AKREST OP A FASHIONABLE BURGLAK.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1605, 9 July 1887, Page 3

AKREST OP A FASHIONABLE BURGLAK.

The Wellington correspondent of the " Otago Daily Times " sends the following under dule 6th inst : — There has been a good deal of excitement and uneasiness ia Wellington for some weeks past on account of numerous burglaries, and untilto day no clue had been discovered by 1b.6 po ice, whose failure to detect the perpetrators of these wholesale robberies was not at al favorably regarded by the public. To day. however, Detective Campbell suddenly effected a Very smatt capture of the ringleader, if not the sole culprit, who has also successfully carried out a very skilful and daring series of impostures. The account of the affair given by the poiice is as follows :— To-day Detective Campbell arrested a younjj man named Leonard Tyler, alias A, Fairfax, charging him with the burglary which was committed some days ago i.t Mr W. Wemyas' sample room. It appears that information was given to the detective this morning by Mr H. Gilmer, landlord of the Empire Hotel, which cast doubt on the bona fides of a man named Tyler, who had been boardiDg at that hostelry for the last month. Campbell at once asked that he might bo brought face to face with the impostor. As ]\lr Gilmer was not prepared at the timo to lay an information for false pretences, he" was taken to the hotel, and a sitting-room upstairs, m which Tyler would be found, was pointed out Detective Campbell sauntered carelessly into the parlour and inquired m an offdand tone for Mr Gilmer, and then withdrew. The young man waa dreßsad J m the approved " maaher" fashion, and; ooolly amoked a cigar aa he lolled bacK In ooe of the eaßy chairs reading a newspaper. Detective Campbell's next step waa to pay a visit to the bedroom occupied by the suspect. On entering he remarked the fact that Tyler's luggage included a j portmanteau which ha had not been men |to bring into the hotel The portmantean ! was opened, and found to contain such a miscellaneous assortment of haberdashery aa is seldom carried about by any gentleman on his travels. The state of affalra at once convinced the detective that something wan wrong, and he hurried across the street to Mr Wemyfs and brought him to the hoteJ. Mr Wamysa at once identified most of the goods aa being his property. The detective returned to the parlor, and found the young man still smoking m blissful ignorance of the storm which waa about to burst over his head. Whea Campbell smuonnoed hia Intention of airegciug him, he expressed the utmost indignation and astonishment. He stated that he had brought all the goods that were m his room from Sydney, but finding that resistance would be use'eea, he submitted and begged Campbell to remember that he waß a gentlemaD, and asked that he should not be handled roughly. He was promptly marohed off to the lockup and safely lodged within the walls. The contents of the portmanteau were chiefly atticlea of plunder, and the implements with which a burglarious cueer had evidently been carried, on. One compartment w,ib filled with a collection of rilk haudkerchiefs, ladlea' embroidered handkerohiefs, white shirts, gentletnen'a underclothing, oolhrs, etc., all quite new, most of the articlehiving never been worn. The other division waa devoted to the tools of the trade. These consisted of three or foar ■ pieces of thin iroD, saoh aa would be extremely useful m removing a lock, a candle, and Beveral old tattered and mud-stained garments, which are m niarkei contrast to the armrt clothing usually worn by the prisoner. Another significant article wan a pair of slippers from wlvch the heele had been rexn ved, and which would make an impression somewhat similar to that of a stockinged foot, besides enabling the weaker to walk noiselessly. Footprints of this kind were found on the floor of at least one hotol which was broken into last week. The old clothes were bespattered with candlegreiße m addition to the stains of mud which marked the kucea of the tromere. The prisoner preset) ted himself at the Empire Hotel about a month ago, bearing a letter of introduction which purported to have been signed by Mr C. A. DeLautour, solicitor, of Gisborne, formerly M.H.R, for Mount Id*. Ia this letter Mr DeLautour was represented as making himself responsible for the young man's hotel expanse until his (the aupposed writer's) arrival In Wellington. Prisoner gave the name of Lord Tyler, and commenoad to live m a style o£ magnificence, which bo far as expense was concerned, wai fully m keeping with his assumed rank. He indulged rather lavishly m wine and cigars ; bnt after a time the landlord ceased to supply wine to his customer's order. Further credit for billiards was aho discontinued on the principle that though Mr De Lautour might have undertaken to pay the supposed lord's acual expenses, be wr.3 likely to discourage auoh extravagances. At longtb, however, Mr Giltner's suspicions became aroused, and he telegraphed to Mr De L'.utonr inqnirlng whether he had given any such authority as waa made to appear. This morning the imposture wa-a expos: tl by the receipt of a telegram from that gentleman absolutely denying that he had given any person permission to use hia name. When Tyler arrived at die hotel, hia supposed credentials were shown to Mr Gulnneaa, M.H.11 , who was then living at the Empire, and who, having of course no suspicion, Identified the signature of the letter as being apparently that of Mr Do Lautour, Several Incidents also occurred during prisoner's stay at the hotel whioh would have excUed special attention but that he appeared bo hlgh'y authenticated. For Instance, ho hen Bhown a singular reluctance to leave Hi quartern In the day-time, bnb paiaed nearly all his days m lounging about the sitting room, and h n only ventured abroad after nightfall. £galn he inqu'red several days ago whether any r. -.reel addressed to Mr Fairfax bad arrived. On astonishment being expressed at bis change of name he replied with an air of noncha'ance that it did not matter, but If Bach parcels should ba deliverei thoy would Vi meant for hfm. Nothing fs known by the local police as to where the prisoner came from. He has, however, been convicted t'iree tlme3 within the present year for vapranoy under the name of Leonard Tyler. His particular offenco was that of having trespr3~ed on a Governmeut railway carriage for the purpose of passing the nfolit there. This being the caae, It would appear somewhat surprising that his change of habit escaped the attention of the police, bub for the retiring disposition already noticed. Tyler will be brought-up at the Magistrate's Court ,totnoivow, but will probably bo remanded pending a farther preliminary Investigation of the effalr. It aeema he actually applied some t'ma ago to be admitted Into the detective force, and urged m Luppo. t of the application that he conld *' lay " the polica on to a notorious lov.irer. On being pressed for furthar information he indicated am fltrjßpec'alljoit'z)a, whose antecedents were well known to be quite unimpeachable. The case altogether is a very purlouo one,