Robberies at Carterton.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1396, 5 June 1883, Page 2

Robberies at Carterton.

DISCOVERY OF THE STOLEN GOODS. ARBEST OP THREE BROTHERS ON SUSPICION. (From the: Standard.) Though up to the present no clue baa been obtained as to the whereabouts of t)ie goods stolon from the Greytown store lately, the police have succeeded in recovering a large nnipunt of stolen property at Waihakeke, apd it ia belieyed that fresh discoveries will yet be made in the same neighborhood, Owing to information received, the polioe on Friday last searphed 'the houses of the brothers Strawbtidgo at TfVaihakeJte, tibout half way between Greylpwn and Carterton, and the search revealed a quantity of clothing, boots, tweed, flannel, sheepskins, &c, which could not be aatiafaotorily accounted for. Eli and Joseph Strawbrid«e live together, and in this house the main part nf the booty was discovered. Thomas Strawbridgo lives in another house. About twolve pairs of boots were taken away by the police, and they were brought to Greytown, unit was suspected that they wero a portion of the goods Blolen from Messrs Oasolberg and Co.'s store, They could not be idomifjed, howover, at any placo in Greytown, and the police Ihen tnei the Carterton storekeeper!!. Uppn ni iting enquiries it was found that the Carterton stores had been robbed from time to time, but not on Buch a scale as those at Greytown. Indeod, Iho storekeepers at Carterton, though they could not account for the absence of many articles, did not suspect that a systematic plunder was going on. When the twelve pairs of hoots were shown to Mr Gardener he picked out one pair as having been in his possession, and Mr Allen, of the co-operative store, identified several pairs. It was then decided to proceed to the houses of these brothers on Sunday rnorjpg. The party comprised Cpnstable Ecclpton, of Greytown; JDccteolivß Chryatal. now on duty in the Wairarapa j Constable Darby, of Carterton ; and Constable Oaroll, of Wellington. The latter was on leave, but he was of great service .in the work which followed, Stars Gardener and Allen also rode out, The boots were taken bade nnd tho Strawbridge's were asked if thoy were the j same which the police had removed after the search, They acknowledged that they were, Messrs .Gardnerand Allen then identified the goods. This led to the three brothers being at once placed under arrest. Upon tjsiting the house of Eli and Joseph S|ira»ybfj(l(je, Mr Gardener identified several article? of drapery; and at the house of Thomas he identified some flannel. When the party returned to Carterton, Eli and Joseph Strawbridge accompanied' Constables Carroll and Darby j the brother Thorns? was driven in charge of Constable Bccleton and Detective Cbrystal, who took a quantity of sheepskins with them. The three brothers were lodged in the Carterton lockup. They applied to Mr Booth, J.P, for bail, but the application was not entertained. They will be probably brought up at tho Carterton R.M. Court this morning, _ • ■ . ■ It will be noticed that there is no mention of the goods stolen from the Greytown stores, Whether they had passed through the sime hands tl\ere is no evidence as yet to show. The police have not been asleep as some hare thought. We know for a fact that both Oonetable Eccletpri and Detective Chryatal have been lying in wait night after night. Last Saturday night Constable Eccleton and a resident of Greytown who knew the run of Strawbndge'a farm went out, and the whole night they kept up a silent patrol in tho bush watching for any suspicious movementss': while Detective Chryatal was wfttehing elsewhere,, .Constable Eccletou 'roturhed home at half past five on .Sunday morning j'left again with Det6c(ive;Chrystal for Carterton at 11,30, got; 'ihe storekeepers to identify the property, rodo out to the farm, arrested the accused, and placed them in the lockup before the evening.