TOLD BY THE POLICE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 413, 23 January 1909, Page 13

TOLD BY THE POLICE.

CRIME AND CRIMINALS. GRAVE':AND GAY. y' -An: exceptionally big jewellery .robbery had , occurred': in .the ' oity,: and the,,detective who was given tho inquiry- had not the least idea of how he was to,get a start as.no trace had been-loft by the robber, oxcopt a dark lantern. The detective groped round in comrplete darkness for several days, and was still no nearer'a clue than when lib commenced. "Everyone knew.his;quest, and ho,was joked 'on all.sides about not having caught his man.: ":. At; length the officer" walked. intoy a billiard-room-in search of-a clue, but with.no definite object in view; ."Here is some of,'the stuff," laughed, a '■' cueist,ytouohing- His- gold chain, ' and.vthe:- roomful of devotees of the green ...cloth:laughed at the discomfiture; of■;tho de-' tectivo..."Here's some: nioro,',';.. volunteered - a coloured person, who-was :ehgaged as cook' at the establishment, producing a new watch. The-'detective.turned the;matter ovcr'in his miridYas ho went .sorrowfully away from tho billiard-room, and decided to go back and 111.torrpgato the cook,: quietly about the, watch,' which article he.found the .man had just be- :. comb, possessedof from a room-mate who had ■given., it as for: a loan of 105.,-pre-' paratory to leaving'for Lyttelton. The do- - . tcotive' searphed the room, the traveller had occupied, :aud : took possession': of a piece of : cardboard with', several holes in it, which he ■ found'hanging on the wall. Further investigation proved.:.that .the 'pieces, of cardboard, .used to darken the slides of the lantern used byythe robber of the jeweller's shop, corresponded with the holes in the piece of card-, vboard. and the yoiing man who-had' left for -Lyttelton'iwas. then sought, for. '", He was located. in'Christchurch,. and was found to have-disposed of a quantity of the stolen pro.'petty:: there, and,: when charged, : . admitted the .offence'. : The balance" of the,stpleh jewellery and plate,was'found, buried in a carpetbagiunder'a'building in v Wellington. It'was found out,later that:the prisoner had a narrow/escape on: the night ho committed.: the "robbery. He had just come out of .the shop with the bag-full of booty when he'passo'd tho

> policoman of the beat. The policeman gazed at the tiavellcr, who began to complain bitterly about being unable to seeuro lodgings for the night, and the constable advised him of a likely place. Tho man was well dressed and apparently respectable, and tho policeman's suspicions were not aroused. Ireland to tho Fore. A certain inspector of polico was holding a „ class of instruction for constables at a southern town, and put tho following, supposititious case to his class:' 'Now, men, suppose' a lion escaped from a zoo, what steps would yon take?" Thero was a dead silenco amongst the class, and the inspector fixed a steely eye on Constable O'Gilhgan. "What steps would you take, O'Gilligan?" ho queried. The son of Erin moved uneasily under the eyo of his chief, and then made answer, "Very long ones, sor; very long ones."

Whilst tlio City Slept. Burglaries had been happening with unusual frequency in Wellington, and the detective staff was strengthened by a number of plain-clothes two of whom were deputed to do duty on a well-known terrace. Constable No. 1 wandered / about for a couple of honrs, but no unusual-looking character came his way until >ahout 10 p.m., when he saw a man in an overcoat hanging about in a suspicious manner. The constable shadowed tho suspect up one street and down another, his suspicions growing strongor and ' 'stronger as ho noticed his quarry's movements. He never got close enough to tho , marrto see his face, and at length lost track of him altogether, and went back to the station a disappointed man. At breakfast in the barracks next morning Constable No. 2, who had also been on the terrace beat, gave his comrades a detailed accojint,of a mysterii' '• 'if ous person he'had'watched,for/over an hour > vjo,tho previous > night. Constaljlcj No. 1 grew interested as the-storyproceeded,'ihd:he ; re-, -cognised tho samb';.routeas:he : :himself had! been over. A/ter a'short heart to. heart .talk;' r • „jt-was established .that .the two .- ' tectives had been'shadowing'e'ach otherwhilsf the .city slept. •,y;;K::'v;':.';:- : :.;!/:.iy;\.■;>■•;'':, : . : M; V'-.'

..Whe.n/:Rogues- ; Fali'^ ;'^-It>iis:{.generally ■;understood;/--that'; : when rogues, fall;pu^ ;and : ; ;.ljeld>againxproven"after; the .foUowng;"case;SAA ; 'hbUße',{had been;burgled :and:a'fluaDtitylpf;jewellery'had beeii stolenj ;but;'the detective; staff; was unable- to' make ;ariy; headway : with/the/base.;After'a. lapse of fa,-, considerable :;party,.:was;'foimd;,ln;'trie;p6sreSsipn.;6f a citizen: of standing. -;The citizen; responded-:wil-lingly When* questio'ned£byXthe . detcctivos, ; and;:stated/ he"got;ithe/jewellery'from , ; Mf ji ; S-r--,.'.;'; The detectives Awaited; upon'■ Mr; •SHrf-rj arid, he Vin'? turauexplained -that he ,bad ;purchasedvthe• jewellery- in'■•good' faith ;.some, twelve '■'. shortly after : the. offence;;'' from- V complete' stranger. ■■ The :detebtiyes';were';furnjshed-iwith an elaborate: /description; ;Xvas-afterwards;fourid.-to;be''the:direct oppo- : sitp/of' what;he; really .was'; like./ -The inforni- ; , ant/meant to'mislead,''-but he !made one slight' :slip .;b'y;.,sayirig' ! tha't. : the; last /time he".had Been".thb;ma'n.:he'had ;shaved : off-'hi's■ mbus-' rtache.:; This was'the';CueV:\ pneofthe' detec:.tives'/remem]fered;:;havitjg -seen.: X--—: : and':a •well-known rh.nd ■■' recetttly-'shaven;..'criminal'in : close; ,:cbnyersatibh • abbutv a ; ;week' after ' the ,burglaryjfa'ri.d,thinlring ; that <Sr~^\ had deliberately given a'-falsV statement "to -save ; him- ; ;self;;it : wasvdccided-,tb' test; The;.c'riminal X-:^'had been .sMn;cbnversing with -was; located, and '.placed. amongst 'some qther/\men,/; and* <X-^-H-waV; ; then ■; brought: :along; to .iee if /he'obtild^identify; him.'■ ;-The ;criminal naturally 1 denied.-: anyknowledge-,of: tho. offence, ~but;.oh the i way 1 •: to "the station tl)e::detective;.:tpok;v]eave: of' the' truth, and mah'had:been ; 'afrested:for, .the burglary..-:. X-—;:was.anxious :to know .if /they had th,e. right man, : and a-'disc'reet silence on the, part :of:-.the' detective led him to believe, that/, the prisoner had confessed' his guilt. apparently:decided on the spur'of the moment that:he"would act:tho. hohest ,man. and : save his own . sh'n,/ and as-soon; as he was'sbowri'into the room where the prisoner; arid a: number of others were lined up foi; mspeotion he;walked boldly up. *? Wearisfiner without ,a.moment's hesitaslapping him on tholshoulder, said, -: Chats'the. man." The criminal, seeing: thav'yie bad been betrayed; -replied' that he certainly; was, the burglar, but made a', full confession,'-,and. incriminated X-—. The outcome was, that the prisorior -was charged with-breaking and entering,- arid X cave' .evidence against .him:/.'/ After, the prisons had; been: sentenced ;was arrested,' and ;tho-pnsonßr wns-a : witness 1 for theprosecu™n-- X—-was subsequently found guilty, before a jury, and sentenced to a term of imprisonment.// -:■:■;:-. •>,. -/ . :. . '••

A .'.'Recruit's Nervra. ----- .Police'sergeants.were not always as 'staid and proper as under the present regime, and'a .; joke" was ■ a - jokc.one time, even if the sergeant had to play; it himself. ■■/& reoruit of . the j very-rawest material had just joined a southern barracks,.' and showed 'himself:',to ~be.- fair' game for all and ■ sundry.'. • Tho iser■'geant'"on .whoso .'night' : beat the new chum was working knew of a'hearse in a certain backward,-; and had arranged withanother member of ■ the force earlier in the day to test the ■recruhVs nerves.". ;Tho arrangement was that' :. the third party was: to. hide •ra the -hearse, ' andv.at a giveiv time, the .sergeant" was to :go ; into tho: yard together". with the reoruit. The idea was carried put, and the sergeant and his protege; were making a round of the .yard in question when weird groans, accom- - pariied bya shuffling' noise, wore heard-from the hearse. begob," said tho sergeant., as.he'""crept' stealthily nearer to. the • hoarse. The.recruitrheld back until a gibe from tho sergeant moved him hearseward.' : When within a few feet of the hearse ■ tho groans, etc.; which had ceased after the first .outburst,.began':again... This was more than the constablo's: nerves could stand. 'With a wild:shriek off'out of the yard .to ran -accompaniment of- raucous - laughter from the sergeant and the ghost; The'con'stabk is have'established a'time over :.'.the''first.loo yards which.stands.as a record ;in the force to tho:present day."'