BURGLARIES

Hokitika Guardian, 22 September 1930, Page 6

BURGLARIES

at CHRISTCHURCH

(By Telegraph—Press Association). CHRISTCHURCH, September 20Two burglaries were committed in the city’ last evening, in each case money being taken. One was in the tobacconist shop of Mr A. H. Scrimshaw in Gloucester Street, and the other at a grocery store at the corner of Madras and Coventry Streets. The burglars who broke into Scrimshaw's evidently came prepared. A right-of-way runs down the side of the shop protected at the entrance by a. high iron gate, and in the darkness of the passage they attacked the oremi.ses. \Vity the aid of a piece of treacled paper they were able to break a side window without muc.li noise and thus get into the billiard room at the back of the shop. A door leading behind the counter was then forced. It was evidently money that the thieves were after, for, though the stores of tobacco and cigarettes on the shelves were ransacked, nothing appears to hav.e been taken. The cash drawer was torn .out and a sum of money in silver taken. A pile of pennies was left.. Two drawers from the counter were taken into the billiard room and their contents turned over, hut again nothing appears to have been taken. The thieves left hv way of the frontdoor, which was later found open by a policeman, ■ The people who occupy the rooms upstairs state that they heard nothing. : $n the other cae?, nionev again was the object. The shop, at the corner of Coventry and Madras Streets, has a dwelling house at the hack, but is usually unoccupied at night. The thieves , broke a window at the back 'to get in. The way was not easy, and they had to use an instrument on two locked doors. They found, a. tin in iwhich Mr A. Caulfield, the owner kept small chance, and took a small sum that was .in it. Nothing was touched..