THE MYSTERY OF A SAFE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 77, 1 April 1913, Page 5

THE MYSTERY OF A SAFE.

ARISING FROM ENDEAN'S FIRE SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES. A case arising from the fire at Endean's Buildings -on Saturday morning last is now being investigated by the police. After the fire had been extinguished a safe belonging to the firm of Sutcliffe and Mouncc, who had an office on the third floor, was found to have been very much defaced in what had apparently been an attempt to get at the contents. Mr Sutcliffe, the senior partner in the firm, told a "Star" reporter this morning that on Friday last at about 4.10 p.m. he had left his office as usual and locked the door. It was not till about noon on the following day that he hoard about the fire. He took the first boat that he could get from Takapuna, where he resides, and came over to the city. Ho at once made his way up to his office by way of the stairs and fire escapes. He was able to walk along the passage on the third floor, and gained admittance to his office through a hole in the wall, which had been burnt and chopped away.

One of the first things that Mr Sutcliffe noticed was that the safe usually kept on a four-legged stool behind a glass partition had disappeared. The legs of the stool were very much charred, but the top, where the safe had rested, was undamaged, indicating that the safe had not been removed till after the fire had been extinguished. Mr Sutcliffe did not attach much importance to this at first, supposing that hia partner had taken it to another office which he had engaged. Upon inquiry, however, he found that this was not the case, and he and Mr Mounce went up into the burnt building again to make a search. After some time the safe was found outside the room and across the passage, jammed between the charred joists of the flooring. A brief examination showed that the facings on the door had Ueon broken away, one of the corners bad been almost chopped off, leaving an aperture almost big enough to admit one's hand, and in another part of the safe a number of rivets had been forced. Mr Sutcliffe is of opinion that the safe had been carried out of his office and across the passage (a distance of about 15ft), and that it had been the intention of the person or per=ons who bad interfered with it to force it through the floor so that it might drop into the smouldering debris below. Mr Sutcliffe told a fireman of the occurrence, and upon his advice placed the matter in the hands of the police. Although the safe was so much defaced, the dooY was opened without difficulty, and the contents were' intact.- Amongst other articles in the safe there was & tin box containing betwen £15 and £16 in notC3, gold and silver. ,It was found upon investigation yesterday that the door of tbe office was still locked, as it had been left by Mr. Sutcliffe on Friday. On these facta being referred to Superintendent Woolle-y by a "Star" reporter this -morning, the latteT was in turn •referred' to the fireman who had discovered the safe in the first place. The fireman states that upon going up on to the third floor he found the safe outside the -office iv the passage. There was then a hole in the corner such as has been described. He thought that there might be some valuable papers inside which would be charred by the heat, and in nn attempt to open the door he broke off the handle and other facings. He could not suggest what had made the hole in the corner, but was of the opinion that the fa.ct that the safe -was found in the passage had no connection with the origin of the fire.