ROBBERIES AT AUCKLAND.

Mataura Ensign, 14 May 1912, Page 6

ROBBERIES AT AUCKLAND.

♦ DARING BURGLARS. DYNAMITE A LOCK. PEE UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. ' AUCKLAND, May 13. I Another daring burglary occurred on Sunday night. Thieves wrenched open the door of a grocery shop in Mount Eden road, and, smashing the lock of the safe with dynamite, extracted £3O in silver, notes and gold. The premises had evidently been thoroughly ransacked. At about 11 p.m. on Sunday seve-' ral residents in the vicinity were awakened by the noise of an explosion, but the burglars got away quietly with their haul. [ A CLEVER RUSE. I AUCKLAND, May 13. | A most audacious robbery was brought off this afternoon by means of a trick which was played upon an un-' suspecting jeweller's assistant. The perpetrator of the fraud netted four diamond rings, worth in all nearly £SO. | At 3.15 p.m. yesterday the manager of Mr James Pascoe's jewellery estab-! lishment in Karangahape Road answered a call to the telephone. Speaking in; a nicely-modulated tone, the caller on j the 'phone said: "This is Mrs Nathan: speaking, and as T want to make a pre*-; sent to a young lady who has been very kind to me I shall be glad if you will send some diamond rings round to my, •TPsidence, Karangnpapc Road, for me to '•'Oect from." The speaker also said tlmt he had a marble clock which required attention, and that the messon»"'i' bringing the rings could take the clock back to the shop. Knowing that some years ago. when employed bv jrmthor jeweller, Mr Pascoe used to a l '; v to Mr Nathan's clocks, the maiv"-" was naturally anxious to make a ;■-'•>. ""d took four likely rinor.s out of th - i ; , "k and entrusted them to a watchnvk'"" nnmH employed on the prem'scr-s, to take along to Mr David Nathan's house for a selection to be made. On arrival at the gate of "St. Kivens," Wright met a man carrying an overcoat over his arm. The stranger said: "You are from Pascoe's, and vou have a small parcel for me. lam Mr Nathan. - Satisfied from his manner as to the man's bona fides, Wright had no hesitation in handing over the parcel of rings with which he had been sent. The stranger, upon receiving them, said : '"That will bo all right; I will choose one and send the others back." He added that the clock which required repairing was down at the warehouse (presumably Messrs Nathan and Co.'s), and that he. would send for it and send it along to Mr Pascoe latfr on. Tlie messenger returned to the shop leaving the stranger and, incidentally, diamond rings at the gate of Mr David Nathan's residence. When Wright reached the shop and it was ascertained fiom him what had occurred, suspicions were aroused, and Mr D. Nathan was immediately rung up and denied all knowledge of the telephone message which had resulted in the handing over of the rings. It was then clear that the whole thing was a clever ruse to fraudulently obtain possession .of as 1 many rings as the jeweller might feel disposed to send along.