JEWEL ROBBERS

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 72, 26 March 1934, Page 11

JEWEL ROBBERS

ACTIVE IX CITY

I TWO AUDACIOUS THEFTS

J ■■■'. ■': '■■ ■ ■:■•■ •'•■' '-:' ■■ ' ' ■:'•' . ■"■'■' "Two audacious jewel robberies were perpetrated in.Wellington within a few ct hours of- -'each other during the. week-. end. At about 5.30 p.m. on Saturday a person or persons entered the pre- . s rnises of Clark aud Morris, jewellers, of rr . S7 Cuba." Street, l>y breaking a pane of ;:s glass in the back of the shop, and rcj- moved goods to the value of about £40. \n Shortly after 12.30 a.m. on Sunday a ~ man broke the plate glass window in -..,_ the shop of Walter Smart, pawnbroker, - ;; 9.7 Willis Street, snatched two trays of tarings and a few other ; articles, of a ? , total value of about £200, and escaped in the darkness ; after a short pursuit V-.s "by'. several people.who were; attracted -=. -b;y: the' crash of the breaking glass. .f BptH thefts were carried out with conW f -siderable daring, the Cuba Street' one • -'". in broad.daylight and the Willis Street .£■ one in. the presence of a comparatively .:i large" number of people who were in v[, the street at the time. Detectives are ;; investigating. f j BLOODSTAINS IN SHOP. ni . Glark aud Morris's: shop is in the tt-. Crown Building, at the corner of Cuba , : .j-and Biion. Streets. Behind the'shop .^.is a sniall workroom, the window ~of ,-; which is set high in the wall and looks .-,r out on.: to, a, passage used by other ten- {> ants in tHo building. The window is not visible from the street, but is only :-. a few yards from it. The shop is awned by Mr. V. A. Truda, who left it ■ (•at about 5 p.m. on Saturday. Half an ty's hour later another tenant heard the <-.c eraslv of breaking glass but took no ■-^particular notice. Shortly afterwards . ■; the cleaner discovered that one of the ,'panes, of Mr. Truda's. workroom was .0 broken, and a further investigation led ,r to the discovery of the theft. The • pane broken by the thief, presumably .:; with a handy-dustbin, is about'B or 9 feet above the: floor and measured 24 by. 14' inches. It vis thought that a / ladder was used" to reach it. In the ": process-of getting in the intruder ap- ": pareutly cut. himself badly, -for there -'vwere copious bloodstains on the piaster /y wall-.putside the window, all around the • interior of the shop, and on some of v thfe shelves in the window, ? ', ■; NO. JUDGE OF JEWELLERY. '"':■ fThe>thief. was a man of cxtrabrdiu- "■; ary boldness, because a lot of his haul he took from the windows facing Cuba •^Street and the side entrance; but he ■ ■'■- was obviously no judge of jewelleiy, ■■-] for he removed 24 cheap watches, -6 ■^ pads of cheap rings, 30 gold bangles, v' and a few other articles, of a total ;■" value.of about £40, when he could just I/- as easily have taken much of the far '_ ''_ m&'re valuable stock in the shop. The: ;]: most expensive rings were locked in the s^-saie," on.-which no attempt was made. =;: Blqodstains in the till gave evidence of. Jj investigation there, but n 0 money had .; ;' . been", left in it. •- Mr. Truda's loss is I] 'covered by insurance. ..-'■ .'::: "SMASH AND GKAB." : '': -r-^. The;.raid on,' Walter Smart's premises ? ■;■ was. of the" "smash and grab1' variisty .M: and .v^as; apparently carefully planned; -,:i^^ because.-the constable on duty in Willis hr:TStreetw;as hundreds of yards down the ,?,:.'street;,.near/Stewart l)awspn's -corner; -1 at the ; time/ ;; ■;■ Bystanders noticed ■ a »o: man deal.two blows at Sniarfs window" .si.ivith'what looked like a piece of piping. ■;,-: Quickly he seized.two trays of diamond - t, rings .andsome miscellaneous jewellery, -i and darted up Willis Street towards a .-i Manners Street. The night porter at -r f: ithg Duke of Edinburgh Hotel, ¥r.; T. -v to siveep-outside the front entrafnc'^ a. few .yaTds' up the .;« street from Shiart's. Booking up as s^,tte..;Wind9-w.T)roke, hesW the'^ thief ;;> cojnnienee to-run towards iiini:aUd'* he id >a.ved his broom, telling 1: the;ntaiV. to . 0 ; stop. ' Mi.'Martin says/the 'thief .diew Slr - a revolver and; thr.eatened;IVo "flri'hini iJS full of' lead," 'so he.stepged h'dik: ..The ■si maa :tju:|ieli the. 'corner -in'to^Hanners1 .-£-' Stre.ef;-/.aHd,; pursued bV" ; 'MrF'Martin , r , and 'others,,ian up' Heibßrjr%treet.:? ■He' c .had"a:,gpqjl start on his"'i)ursuersj-an: d 53 .- running Xtrongly;, was sobif %str in 'the 3 . dairkiress.'.of-Herbert' Street:^ !;: s•j. ■ % ■ • 'Mr^^ia'rt,' vwho :ie'sides;a%%ne Dnie £ " o| "Eainburgh- Hotel,' wa^'re'tiring when: he was.informed of his fds^^.l'lnspe'ey,'tion £ of the premises' rlveale'ot'1 that two holes had been broken: i-ir the winlow' about 3-feet.-fapart; -- '-The two: trays that werHKtkken: each contained about' 15 rings.; Jn his hurry "the? thief had missed " otfter. valuables, "includinn- a number of Australian banknotes. ' ■.'. The incident soon attracted a large crowd of Tjeople'.' and: cars Outside, the shop, and some of. the onlookers were able to give a description of the thief.