AUDACIOUS JEWEL ROBBERY IN CLIFTON.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2590, 16 February 1889, Page 2 (Supplement)

AUDACIOUS JEWEL ROBBERY IN CLIFTON.

« Early on Thursday evening, December 20th, the residence of Mrs Todd Walton, 4, Clifton Park, was forcibly entered by thieves, and jewellery valued at between £700 and £800 stolen, the theives getting away with their booty, though they had a narrow escape of capture, thanks to the extraordinary bravery of a lady in the house. From a careful enquiry into the whole affair, we learn that Mrs Todd Walton, who is the widow of the late postmaster at Bristol, resides at 4, Clifton Park, which is, as all Bristolians know, a somewhat secluded part of Clifton. With her on a visit are her married daughted and another lady, and rather more than the usual complement of servants. Between 5 45 and 6 o'clock on Thursday evening, the three ladies referred to were together in a sitting-room. The married daughter had occasion to leave the room, and on stepping out into the passage heard a servant who was upstairs at her bedroom door iuquire, " Are you in your room, ma'am ?" She replied, " No, I am down here," and at the instant it occurred to the lady that something was amiss. She promptly summoned the footman and all the female servants, and following her they all rushed out of the house in the direction of the front door to make a search of the grounds. " Follow me," said the plucky lady to the footman, "and keep a sharp look out for a ladder." On getting rouud near to the front door they were confronted by three respectably-dressed men, who stood on the lawn. They also observed a ladder placed outside the drawing-room windows, and resting against a little conservatory. The lady instantly made a rush at one of the three men, and the footman an other servants tried to catch the other two, or at anyrate to prevent them from leaving the grounds, as tho gate was shut. The three men dodged about very nimbly, and eventually managed to got to the gate, which they quickly opened and passed through, the lady aud the servants being close upon their heels. In their desperate hurry one of the robbers knocked down an elderly gentleman who happened to be passing the gateway at tho moment, and the servants, mistaking him for one of tho three, instantly pounced upon him, but were soon convinced of their mistake. One of the thieves ran in the direction of Vyvyauterrace, and the other two sot off down Clifton park-road as hard as they could run. The lady followed these two shouting " Stop thief !" " Police !" and everything she could think of to attract attention, until, from sheer exhaustion, she was compelled to give up a chase that we imagine but few ladies would have had courage to take up. The thieves got off, and the lady returned almost breathless to the house to see what had been taken. Entering her bedroom by a private door —of which the thieves were evidently unaware, for they had, of course, taken the precaution to lock on the inside the door by which they had entered the room —she discovered that her diamond ornaments, such as pendants, necklaces, brooches, and the rings v.ere all taken, the value, in her estimation, being between £700 and £800, which is probably an estimate that will bo modified on further investigation. A purse containing a considerable sum of money had been overlooked by the rogues, who, of course, were disturbed by the servants trying the bedroom door and making tho inquiry on finding it fastened. An entrance had been effected by tho window, the ladder having been "borrowed" from the scene of some building operations at the back of Manillahall. While the inmates of the house were again looking round the grounds, an elderly lady, who resides in Canynge-placo, came ruuning up to the house and bogged for shelter,

as two men had met her and threatened to shoot her if she attempted to stop them—which, as she knew nothing of the affair, she had, of course, no notion , of doing. The brave lady to whom we have referred has made a statement to the Chief Constable (Mr E. W. Coathupe), from which it appears that on Wednesday evening, at an early hour, when returning home, she met a welldressed man, who was standing in the carriage drive, between the house and the gate. She asked if ho wanted anything, but he made no reply, and turning on his heel walked in the direction of the area door. Not wishing to apper intrusive, the lady took no further notice of the matter, thinking that the man had business at the house, or was known to the servants. She went into the house, but a few minutes afterwards j deemed it prudent to ask the servants

if anyone had been to the area door. They said no one had been just then, and thereupon the lady walked down the steps leading into the area in time to see the man, with great coolness, walk up a (light of steps at the other end of the area and go towards the stables, and thence away into the street. The lady is certain she could identify this man, and no doubt he was reconnoitring for the purpose of the robbery which followed the next night. This class of robbery is generally carried out between seven and eight o'clock, when dinner U on the table of most good houses, and the fact that this particular theft was perpetrated when persons are generally in their bed or dressing-rooms preparing for dinner makes it all the more audacious. Of course, if a policemau or anyone connected with the house had met one or two of these men carrying the ladder to the house, and had questioned them—which they might | or might not have done —there can be no doubt that they, clever scamps, would have been ready with an excuse that would have disarmed all suspicion—for, of course, they are not known here in their true characters. They are, no doubt, a gang similar to those which set out every now and then from London to "work" certain places, which they do in a very clever and systematic way. Other houses are no doubt " spotted," so that the inmates will do well to be aware. Mr Coathnpe has made all inquiries and has taken every precaution that experience and tact can suggest, and is to be hoped his efforts will be rewarded. A similar robbery was committed about a year ago at Mr Derham's house, Sueyd park, just outside the city, but that was doue by one man, who is well known to the police, but who escaped with a considerable amount of booty in the shape of valuable jewellery On Tuesday night last, four respectablelooking men —two tall and two short of stature-paid a visit to Professor Rowley's house, Leitrh-woods, and by means of a ladder got in at one of the windows between seven and eight o'clock. They were disturbed before they got anything worth more than about a sovereign, but it would seen that these are of the same gang that have robbed Mrs Todd Walton's house, and also, as might be expected, greatly alarmed that lady.