The Woman Who Swallowed A Stolen Diamond, And Its Owner Who Faced Murder Charges If He Insisted On Surgery
A jeweler was told by a judge that he could legally compel a thief to have surgery to get a stolen gem back, but if she died he would be legally responsible for her death
Too frequently, criminals are too smart for their own good. It remains to be seen if that was the case for a young woman named Mae Thomas, who when caught in the process of stealing a valuable diamond more than a century ago, popped the precious gem in her mouth and swallowed it. In the following weeks, she not only faced the consequences for her crimes, but also the prospect of mandatory surgery to get it back.
Shenanigans abounded in 1906 Omaha, Nebraska, when a young woman named Mae Thomas was perusing gems in the T.L. Coombs jewelry store. She immediately garnered attention when she attempted to leave the shop with a diamond ring secreted in her lace handkerchief. Acting as if it was a simple mistake, she apologized. However, the shop wasn’t buying it and called the police.
As the shop waited for the authorities to arrive, they seated her at a table in their diamond room. When the cops showed up, they stood together, observing the…
