TWO THRILLS IN ONE DAY

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 12485, 20 October 1938, Page 5

TWO THRILLS IN ONE DAY

ATTEMPTED BURGLARY AT BARRACKS Christchurch, Oct. 19. A gang of burglars with big ideas set out in the early hours of/Monday ; morning on a well-planned endeavour to help, themselves .to a van load of military stores from the King Edward Barracks, but going about the job a little too noisily they very narrowly escaped capture by a police cordon. Their plan involved two breaks. First, they went to J. M. Hey wood and Company’s, garage in Sydenham, where, using a jemmy, they broke their way through, the outer gates and inner doors, and selecting a large covered van drove away. They arrived at the, Montreal Street entrance of the barracks' at 3 a.m. They cut the padlock of the outer gate with a powerful bolt-cutter, and drove the stolen van into the yard. They shut the gate behind them. The marauders then forced open a small door which admitted them to the main' building'. Here their first move was; in view ‘of subsequent developments, a brilliant one. They padlocked ;on “ the inside the two other doors opening into the building. It seems probable that they also posted one of their number under the balcony of the caretaker’s quarters." Along each side of the main buildings ■are.'.'the .Offices of the various units, and. the store rooms, packed with tinned food, rides and ammunition, blankets and camping gear, other .military equipment. They were not sure, it seems, which store, to open first, and as they moved from one door to another the caretaker, Mr'.v L. Haslett, heard them. Hoping to give the police the opportunity of a red-handed capture he quietly Vang the watch-house, and within a minute or two a dozen police had arrived, blocking every exit. They found themselves padlocked out however, by, the padlocks so shrewdly used by the burglars, except at the door by which the latter had entered. But the marauders had taken alarm. Probably the listener under the balcony of the caretaker’s quarters had heard him ringing the police station, and the burglars had slipped out. ~ Messrs. Heywood’s van was left m the yard, and the police found also the burglar’s tools —two jemmies and a bolt-cutter, the latter being regarded as an important clue. Nothing had been taken from the stores. ■