MORE BURGLARIES IN AUCKLAND

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 308, 17 September 1918, Page 8

MORE BURGLARIES IN AUCKLAND

NEW LYNN POST OFFICE ENTERED FOUR SUSPECTS ARRESTED ~T> By Tclegi'ißh.—Press Association. Auckland, September 16. The arrest of two armed men believed to have been connected with numerous burglaries in the city and suburbs during the last (four weeks was effected at a house in "Wellesley Street early yesterday - morning by Detective Cummings and Plain-clothes Constable M'Hugh. Both men aro young, have been resident in Auckland for some time, and one of them, James Davern, was a regular boarder at the house; the other, Jbhti M'Lelland, had only slept there on Saturday night. Tho officers, having made sure of their ground, entered the bedroom where tho men wero sleeping, and overpowered and handcuffed them before they had a. chance to offer resistance. A search revealed a loaded revolver under Davern's pillow and several plugs of gelignite under his bed, and there was a loaded revolver lying on the pillow alongside M'Lelland's head. A further quantity of gelignite was found under M'Lelland's mattress. Several rounds of ammunition for each of the revolvers were also discovered. The men. wero talcen to the police station, and formally charged. Another_ young man, Charles M'Cormack, believed to be implicated ii; breaking and entering m Queen Street, was arrested about midnight' near his home, Grey Lynn. The police were making inquiries at the man's home when they heard him approaching, and were able "to secure him without much trouble. Later. Three burglaries occurred on Saturday night—at Oldburv's gunsmith 6hop, Queen Street, where six revolvers and ammunition, valued at £12, were stolen; at the Government Oyster Depot. where a oast-iron safe was wrecked bv explosive and the cash contents of 455. stolen; and at New Lynn Post Office, where a safe was blown open by gelignite and the contents,®£s6 19s. in postal notes and £22 in cash, stolen. A fourth suspect, Patrick Gunn, aged twenty-two, was arrested enr'y this morning on a charge of being concerned in the New Lynn burglaryJames 20, and Edward James M'Lelland,' 21, came before Mr. Cutt-en, S.M., to-day on charges of having broken and entered AV. E. Hutchison's, and'the New.Zealand Bacon Co.'s and the Electrical Construction Co.'s premises, and were remanded for eight days. Charles M'Cormack, 18. was charged with breaking and entering Oklbury's sbon on Saturdav, and M'Cormack_ and Gunn wore charged with breaking and entering the New Lynn Post Office, and also were re-' mantled till Tuesday of next week. -Bail was refused. MONEV CTAT,U,\' immr POST OFFICE EECOyERED. The Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department has been advised 'that burglars entered the New Lynn Post Office at Auckland at an early hour on Sunday morning, removed the to a paddock a 'uirie away from thoj office, and there blew it open with the. aid of gelignite. The greater part of the money received on Saturday was removed in the afternoon to the Chief Post Office (Auckland) for :safe custody. The safe contained the sum of £23 2s. 3d. in cash, a small Quantity of stamps, and some postal, notes. A later telegram stated ..that the numbers of the thissi»s: postal notes had been comntynicated to all post r' fices in New Zealand, awl, the notes ■are, therefore, hardly negotiable'documents. A further message stated that three suspects had been _ arrested, and the missing money had been'recovered. A committee in Masterton has done excellent work during the last ten days in securing donations towards the Red Cross funds. Already over £5000 has been subscribed, and it would not be surprising if this amount were nearly doubled before the canvass is completed.