A Clever Burglar.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7750, 28 February 1905, Page 4

A Clever Burglar.

The London correspondent ov: the Dunedin Star writes thus :~Headers of one of the lighter lUurtrated magazines will remember Rattles, cricketer and cracksman, a smart society man who spent his leistut Whts in breaking into other people's houses and lifting their silver and gold. Balham, a London suburb, discovered this wek a Baffles in real life, whose career has not l.een a whit less remarkable that that sketched in Mr Hornung's talcs, Joseph Mochin Hirst, aged twenty-seven deserves to rank as a master of n.s craft, which is (burglary. Ostensibly he was a private detective, and prior to that he had been employed m clothing establishments ; but with his blameless surburban life he combined an astonishing career of crime. As tho detective-sergeant remarked at the'trial, Hirst was much more than " an ordinary criminal." He is thought to have had a hand in no fewer than forty cases of housebreaking in lialhnm between March and December. There is a dash of ironic humor about some of Mr Hirsts achievements. He had a sweetheart, who was very fond of him, and he accompanied this young lady to many parties. At onb he sat by the side of her sister. He made an excuse tor leaving the dinner table somewhat hurriedly, and rushing off, broke into the sister's houste. Having taken all he wanted, he returned to tho party;, and sat again between 'his sweetheart and her sister, with I the letter's jewellery in his pocket. On another occasion he and Ms sweetheart were at a ball together, when he took a fancy to a piece of jewellry worn by the master of cercmonufc. A few days later this gentleman missed his trinket. Hirst had broken into the house at night and taken it. Unfortunately for him however, it turaed out to be paste. Hirst also committed another burglary at a house to which he had been asked to accompany his sweetheart. He subsequently sympathised with his victims, ironically suggesting that, in addition to the ordinary lock, they should put on a Vale. As a matter of fact, they did, and Hirst, just by way of showing his contempt for all locks, broke into the place again ! Not even Itafllcs could show greater presence of mind or cool sangfroid than Hr Hirst when in a tight corner. On one occasion this aston- ' jishing young man entered a house , in broad daylight while the ladj '.who owned it was out for a walk. ' |Her (alher-in-law arrived a little ' later. But Hirst was not dismayed. ' .He opened the door, bowed poritciy ' to the Bailer, and informed hjm somewhat coldly that the lady of the ' house was out. Th» astonished vjsi- " ..tor left in a hurry, and, happening ito meet the lady ,just afterwards, " 'asked who was the man she had in * her house. She was astonished then, : and hurried home to find that the 1 'elusive Hirst had disappeared. For ' months these burglaries confoumlid 1 tho police. There was no clue as to > how the burglar had obtained admission—no forcing of locks nor ' breaking of windows. It was surmised that the thief had used a • skeketon key, but it was only when - Hirst was arrested at his lodgings s in connection with a stolen cheque ■ and many of the missing articles t were found in his rooms, that the > mystery was solved. He had entered - the houses by means of a piece of wire, which was so a'rangid that if 1 luut through the lelter-i;ox it could - 1)0 manipulated so as to pull back jthe catcfa of the lock. There were f also tiny pocket electric lamps found £ which obviated the necessity of light- ' jing matches, as well as skeleton keys 1 and thirty other keys. Hut the cies |Veiv>st of cracksmen is likely to be y ;faid by the heels, and Joseph Hirst, n traced by a stolen cheque book, was s sentenced yeeteeday to four years' im- ■- |prisonment. A callous Judge ignor|j|td the prisoner's clqqiiently-expre.«sed J -"'■desire--not to associate with such j |a class of people " as ordinarv ciim- - Inalsk