A CANDID BURGLAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 June 1920, Page 7

A CANDID BURGLAR.

AMAZING SERIES OP THEFTS. SEQUEL TO ELOPEMENT FROM WELLINGTON. Auckland, June 9. The story of an elopement from Wei ling ton under anything but promising circumstances was told before Mr. Wilson, S.M., to-day, when a young mas of 21 years, Arthur Symons, admitted having committed half a dozen burglaries in the Newmarket district last month, and one of the witnesses against .him wa9 a gjcl o{ sixteen who had accompanied him on the trip to Auckland from Wellington.

According to the evidence Symons and the girl left Wellington together about seven weeks ago, and stopped at Palmerston North for a week or so before coming on to Auckland. They put up as man and wife at an apartment houss in Hobson street, and Symons did no work, but one day early last month lie tossed a roll of sixteen £1 notes to the girl and showed her a watch and revolver.

She pressed inquiries about where this came from, and he eventually stated that he had stolen them from Whittome and Stevenson's pickle factory office. About 7 o'clock last Friday morning workmen who were early on the job surprised Symons in the office of tho Taupo-Totara Timber Co. at» Newmarket, and though he tried to bluff them that he was one of the office staff they refused to believe him, and when lie tried to bolt they caught him and turned him over, to Plain-clothes Constable Knight. Prisoner made a confession that since coming to Auckland he had done no work, but had lived by theft. Going out by night with a hammer in 1 his pocket he had used the tool to break the back windows or the glass panels of doors of business premises, and so gain access to offices and ransack tills and cashboxes. He stated that he had entered the offices of C. B. Lurie, where he got 15s worth of stamps and 9s. lOd in cash; of Whittoine and Stevenson's, where he got £l6 in cash; of the Motor Specialties, Ltd., where his haul consisted of one shilling and 16s worth of stamps; and of Alexander Harvey and Sons, where he drew a blank.

Eventually lie tried two burglaries in one night by returning on Friday to Whittome and Stevenson's, where he got this time only a pair of gloves, a pair of siik stockings, and £250 in unnegotiable paper; and then going on to the Taupo-Totara Timber Co.'s office, where he got some jewellery and also got caught. He further admitted having done four burglaries of offices in Palmerston North. He stated that when caught he had spent all the cash he had stolen. After evidence had been given of the burglaries and the goods taken and found on accused had been identified, accused was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. He was remanded to appear at Palmed ston North on four charges of burglary.