HOUSE THIEF.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 112, 14 May 1935, Page 8

HOUSE THIEF.

RAIDS ON SUNDAY.

£25 IN CASH STOLEN. WIIILF THE OWNERS SLEPT. Filtering three house-! in Welle-sley Street West between 12.30 and .3 a.m. on Sunday morning, a house thief raided bedrooms and stole £2"> 10/ in money and a gold watch chain, without awakening the oc-cupants. Although disturbed while at work in the last of tho three houses he visited, the burglar succeeded in making his escape without being seen.

If this particular thief is not the real "Slippery Sam" who introduced new methods of house burglary to Auckland

some years ago, and was so eagerly hunted by the police, without success, then it is another prowler who is copying his style. For many months the suburbs of Kemuera and Epsom were the happy hunting grounds of this silent house thief, who creeps through an open window or slips into the dwelling by the back door between midnight and 4 a.m. when tho occupants are soundly asleep. . But of late Kemuera and Epsom have been left alone. Tie house thief took a long holiday until a week or so ago, when several thefts were carried out in Devonport.

On Sunday morning the thief broke entirely new ground when he selected for a visit a boarding house and two private homes in the Wcllesley Street West area. He was not disappointed.

The first house called at yielded £2 in cash, this sum being extracted from the pocket of a pair of trousers hung on the end of the bed. Neither the owner of the nether garments nor his wife heard a sound in their bedroom. Left the Door Open. For some reason the thief did not visit more than the one bedroom in this house. When the occupants arose on Sunday morning they found the back door wide open.

It is believed that the thief jumped across from the balcony on the _ top floor to the adjoining house, which is of the same type of building. Bedrooms were visited, but the thief did not find any money in clothing, so ho departed and railed next door, at a smaller house —a boarding house. Although there were sums of money in chests of in the second house, the thief did not touch it. Drawers, when opened, make a noise likely to awaken the occupant of the room". This is evidently the reason why suc-h thieves never court trouble by attempting to open them.

After entering by the back door of the boardinghouse, which was closed but not locked, the thief propped the door open with a stick *o that he would have a ready exit if disturbed. Ooing into a bedroom near the front of the house he found a young man soundly asleep. From a coat hung up in a colonial wardrobe in one corner of the bedroom hu stole £7 10/ in notes', and lie secured £10 in notes in a puree from a pair of trousers left on a chair. The sum of 11/ and a gold watch""chain loft on the dressing table did not escape his notice, and this he took, thoughtfully leaving two coppers—enough to take the young man to the city whore he works. The loss was a severe blow to this particular young man, who was saving the money in order to enjoy a holiday shortly with his parents in Chrletcliurch.

Woman's Handbag Rifled. From mi adjoining room, occupied by a young woman, tlie thief etolo a handbag wlncli contained £•') 10/. No doubt ho was disturbed while in this room about 3 a.m. At that hour a young man who lives in the same house, entering by the front {rate, saw the beams of an electric torch Banning In the passage of the house. Going through to the back yard he saw no one, nnr did ho hoar any sounds, but he did find the young woman's puree, Which had been thrown down in- the yard. The fact tlint out of the £•') 10/ in cash 11 single florin wns left in the handbag suggests that tilt , thief was forced to leave when he heard the front gate open.