Posted on 06/20/2003 10:02:58 AM PDT by dead
To the monks of Mont Saint-Odile, perched high in the Vosges mountains in north-eastern France, it seemed like the work of the devil: during nearly two years of doubt and mystification, 1100 ancient books disappeared from the monastery library without any trace of a break-in.
On Thursday the mystery concluded when the thief, Stanislas Gosse, 33, was given a suspended sentence of 18 months for a burglary that had echoes of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose and a touch of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
The thief, who baffled priests and police between August 2000 and May last year, said he was driven by passion for the priceless books, filling his little Strasbourg flat with massive volumes dating back to the 15th century.
He had found a forgotten map in public archives, revealing secret access to the locked library from the attic.
The attic, reached by a daring climb up exterior walls, led to a steep, narrow stairway and then the secret chamber. A hidden mechanism opened up the back of one of five cupboards in the library. The plans suggested that the secret passage served in medieval times to spy on the monks' conversations.
Inside the library, Gosse spent hours by candlelight picking out volumes, some of which he stored in the attic.
The librarian, Alain Donius, called the police to report that entire shelves had been cleared. Even though the locks were changed and the library door reinforced with steel, books continued to disappear at a steady rate during the police inquiry.
Gosse told the court: "I'm afraid my burning passion overrode my conscience. It may appear selfish, but I felt the books had been abandoned. They were covered with dust and pigeon droppings and I felt no one consulted them any more. There was also the thrill of adventure - I was very scared of being found out."
The mystery was solved when police installed a video camera. As night fell they watched Gosse fill three suitcases with books.
His counsel, Cathy Petit, said her client had taken great care of the books and even restored some of them. The prosecutor said Father Donius had forgiven Gosse and told him he could come back to the library - but only through the front door.
The Guardian
3 words. Hidden security cameras.
The mystery was solved when police installed a video camera.
Sorry. Bleary eyes thought they read that he had confessed. Surprised the camera wasn't done much earlier. You know how the pop ups used to pester everybody about those x10 cameras.
Hope that helps one or two people :-).
Hmmm Ok but you are wrong!
I have an X10 camera set that I use for security in my humble little store. I have caught several shoplifters red handed with a video tape of their act (even playing it back for the parents of the miscreants) I have consulted with the local law officials and they tell me they are definitely good enough quality for identification and would hold up in court!
Ah, yes, the only hobby that is also clinically recognized as a mental illness. I, too, am afflicted with the gentle madness.
Both of us! :-) Why I have over 6000 books here on my shelves.
(sigh)...vision 400/20...too much :(
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Gods |
Blast from the Past. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. |
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