THE NEW YORK HERALD

New York City, New York, U.S.A.

28 May 1916

(page 10)

MYSTERY IN $10,000 REWARD FOR A LOST JADE.

STOLEN FROM NECK OF "DR. S. Y. S." ABROAD,

IT HALTS A "POLITICAL COUP."

A mysterious story of Oriental cunning and superstition is believed to lie behind an advertisement which appeared this morning in the lost and found column of the HERALD. It reads:—

$10,000 will be paid for information leading to the recovery, intact, of the Jade Kwannon stolen from Dr. S. Y. S. on August 29, 1914. STUART X., 2619 Woodley place, Washington, D. C.

The Stuart mentioned in this advertisement is Henry C. Stuart, a prominent and wealthy resident of Washington, a member of the Chevy Chase and of the Army and Navy Clubs.

When Mr. Stuart was asked about the advertisement he referred the inquirer to Mr. Aleister Crowley, who is stopping at the Stuart home. Mr. Crowley lives in England, but has been in Washington for some time. He at first declined to talk, but finally gave a few interesting details of the loss of the jade.

The Jade Kwannon, it seems, was owned by “Dr. S. Y. S.,” who carried it attached to a cord around his neck. Suddenly “Dr. S. Y. S.” fell over unconscious while sitting in his garden in a country not named, and when he recovered the jade was missing. The thieves, it is said, brought it to the United States, where it is supposed to be now. The date of the loss was August 29, 1914.

“The great political movement must go on,” said Mr. Crowley, with a mysterious nod of his head. Further questioning developed the fact that the jade is supposed to be necessary in order to effectuate a “political coup.” As long as the jade is missing everything must stand still. The value of the jade is between $500 and $1,000, according to Mr. Crowley, so that the $10,000 reward is offered merely because of its value as an asset in the political move. In the Orient such a jade is known as a “goddess of love.”

This jade, it is said, is eight inches long. It must be returned intact and after it is returned it could be thrown away. It is supposed to contain some mysterious “secret chamber,” the contents of which make it valuable.

According to Mr. Crowley, between five hundred and six hundred persons know where the jade can be located. The persons who have it, he believes, are possesses of great wealth—more than anyone in the country, with the exception of a dozen men or so. The $10,000 reward is offered in the hope that some of the five hundred or six hundred persons who know where it is may be temporarily “hard up.” Mr. Crowley regards the time as ripe for its recovery.

“The movement involving this jade is more important that the European war,” said Mr. Crowley, significantly. “It must go on.”