THEFTS FROM CHURCHES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXI, Issue 7932, 14 December 1909, Page 2

THEFTS FROM CHURCHES.

Per Press Association

CHRISTCHURCH, December 13.

Two youths have been arrested on a charge of having committed a series of robberies in a large number of churches in the city and suburbs a few weeks ago. About a dozen churches were broken into and tho money boxes set apart for charitable purposes were ransacked. Only small sums of money were obtained and even the total was not largo, but the peculiar nature of the crimes attracted some attention at the time. The arrests were made at Molesworth station, about forty-five miles north of Hanmer by Detective Ward and Gibson yesterday. Two youths, who are about seventeen or eighteen years old and who reside in Christchurch, were suspected by the police. One of them has been before the Court on a charge of netty theft. They were traced by means of tho small change; which they took from the boxes. As soon as the first thefts were reported the detectives kept in touch with tradesmen and others, and ascertained that young fellows had gone to a shopkeeper and asked him to give them large coins for a number of sixpenny and threepenny pieces and pennies and halfpennies. When the shopkeeper asked them how they came into possession of so much small change, they stated that they had won it at " two-up."