BIBLES DESTROYED.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 99, 24 March 1930, Page 7

BIBLES DESTROYED.

VANDALS AT WORK. BONFIRE IN SUNDAY SCHOOL. Melbourne police have made available additional information connected with acts of wanton destruction which have occurred in churches in the Northcote and Preston districts. A sinister aspect was lent to the occurrence by inquiries made by Senior-Detective Jones, who found that Bibles and hymn books were partly burnt in a room of the Sunday school at the rear of the church. The suspected persons were observed by a bov aged 7 years. He saw the party drive up to the church in a motor car, which had attached at the rear a piece of cloth hearing the words, “Vote Yes.” It is believed that this device was only a ru6e. Every piece of crockery, electric light bulbs, and a clock were smashed to pieces at the Presbyterian Church, Thornbury. Vandals cleared out the Sunday school cupboard and made a heap of the contents on the floor of the school. They then set fire to the heap, which contained Bibles, hymn books and Sunday school rolls. Apparently fearing that they might destroy the building, which ie situated at the side of the church, they extinguished the fire with the contents of fire buckets, and left the charred remains of the fire in the building.