DARING BURGLARY AT AUCKLAND.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 16, 22 April 1867, Page 94

DARING BURGLARY AT AUCKLAND.

Between Monday night and Tuesday morning last a 'night extensive and audacious .burglary was perpetrated upon the new auction mart of Mr C. Stichlmry; Queen street.' The thief or thieves appear to be adepts in this species of exploit, as they carried their plans into execution with remarkable secrecy and method. The spot selected by the burglars for effecting an entrance is situated directly in rear of the premises at a spot secluded by surrounding buildings, and overlooked by a window on the north side of Mr Buckland’s. In the room to which this window belongs we are informed that, some of Mr B.’s men. were sleeping during the night in question, but their slumbers were not disturbed by the operations of the marauders for reasons which will be apparent further on. The breach was made at a spot immediately on the right of the back entrance to the Auction Mart, where the wall is of brick and about ten inches in thickness, with a cold chisel and mallet which they carefully muf fled with a piece of an old shirt in order to deaden the sound of the blows. The burglars appear to have removed the brinks from an aperture in about two and a half feet square, through which they entered and coolly unbarred the door. Once inside how the rascals must have revelled among the large quantity of valuable booty h Y which they were surrounded! Hundreds of pounds worth of drapery, clothing, furniture, and other valuables lay about in profusion, and not a solitary Dogberry was near to mar the success of tlieir operations. From the fact that a caudle is missing it would appear that they appreciated the ad vantages of light in facilitating their movements. It is supposed that two blankets, which are missing, were hastily filled with a miscellaneous assortment of boots, shoes, shirts,, pipes, &c.. and that having satisfied them selves that they could not conveniently remove any heavier or more valuable jpilcau, the thieves extinguished the light and silently went on their way rejoicing by the open door; not, however, before they had examined the interior of a cash box, in which however they were disappointed in tlieir hope of discovering a treasure, as it contained nothing more valuable in a commercial point of view than atraos pheric fluid. Probably considering that those implements had fulfilled their mission, and would be only useless encumbrances burdened as they were with so miscellaneous an assortment of haberdashery, these nocturnal visitors left the mallet and chisel behind. These interesting mementoes gre now in the hands of the police, the former being a piece of tough ti tree roughly fashioned to the' hand, and the latter a strong cold chisel some sixteen inches in length. Mr Sticbbury left the premises secure at 5 50 aud at 2a.m. a watchman named JPolten reported the robbery to Commissioner Naughton, w r ho at once- proceeded to the spot, and ascertained the extent pi the loss. The circumstances were communicated to Mr C. Siichbury’s nephew, who resides in Freeman’s Bay, at 4 o’clock yesterday morning. The total value of the goods jstolen is estimated by Mr Stichbury at about £7O. —New Zealand Herald, ,3rd. April.