WOMAN BURGLAR

Hokitika Guardian, 3 December 1928, Page 7

WOMAN BURGLAR

DISTURBED TN BECKENHAM

HOUSE

CHRISTCHURCH, Dee. l“ A. woman burglar gave a had scare on Wednesday morning to a lady in Col imho Street, Beckenham, who was resting in her room after a late night. This lady was alone in the house. She was not asleep, but lay resting in her bedroom, Av'hich is only a few steps from the front door. She heard hor telephone ring, and (lil.l not bother to answer it. That was at 0.3 d a.in. At 9. Id sin* heard someone opening the front door, wlich was shut, though not locked. The latch is a particularly stiff one, and required a sharp twist to open it. Thinking it was a neighbour .with whom she was on very friendly terms, the lady made no effort to ascertain the identity of the intruder. “When I saw a tall woman, an absolute stranger to me, walk over to my dressing-table, T thought T should die with fright,” she isaid to a reporter yesterday morning. “It suddenly struck me that two rings which I valued very highly were on that (able, and my eye was caught by two large and hungry-looking pockets in the woman’s dress. I could only gasp, hut I must have done so audibly, for she turned and saw me on the bed. She was out of the house and away before you could invoke) the proverbial .Tack 'Robinson!” The female marauder was surprised before slie got her hands on anything. “And do you know,” said the lady, “I went to the pictures in the afternoon, and what should the picture lie Imt one about a female Raffles, who did very little else but steal diamonds !’’ The lady said further, that a neighbour had had £lO stolen from the house while she was only half an hour away. The ringing of the telephone, and the fact that there was no reply eividently convinced the thief that the house was empty. A slot telephone was probably employed.