GREAT JEWELLERY' ROBBERY IN WELLINGTON.

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 149, 23 June 1894, Page 2

GREAT JEWELLERY' ROBBERY IN WELLINGTON.

£2,000 WORTH STOLEN. ESCAPE OT. "THE BUROUKi (BT TKLKSBAPH.— PRESS ASSOOUWW.) Wellikgton, Friday" ■- A burglary of a most (sensational L£ daring character was perpetrated eat-lMwSi evening, the premises of the GoldS, Hall Company a jewellery firm ca3|? business in Willis-street, opposite tw "Evening PoBt" office, being entered *3»; upwards of £2,000 worth qM.M£j abstracted. The circumstances aV^& ported to the police, are that the mnus of the company went to dinoet^S twenty minutes to six p.m., lockine tKJ door and leaving five jets of gas5 burning and when his assistant! returned $id the premises at twenty minutye pwit »£ p.m., he found that the whole riaoeJuS been ransacked, and the window* ■'(<'&£< pletely cleared of all-the cases contnininp goods of auy value. On the counter thai* were also a large number of empty oaM^ the contents having been abstracted, WfcJ manager estimates the loss at over £2,000 the goods stolen consisting of vaipihil jewellery of every kind. The front waß found to have been opened wit'aii skeleton key, which was found inside cm ifo floor. The burglars had evidently takep^U valuable goods, and left the paltry article*: A jemmy was found on the counter, but ft had not been used, as there was no nece*. gity for it. The premises are situate^ one of the bueieat parts of the city, anoint the hour mentioned there musb have been a steady stream of people paß3ißg. ;■ The shutters on the shop window wert down and the interior brilliantly Uluiqin*: ated, so that the dating nature of the robbery becomes more apparent. The skeleton key was found in the lock inside (not on the floor), and the theory is that after bavini; effected an entrance the thieves—ib being believed that there were more than on« engaged' in the affair—looked themselves in, so as to be secure from interruption while they ransacked the premises. About twenty gold watches, a large number, of gold and diamond rings, and bracelets Bet in various kinds of precious stones, and all tbe most expensive articles in the shop are missing. Some of the bracelets stolen were valued at 70 guineas, and the rings in some cases were worth 50 guineas. Aftet clearing the window the robbers turned their attention to the safe, whioh w»i standing open behind the counter, and Trom it they took £8 or £10 in cash, bul missed a number of gold watches whioli were wrapped up in separate package* inside. The police state that they had warned the manager (Mr Flegelbaub) pf t^f danger he incurred by leaving the shop noprotected. The police to-night wir»d M the other centres regarding the afikir, and there is a suspicion that the thieves goi away by the s.s. Takapuna, which left) mi Queen's Wharf for Tarauaki and Oneh<jn,ga shortly after aix o'clock. LATER. The only thing of value the thieves appeal to have overlooked wan a card of diamond rings worth £300 to £400. They careMllf confined themselves to gold and preeicii stones, disdaining silver. The shop is in i most conepTcuous position in the town wirt numbers of people constantly passing, VpS generally a number standing looking in tb( window, which makes the daring nature'bl the robbery all the more conspicuous^ newly made " jemmy " was found iniidi, Suspicious characters have been notictd lately watching the shop and evideflfclj noting the habits of the proprietor.