Het proces Begeer

Summary

When he returns to Amsterdam after years as a cowboy in Texas, Jan Bolkenstein, because of his knowledge of foreign countries and languages, soon becomes the natural leader of a gang of criminals hanging out in the notorious pub The City of Antwerp, where his cronies dub him "The King of the Zeedijk". One evening he meets a young girl, Marie de Kruif, whose fresh innocence makes a deep impression on him. Marie admires him, although she is aware of his shady way of life. Bolkenstein and his mates Willem Veltman and Henri Klopper are planning to burgle the warehouse of the jewellers' firm Begeer in the centre of Amsterdam. In the night of 29th-30th April 1917 they break into the building and steal valuables to the tune of thousands of guilders. When they leave the premises, the three thieves are seen by some policemen who pursue them but are unable to catch them.

After the burglary, about which he has kept Marie in the dark, Bolkenstein promises the girl that he will turn over a new leaf. When he asks her to marry him, she accepts. Superintendent Heeroma, the shrewd chief of the Amsterdam criminal investigation department, has an idea where to seek the culprits, as he recognizes the method followed by the master burglars. He sends out the police spy Jan Hulsman to entice the trio into a trap. With the aid of Alfred Weiss, a member of the Board of Directors of Begeer who offers to buy back the jewellery, the plan succeeds in every detail. The stolen goods are recovered and the three burglars are arrested. Their trial arouses colossal public interest and every day the courtroom is filled with people of every rank and station who follow the proceedings breathlessly. After several sittings of the Amsterdam Court of Justice, Bolkenstein, Veltman and Klopper are sentenced to imprisonment for six years. During the trial, Marie has been sitting in a waiting-room in an agony of terror. When she hears the verdict, she rushes into the courtroom and embraces her beloved Jan. (over; xyz; feiten eruit)