A TREASURE HOUSE.
TREMENDOUS HAUL BY THE LONDON POLICE,
Sensational disclosures (says an ex- [ change) are expected to arise from thc» gnaicsC seizure of what is alleged to be<| stolen properly ev,r made by the metro-'' politan ]xiliee. It includes aliuos: every conwivablo kind of article, of personal or bouse adornment, and the goods already appraised are :aid to be worth anything from £■..()!»■) f> £S,ll(',o. Tliv.vu is'an old and pictnrcr-ono nmnor-hoiise in Sutton lane, Chiswiek, until this week beautifully adorned and handsnmely furnished. Oil paintings by Sir Joshua Reynolds ttood side by side with old gold and silver and bronze ornaments and rare china. Jt was here that the raid took place. Some little time J ago three men were arrested for breaking and entering a house in Kensington and stealing plate valued at £OO. They were remanded after a further charge of being habitual criminals was preferred against them. P"tcetive-inspector Saunders decided afterwards to apply for a warrant to search the manor in Chis-1 wick. Ue obtained the warrant, and he and Detective-inspector Ball, DetcctivesorgeantMc'llatlio, and Detective Porter raided the place and made two arrests. Then began the iuvesfigatiuo which brought the treasures M light, and tlieir removal to Ladbroke tlrove Police Station in two pantechnicons and live furniture vans !
P.OWS OF RICHES. Within the bare walls of the parade room at Ladbroke Giovc Police Station a brilliant array of all manner of valuable articles — old furniture, costly jewels, and antique ornaments—have been arranged for inspection by persons who have lost property within recent times. One glance is .sufficient to reveal the catholicity of the tastes of the occupier of Little Sutton Manor. Table silver forms a fairly large portion of the haul, and there arc triver spoons and other silver ware in great profusion. Placed close to them are large and small silver and electroplated tureens and dishes and ornaments of silver which
have perhaps been wooding presents. There- are, in addition, a dozen clocks---mantle clocks, marble clocks, antique clocks under glass shades. The bronzes form a, costly collection. Not only arc I ■ there modern bronzes, but those of (in-1 J cient Egypt are represented, one of them t ! being well-nigh priceless. It is the figure of an animal in bronze, inlaid I with gold, and is said to be tilic only spcj cimen of its kind in the world. One ear j jis broken oil'. There is quite a large ] I collection of umbrellas of every descri-j ption, some silver-mounted and some j mounted in gold. Genllenen's clothing I is also to be seen, ranging from the I humble lounge suit to the evening dress' with satin facings, frock coats, and j morning coats. A lot of space is taken up with a vast collection of ladies' clothing, such as evening dresses, gowns, etc. I On a table in the centre are many art- j iclea of value. There are several gold watches, silver watches, and watches in gunmetal cases. On the table stand antique Chinese carved ivory figures and near them in a cardboard box marked' "fragile," is a splendid collection of jew- _ cilery, among which are tie pins, bniee- ' lets, ancient coins, bangles and rings, whilst under a table are a d>;;en or . more copper kettles and utensils and [ sets of new harness. There still re- ! mains in the house at Chiswkk, strongly guarded by police, a fine collection' of pictures, some of which are by Sir I Joshua Reynolds.
DETECTIVE'S SENSATIONAL FIND. Since Hie discovery of tlio articles described above tlie police have again been to the old manor and made another sensational discovery. The detectives had a suspicion that a considerable sum of money still remained hidden there. De-tective-Sergeant Mc.Hattie began to tap the oak panellings with a small hummer. For a time his elforts were unsuccessful. Then ho went to the head of a massive oak bedstead and started tapping the oak panels behind it. Tap, tap, gently murmured the hamiiv ; r. There was a somewhat hollow sound. The detective put down the hammer and examined this particular panel. To his surprise it eventually flew open outwards and revealed a steel safe, about 3ft. deep and 2ft. wide, built into the solid wall. Strange to say the safe was not locked. The door easily yielded, and Mcllattie saw that the inside was packed with jewels and gold and silver ware of great value.
FIRST INKLING INTO THE MANOR. TREASURES.
Two brothers—Henry Williams l„l) and Thomas Williams (34), both firemen —stood in the dock at the London Sessions with a man named Harry Howard (27) a groom), and pleaded guilty to two indictments of burglary, the houses entered being those of Mr, Ernest Lesser, barrister, at Holland Villas, Kensington, where silver articles worth -COO were stolen; and of Mr. Alexander Nath-' an, merchant, of Upper Addison Gardens, where property valued at £BO was taken. Inspector Saunders stated that, owing to the large number of burglaries which bad been committed in the neighbourhood of Kensington, Notting Hiil, a?id Bays-water, which put the police at their wits' end, he instructed detectives to watch the houses of the brothers Williams and Howard, whom he suspected. The first night they saw Howard call for the other two, but the trio were lost in a fog at Kensington Gardens. At 4 a.m. on February !), when they resumed their watch, they caught the men burgling Mr. Lessor's residence. Henry Williams and Howard gave information to the detectives which led to a raid of great importance. "We went to a house, a Hi-roomed manor in Sutton lane, Chis•wick," said Inspector Saunders," and seized stolen property worth niany thousands of pounds. The goods include old gold and silver and bronze ornaments, a quantity of precious china, and valuable oil paintings.-' Henry Williams was sentenced to live years' penal servitude; Thomas Williams to three years' penal servitude, With eight years' preventative detention as an habitual criminal; and Howard, who has 12 months unexpired on tickit-of-lenvc, was ordered a day's imprisonment. Yesterday a cable intimyted tint Moss, the owner of the house tvhore the •'plant 11 -was stored, received a .sentence of three years "hard:"
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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 279, 4 May 1915, Page 3
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1,022A TREASURE HOUSE. Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 279, 4 May 1915, Page 3
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