Daring Capers II: Hesse Jewels/Queen of Jewels

When the American Third Army captured Kronberg Castle in April 1945, the military appointed Captain Kathleen B. Nash to operate the castle as an officers' club. One day, a corporal discovered a hidden wine cellar containing a cache of jewelry. Nash had the gems brought up to her suite and spread out on the floor -- nine diamond-studded tiaras, a procession of diamond bracelets, rings, watches and more. Nash and her lover removed the gems from their original settings and smuggled them back to the United States. They had stolen the Crown Jewels of Hesse. The couple was married shortly before the U.S. government caught up with them, but only a portion of the jewels were recovered. The program also examines the story of Louise Davis, a con woman and jewel thief. For forty years, she captivated jewelers with her knowledge of gems as she carefully slipped one of the pieces onto her finger. Her luck ran out in 1991, but few of the items stolen by Davis have been recovered.