Ebook: The Duke Of Wellington, Kidnapped!: the Incredible True Story Of The Art Heist That Shocked A Nation

Introduction -- Foreword -- Chapter 1: Missing -- Chapter 2: Tom Sawyer Meets Oliver Twist -- Chapter 3: When and How -- Chapter 4: The Making of a Crusader -- Chapter 5: Anatomy of an Investigation -- Chapter 6: The Crusade -- Chapter 7: The Ransom Notes (Coms 2-5) -- Chapter 8: Waiting Game -- Chapter 9: The Duke Returned -- Chapter 10: Defeat -- Chapter 11: Surrender -- Chapter 12: Pretrial -- Chapter 13: Before the Bombshell -- Chapter 14: Bombshell -- Chapter 15: Kempton Bunton Takes the Stand -- Chapter 16: The Main Event -- Chapter 17: The Defendant On Points -- Chapter 18: Final Rounds -- Chapter 19: Verdict -- Chapter 20: New Law, New Confession -- Chapter 21: Crime Solved -- Chapter 22: Second Mystery Solved -- Chapter 23: A Hero for Our Time -- Chapter 24: (Non)Conclusion -- Notes -- Documents and Photographs -- Acknowledgments.;In 1961, a thief broke into the National Gallery in London and committed the most sensational art heist in British history. He stole the museum's much prized painting, The Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya. Despite unprecedented international attention and an unflagging investigation, the case was not solved for four years, and even then, only because the culprit came forward voluntarily. Kempton Bunton, an elderly gentleman, claimed he executed the theft armed with only a toy gun, a disguise purchased for five shillings, and a getaway car inadvertently provided by a drunkard. Shortly after turning himself in, Bunton also invoked language in an obscure law to maintain his innocence, despite the confession. He did not allege that the confession was false, but rather that stealing the painting did not constitute a crime because he intended to return it. On account of this improbable defense strategy, the story took another twist, resulting in a bizarre courtroom drama and extraordinary verdict. Over fifty years later, Alan Hirsch decided to explore the facts behind this historic case and uncovered shocking new evidence that both solved the crime and deepened the mystery. As Hirsch immersed himself in court documents, National Gallery archives, press accounts