER'S IN ROME

Rome, July 4 (dep. Petit Parisien.) Thieves of extraordinary audacity accomplished last night a feat reminiscent of the adventures of Rocambole, which is only now being announced. Inside the sacristy of St. Peter's lies a famous treasury containing all the precious objects donated to the Vatican by the entire world.
This morning, the treasurer noticed that the display cases were broken and that objects of inestimable value were no longer in their places. A search revealed that a large hole had been made in the vault. Realizing that a theft had occurred, Cardinal Merry del Val, Archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, was immediately notified. The investigation revealed that the stolen precious objects included a gold mass service donated by Cardinal Merry del Val to the current Pope, a gold cross with emeralds, one of St. Peter's rings, a gold chalice, and a silver ciborium adorned with diamonds that had belonged to Pius IX.
This daring theft caused a profound shock throughout the city and brought crowds of curious onlookers to the area surrounding the basilica. It appears from the police's initial findings that the thieves were fully aware of the complex topography of the area where they had decided to commit their crime, which confirms the hypothesis that they were workers who had been called upon for some time to carry out certain tasks and were sleeping in the very rooms where they worked. This would explain how they were able to carry out their crime in complete safety. The servant of a prelate living near Saint Peter's reported seeing three suspicious-looking individuals parked under the portico of the basilica last night. One of the caretakers reported hearing the roar of a car speeding away from the square around 3:00 a.m. The police have taken several workers into custody, including four painters and two masons.
Cardinal Merry del Val, Archpriest of Saint Peter's, told reporters that the damage to the treasury would amount to around one million francs, significantly reducing the figure given this morning. The cardinal added that he was particularly distressed to see that the thieves had stolen the Mass service he had offered to Pope Pius XI.