CLEARING THE WAY

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 81, 27 June 1927, Page 12

CLEARING THE WAY

LONDON THIEVES’ SMART RUSE

London thieves recently ad'intod a new and clever ruse recently to clear the way for their daylight operations. Mr. Percy Hermon, of Lancaster Gate Terrace, attended the Old Bailey as a witness and was accompanied hv his wife, three maids being left in charge of the house. In the early afternon one of the maids arrived at the court, saying she had received a telephone message from Mr. Hermon to take to him any letters that might have arrived.

She was followed by the second maid, who had also left the house in response to telephoned “instructions," and later the third maid arrived in a taxicab, which had been sent to the house for her.

Old Bailey officials got into touch with the Paddington police, and a constable was sent to Mr. Hermon's house He arrived to find that thieves had gained entrance after the maids had left, and had ransacked Mrs. Hermon’s bedroom in their search for jewellery “Fortunately,” said Mr. Hermon nothing was taken. My wife has quite a lot of jewellery, but it was safely hidden away, and I would defy anvbody to find it. All we lost was the 14s taxis* 1 the servanta ha<l to Pay for

“Apparentiy the third maid was so excited when she came away from the unfastened She ‘ eft the basement door wtfethJv d v, , She can ’t remember whether she fastened it or not but got'Tn" that " as the wa >’ the thieves