A RAID ON THE IRONMONGERS.

Press, Volume XLV, Issue 7169, 3 October 1888, Page 2

A RAID ON THE IRONMONGERS.

A sort of epidemic of burglary appears to have set in which will tax the resources of our detective force to put an end to. A few days back a burglary took place in the shop of Messrs Aitken and Roberts, ironmongers, Cashel street. This was on a Sunday night. Singularly enough, on last Sunday night another ironmongery store was entered. The stolen articles, too, correspond in a marvellous manner. At that taking place at Messrs Aitken and Roberts', American watches and some light articles of plated ware were the articles selected for removal. In the case of the second burglary, American watches and aluminium pencils were taken. The burglary on Sunday night took place at the wholesale store of Messrs Mason and Struthers in Lichfield street. This store forms part of a block of buildings adjacent to the retail shop, which latter place it will be remembered was also visited by burglars some little time back. The warehouse was closed up as usual on Saturday afternoon. On being opened on Monday for business as usual, one of the large windows facing out on the yard at the back was found to have been broken, close by the fastening, and opened. To reach this window the burglar, or burglars, had to get over a galvanised iron fence, 9ft high. On getting in the traces show that they went to the cashier's oiSce, as the various drawers, &c, bore evidence of having befcn rilled. There was, however, nothing here to reward their industry, so they passed on to a case in which a number of Manhattan watches were exhibited for sale. Those that were hanging up on hooks in the case were carefully annexed, but three or four others in boxes were overlooked. Probably the light - fingered gentry looked upon these as " dummies." From here the tracks of candlegrease show that they made their way to the wholesale office, fronting on Lichfield street, stopping en route to remove several aluminium pencils from a glass case. In this office they had evidently made up their jaind that money was kept. tJisiQ£

a pick, which—with an ingratitude which cajinoC be too strongly repudiated—they took out of the stock in the warehouse, a drawer of a desk in the office in which was thekev of a safe holding books was broken open and. the safe opened. The drawers ot the safe yrere broken open, ana from one of those n small sum of money—under -P-?—was taken- All the other drawers in the desks which were not locked, and which merely contained papers, were ransacked bat nothing was taken. A. man who lives in a cottage close by states that he heard knocking in the store between midnight and 1 a_m. So far no clue has been discovered as to the burglars, but the police have the matter in hand.