SOME CLEVER CAPTURES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 319, 18 January 1908, Page 3

SOME CLEVER CAPTURES.

Sherlock Holmes would have had a word of praise for the Surbiton policeman who, shining his lamp upon a. backyard fence, noticed that the hoarfrost had been wiped from the top part of it. rollowing this slight clue, he speedily found a burglar, crouching in the neighborhood of one of the windows of the house, awaiting a favorable opportunity ot making an entry. Prevention here was better than cure, for the burglar, heing smartly captured, was as promutly locked up. There is a touch of melodrama about the idea of being tracked by blood, but " actually wJiat happened at Southport a short time ago. At two o'clock m the morning a policeman observed that the windows of a jeweller's shop in that garden city had been broken and the contents cleared. Looking about lor some possible clue to the perpetrat,lll°' ia ? US bur « tar >', lle noticed diops of blood upon the pavement. Searching farther, h e found that these drops continued for some distance, ,aml it was evident that one of the burglars ■ll smashing . t he glass of the window wd cut himself and bled pretty freely! % means of this trail of blood he dis-lou-ied the direction which the marauders had taken, and, mounting a bi'■yclc, lie lode out of Southport towards the town of Onnskirk, overtook two men, and proiuply arrested them. They "ad in their possession twenty-nine silver watches and much other jewellery, to Ihe value of £2OO. ' Kveryone remembers the loss of the Aelson relics from the fainted Hall of tie Koyal Aaval College at Greenwich, a 11(1 the consternation caused by their mydtenwis disappearance. This happenvp ' f ' " u< ! 11 Wils not until four I,™ V'" f that » famous Scot- ' ' V . i • '? Ci,nle ;lcross t)lc Hrs t tlut to their whereabouts. ft is a common method among a certain das* I thieves to attempt to quash suspicion which may happen to turn in their directum by making serious enquiries at headquarters with respect to the very , a fpl . , W c '^ L Iwvf purloined. law happened injtlie present case. A man actually called at Scotland Yard to make enquiries legaixling the Kelson .lelics, and, much to his surprise, was quickly arrested on suspicion, Exhaustive enquiries were instituted, and it was louiid that lie had lauded from Australia only the day before. His luggage was, ot course, oytsrhiuled, and among it he I had a coiiwrt na. There seemed nothing wrong v-itl. 'l, < instrument, and although .N,l; '■ itli a little wheeziness, " }! v'-f ' ldlnir aWy. Xevcrtiieless, he detective took it to pieces and actually, found Nelson's watch concealed inside. Ihis discovery led to a confession oil the part of the culprit, and the relics were all restored to their original resting place, where they may be seen W;d;ty by the visitor.

. 'J-'' l ? police of Chicago were lately looking for three burglars whoso teeth imprints would fit throe wads of chewing gum which were discovered on the dining room table of a house, which had been broken into by thieves. They not only looked for these burglars, but actually found tliem, and the imprints of the teeth were as uninistakeable as the imprint of the thumb is said to bo. Another vory similar case happened at otockport some -time ago, for the chief evidence m a. charge of burglary against a soldier on furlough was the mark of his teeth in a pat of butter!