Plundering of Churches

Manawatu Times, Volume LVI, Issue 7063, 24 January 1933, Page 3

Plundering of Churches

BOYS’ AMAZING DEEDS. Astounding admissions of how they plundered churches, drunk the Communion wine, smashed glasses and windows, stolen tents with the object of opening a circus and trodden sugar maxed with wine all over church floors, were made in Sydney recently by five sc-hool-bovs.

In each church that the boys entered they drank the Communion wine. They visited, the Chatswood Methodist Church and the Fuller’s Road Church of England twice. The Artarmon Methodist Church was the worst sufferer. There they smashed the Communion glasses, threw books and stones through the valuable windows, smashed presses, hurled caps, gowns, hymn and prayer books all over the building. Bugles, tents and other articles were stolen from the Chatswood Scouts’ Hall, and tents and ropes from the premises of the Chatswood Timber Company. From one church a boy stole a new and valuable handbag. He took it to the mother of one of the other boys and handed it over. “Mum -sent: this down as a Christmas box,” he said, and the woman gratefully accepted it. Tho leader of the gang was only 11 years of age, though one of the others —his brother —was a year older. All the stuff had been hidden, and the tents and ropes were to bo kept until they had enough to open their own circus, thev said.

Two brothers, aged 11 and .12, in ten days had robbed 15 houses of property worth £IOO. They buried it. in their gardens, but a third bov saw them, retrieved the treasure, and in turn buried it in a park, whence the detectives subsequently recovered it. The two young housebreakers have been sent away for three vears.