MIDNIGHT MARAUDERS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2295, 14 September 1908, Page 2

MIDNIGHT MARAUDERS.

BOOT SHOP BURGLED

STEEL SAFE REMOVED

When Mr. W. J. Honuessy, boot importer, of Gladstone flood, arrived at his shop to commence the day's business on Saturday morning he noticed that tho door leading to the bock room, and which he had locked on Friday evening, was wide open. Appearances at once told him that his shop had been entered by thieves during the night, and an-examination discolsed the fact that tho lock of the door had been broken off, uiul a small steel safe containing his books and three bowling club medals removed. Tho police were at once informed of tho burglary, and upon visiting tho shop found traces that seemed to show that the burglars approached tho shop from Read's Quay, through the yard of the Albion stables, and had attempted to force the back door. Finding this unworkable, attention was directed to the back window. A hole was made in one of the panes, and the latch removed, but tho visitors wore oven- then unable to open the window as the proprietor had- been specially cautious and pinned the sash with a nail. One of the top panes was then knocked right out and an entrance to the back room effected in that way, there being visible marks to establish this clue. The back door was then unlocked, and the safe, which was on a stand near tho window, hi ken out. The -direction by which the safe was remoyed could be traced right to the Read’s Quay road by -small dents in tho ground, which wero evidently made by rolling the safe over and over. The footmarks showed that more than one person was implicated in the crime, and that the safe was carted away in a vehicle. The shop till had also been prized open, apparently with the assistance of ia boot-stretclior, and the contents scattered on- the floor. The till contained no money, but -a few papers were found outside the shop. Mr. Hennossy estimates that about twenty pairs of hoots are missing. The burglars evidently wont about their work in a premeditated manner, hut there are also signs that the -adventure was carried out. by inexperienced hands, and they found their task an unprofitable one, for Mr. Henneeey had removed all the cash from the shop on Fridny. THE SAFE RECOVERED. On Sunday morning two men riding on horsoback found the safe lying on the Waikan-ao beach, near the foot of Grey Street, where it had' been blown open by some explosive. The safe was empty, and badly damaged. Tho threo medals wero not found, but it is possible they might bo buried in the srnd by the force of the explosion .