Audacious Thieves.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 July 1921, Page 1

Audacious Thieves.

TRTCKS WORKED ON SYDNEY PEOPLE.

SYDNEY, July M

A solemn .Magistrate was presiding over a solemn suburban police court. The proceedings droned on, and the attendants were in a pleasant postprandial half-dose. The door was opened quietly aiul two men entered with a step-ladder. They went to the back ot Die Court, removed the large clock, and took it away. No one objected. The clock had not been keeping good tune, and some slight attention was needed No one ever saw Die clock again in that Court. Some days passed, in fact, before those interested began even to suspect the trick that had been worked on them. A city limn got married, and fmnislied, with elaboration and taste, a charming bungalow in a waterside 5ub,,,.1,. The house remained locked up, while the couple were away on honeymoon. One day a couple of vans stopped before the house, and three men hot,an to load the furniture into the vans. No one interfered with them. That is a peculiarity of Sydney life

“stickvbcak” neighbour* nro not 6 "" coil raged. When the married couple came back home, they found 90 per cent their new furniture missing, and was never traced. A man who was once a suceesstul auclinner in Invercargill, and is now a resident of Sydney, bought a salanola ( j, cabinet gramophone! for Cl ° lll ° other day, put il in the hack of his car and left it there while he and lus wife went into Grace Bros’ big department store. When they came hack the big talking machine, with various parcels, had vanished, and was never seen again. . Stories such as these appear m the Svdnev newspapers almost every day. The police have to some extent broken no the crime wave, hut the sneak thieves are always with us, and they seem to 1,0 developing greater ingenuity and audacity.