Burglar Escapes After Hot Chase

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 140, 3 September 1927, Page 1

Burglar Escapes After Hot Chase

CAUGHT AT HIS WORK TWO JOBS IN ONE NIGHT 4 BURGLAR plying his adventurous calling in Karangahape Road last evening was detected in the act. It is stated that he escaped the police and the nightwatchrhan after a scuffle in the backyard of W. G. Offer’s bootshop, and broke across the empty sections and backyards towards Newton, taking everything in his stride. In his hurry he left his jemmy behind at the rear of W. G. Offer's boot shop, near George Courts, Ltd., and the jemmy fitted the marks on the Auckland Steam Laundry's safe in Belgium Street, which was also attempted last evening. Apparently the burglar’s first job for the night was the Auckland Steam Laundry. SAFE TOO STRONG He broke in by a Window in the rear and walked across the starch table. Going upstairs to the office he set to work on the safe which, however, did not yield to his jemmy. He then \v ent downstairs, switched the lights on and came back to ransack the premises. He turned every drawer and cupboard inside out and littered the contents about the floor. Then he went into Mr. H. Harrison’s private office. He scattered papers broadcast and prised open a private drawer and even a camping equipment. Going into the lunch room he felt the pockets of all the clothes and left them on the floor.

All that his close search yielded was a few shillings. He then left the laundry, incidentally locking the factory kittens in the manager’s room and

forgetting to turn off the lights. Being dissatisfied with his night’s work he crossed Belgium Street to the rear of W. G. Offer’s boot shop. It was while he was working there that he was detected. The nightwatchman and the police, it is stated, had him penned in. But he got clear and broke across the empty sections, leaving the most important part of his equipment behind him. It is now a prized possession of the police, who hope to reunite it and its late owner. Next to Offer’s shop is a tailoring business, which has had the attention of burglars on various occasions, and it is thought that the energetic wielder of the jemmy last evening may have intended also to try his luck there.