EASY BUGLARY

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 137, 6 December 1930, Page 10

EASY BUGLARY

THE PAHIATUA AFFAIR

HOW,IT WAS DONE

(By Telegraph.)

(Special to "The Evening Post.")

PAHIATUA, sth December. Three young men, William Gladstone Thorns, Robert Meynall Calvert, and William Francis Calvert, the first two from Petone, and the third from Eastbourne, pleaded guilty this afternoon to burglary at the W.F.C.A. They were committed for sentence to the Supreme Court, Wellington. In a statement to tho police Thorns said that-on Thursday, 13th November, lie picked up Robert Calvert in his ear and they drove to Eastbourne to his brother's place on Marine parade. They there met William Calvert, and invited him to go to Hay wards with them. They told him. that they had a job up there, and on, tho way they got talking about breaking into places, and it was suggested that they should take on the W.F.C.A. store at Pahiatua. They drove to Pahiatua and arrived there between 4.30 and 5 p.m. They parked their car in a side street off. the town just off Main street. Then they walked around tho town and had a look around the Farmers' premises back and front, and decided to have another look at it that night. They went back to the car and drove to Woodville, where they had a cup of tea at • the railway- station. Returning to Pahiatua about 9 p.m., they parked the car in a back street near the school, waiting in it until about midnight, when they shifted the motor to a street about a mile- away from the store. They walked back and climbed over a wall into the back yard of the Farmers' premises. They found the back door secured on the inside with bolts let down into tho floor and at tho top. Bob Calvert put his hand under the door and lifted the two bottom bolts. He then managed to squeeze in through the bottom of the door, which he opened, and all got into the store. They set to work to collect a largo quantity of men's clothing, boots, shoes, ladies' clothing, etc., and placed, them in suit cases. Some of the goods they tied up in travelling rugs. They carried the plunder out of the back of the shop and placed it on a lorry which was in the yard, and drove it down to the whore the car had been left. Tho goods were transferred and they sot out for Petone. On tho way they discovered that they had lost a big suit case containing shirts, suits, cardigans, and other articles, having probably loft it outside tho Farmers' promises or where they transhipped tho goods. There was not chanco of it falling off (he car. When they arrived at Petone, they drove straight to Eastbourne, where William Calvert took tho goods ho wanted. They then unloaded the remainder, leaving them with Calvert until the Monday, when Bob Cavort and Thorns took what they wanted to Potonc. All the goods found at his place represented his share of the stolon property. There was no woman in their company at Pahiatua, and no other person had anything to do with it. As far as ho knew, all the property taken from the Farmers' had been recovered, with tho exception of that in the suit-caso lost on the way. . Robert Calvert and his brother William corroborated the statement.