CONFESSION OF A BURGLAR

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 406, 28 September 1889, Page 5

CONFESSION OF A BURGLAR

The Croydon police are investigating the circumstances of an extraordinary confession which has been made by John Stolberg, a German, who was recently convicted of burglary at the Guildford Quarter Sessions and sentenced by Mr Leycester Penrhyn to five years' penal servitude. Although only three cases were mentioned in the indictment, the police succeeded in connecting Btolberg with sixteen or seventeen burglaries, all of a more or less daring character. Shortly aftorwards the convict obtained the permission of Captain Haslar, the Governor of Wandsworth Prison, where he ia temporarily confined, to write to the Homo Secretary asking to be allowed to see somebody connected with the police, as he had some important information with regard to his burgling exploits. Consent was given, and two officers from Thorn-ton-heath (Inspector Harris and Sergeant Stetnp) proceeded to Wandsworth and interviewed Stolberg in his cell. After giving particulars of the various pawnbrokers in different parts of the Metropolis with whom ho had pledged, or caused to be pledged, the articles which he enumerated, Stolberg stated that he made it a piactice to walk about in the daytime ' spotting ' houses which were likely to be worth his attention in the night. In this mannei, he said, he marked a gentleman's residence at Sutton, but when he went for the purpose of commencing operations he found to his dismay that thare was a dog in the back garden and it would nob allow him to pass. lie then sat on the wall and saw an old gentleman in the adjoining house take two sip 5 " from a brandy bottle, and he (the convict) remarked to himself, * Ah, that is your nightcap ; you will sleep well on that.' He had previously seen the old gentleman, whom he took to be a parson, having his supper, and ho noticed that when he went to bod he left the supper things on the table. 'I then got down into the garden,' added Stolberg, with a strongGerman accent, ' and taking out my gimlet I did crack the window and get in. I went to the ctining-room, had some supper, and (placing his hand on his stomach) I can tell you that I did feel better atter that. I did have some champagne too, and you can tell the old gentleman that the champagne was very good. I picked up a plated cake basket, and found the British lion stamped on the bottom of it. I did say to myself, •'That is good," and (patting it) I said, " You do belong to me." Then I went into another room, and it did look so beautiful.' Stolberg explained that he picked up the things that he had stolen and carried them along the railway line until he got to Wallington, where he was stopped by two policemen, who asked him what he was carrying. He replied ' Cakes ; I have been to Epsom Races to sell my cakes,' whereupon one of the constables said, ' Let's look,' Upon that the prisoner said that he assumed an indignant air, and declared that he would not be searched on a public highway, but he volunteered to accompany them to the police-station. He was then told to ' get along,' which he speedily did, and eventually reached home. Next day he sent the silver to London to be pawned. Stolberg held the police in utter contempt, asserting that he was not a bit afraid of them. Early one morning he was returning home after committing a burglary at Croydon, and he had no sooner passed over I'itlake Bridge than ho was stopped by a constable outside the Black Boy public-house. At ! this time he had two btolon concertinas in his possession. ' What have you here ?' asked the officer, pointing to a concertina under his arm. Stolberg handed it to him. ' Oh,' said the policeman, ' I see it is an English one.' 'Yes,' replied the other, 'I gave £4 for it.' ' That's cheap,' continued the constable, ' I saw one in a shop window the other day marked £7. ' Asked by the officer where he had been at that hour, Stolberg explained that he had been to the wedding of a relative of his, and that the whole pirty had got drunk. The prisoner averred that the policeman invited him to play a tune, and he would give him a ' step dance.' As a matter pf fact he did not understand concertinas, but he got out of the difficulty by saying that if he played it, ho would disturb the neighbourhood. He was not questioned about tho other concertina, which he was carry ing in a bag-. While on the subject of the police, he said he made it an invariable rule to speak to a constablo, first by wishing him good-night or good-morning, as the case might be. More often than not, he deposited the stolen articles in some convenient place near the scene of the robbery, and fetched them away next day. On one occasion he broke into a clergyman's house, and found some envelopes marked ' Education Department,' but there wns no silver about. Stolbero's information with respect to the disposal uf the whole of the stolen property has been found to bo correct in every particular, and great importance is attached to his other statements, which are now being inquired into. He was an engineer by trade, and lived i\t Cherbeey before he removed to Croydon, At his tiial at Guildford, in addressing the jury in his own defence, he said ; ' Gentlemen, you must not bclie\e the detectives, they would swear anything ; all they want is to get a conviction. Why should I be the victim ?'