AUDACIOUS THIEF

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 7, 23 January 1937, Page 6

AUDACIOUS THIEF

Cfuef Justice's House Burgled

FUNNY SIDE OF AFFAIR

The Lord Chlef Justloe, Lord Hew"art, returned with Lady Heweirt to hls He'rtfordshlre house — Gardeh HUI, Totterbridge — reoently, after a threemonths' holiday ln South Afrloa, to flnd the locks torn ofl the doors, hls private papers ln confuslon, hls typewriter and gramophone gone and hls entire wardrobe stolen. "Not oontent wlth taklng &U the'se thlngs," said L&dy Hewart, " the burglar drAnk a bottle of sherry and smoked my husband's clgars. Ha seems to hava enjoyed hlmself immensely." Lord Hewart ahrugsed hls shouldere and smlled. "It's not & pleasant situatlon to re'turn to after a holiday," he said, "but, after all, there mlght have been greal deal more damage. We shall take good cara that it doea not happen agaln." The thief who broke into the house' wheh Lord and Lady HoWart were stlll on the high seas got ln through a small wlndow on the ground floor, and forced hls way Into several of the rooms iby wrenohlng off the elght-effnth-oentury brass locks and handles. " We thlnk he must have been dlsturbed be'/ore reaohing the silver in the dlnlng room," said Lady Hewart, " but, |u any oase, he made a very odd oholce of thlngs to steal. He took the typewriter and the grampo-, phcne, and all my husband's suits that •were in the house — 15 or 16 of them. He igpored some quite valuable silver ornaments in his bedroom, ibut took the trouhle to bring my manicure things downstairs and scatter them over the drawing room. "Really — though it's very annoylng — the' affalr has its funny side. We couldn't help laughing when we thought of the Lord Ghief Justice's suits being worn in some thieves' rendezvous in the East End." The thief had broken the heavy iron bar that guarded the wlndow shuttefrs and had used it to smash the door locks, and to force open an antique de&k which was oonsiderably damaged. "My husband's papeTs were thrown all over the plaoe," Lady Hewart said, " ofQolal papers as well as a number of personal lettera of great sehtimental value to him. He has been busy re-arranging them with his seordtary ever since we got in." "Almost the most tiresome thing is the breaking of the old locks and door mdles. If we inadvertently close .e doors on the ground floor we can't open them again from the inside. I shut myseJlf in the' dining room by accident and it was 20 minutes ibefore I could make the servant's hear."