BURGLARS DISTURBED

Hokitika Guardian, 30 July 1929, Page 3

BURGLARS DISTURBED

DARING CRACKSMEN

CHRISTCHURCH. July 29

A daring attempt was made to rifle the grocer’s shop of Mr Ivan L. Hancock at the corner of Lyttletou Street and Lincoln Road', Spreyden, at four o’clock on Saturday morning. Noises in' the shop awakened Mr Hancock, who was sleeping in a ibcdroom upstairs. He did not take much notice at first, thinking that he was only imagining it. When there were further noises, he jumped ifrom his bed and threw up a window facing 011 to Lyttelton Street. As lie did so there was a rush in the room below and two figures clambered out of a window underneath that through which Mr Hancock was leaning. They made off towards Lincoln Road and then turned in the direction of Halswell. .

Both men were wca ing dark grey overcoats, with caps pulled over their eyes, and both bent over as they ran to hide their identity. “They were cracks at the. game,” said Mr Han-' cock, “and didn’t, give me mucE chance to get a description of them.” A few minutes later a touting car with the curtains up passed the end of Lyttelton Street, travelling fast in the direction of the city.

The thieves had used a chisel to open the window.' They, first tried to' orise it open from the bottom, but a bookshelf, loaded with a number of account books, was nailed across the window, and held it fast. Beaten, in their attempt on the lower half of the window, the burglars broke the glass of the upper part and again using a chisel, brok' 1 the catch of the window off. Then, by lowering it, they gained entrance to a room at the back of the shop, used by Mr Hancock as an office. There was a fair sum of money in a drawer, but the thieves did not have time to touch this, as just as they had entered they heard the movement above and made for the street, breaking the lower half of the window in their hurried exit.

Mr Hancock, watching from above was powerless to do anything, except ring for the police, which he did immediately . The police visited the place on Saturday morning, hut the result of their investigations has not been disclosed. , Mr Hancock on Saturday took precautions acainst any further attempt At an early hour, he had iron bars placed across the broken window.