GENTLEMAN BURGLAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18949, 21 February 1925, Page 2 (Supplement)

GENTLEMAN BURGLAR.

LIVED IN A HOUSE-PUNT. MANY MANSIONS HOB BED. I*9 —— CONDUCTS OWN DEFENCE. By day, popular anil cultured "gentleman of independent means"; by night, a skilful mansion robber, who for long baffled the police -such has been the dual existence of Antony St. George, the " gentleman burglar." sentenced to five years' penal servitude at Guildford, a few weeks ago. His capture was alone due to the smartness of a village constable, who discovered a clue in a fragment of a broken matchbox. At his living-punt on the River Wey, he entertained parties of chorus girls from Loudon, and he also acted as a lender in local festivities. St. George pleaded not guilty to charges of burgling Pyrford Court, the residence of Viscount Elveden, and three other Surrey mansions, but although lie conducted his own defence with considerable skill, lie failed to convince the jury. A Most Remarkable Cracksman. He is recognised as one of the most remarkable cracksman of modern times. He was charged with only four burglaries, but it is known that he was responsible for a great many more during the two months he was living the life of a puntdweller. * He raided mansion after mansion, and secured thousands of pounds worth of booty before he fell under suspicion. St. George was smartly dressed in a, blue suit- when he was put into the dock. He stood at his ease, with one hand in bis trousers pocket, cross-examining the witnesses in the best legal manner. Mr. T. G. Lucas, of Send more, whose house was among those burgled, was questioned for half an hour by St. George. Once the prisoner' rebuked him for not confining his answers to the questions. Man of Many Parts. St. George, whose real name is the less pretentious one of Arthur James Wilkinson, lias crowded some remarkable adventures into his 30 years of life. He has been sailor, workman, officer in the American army, school teacher, insurance agent, and, finallv. a. criminal.

It was toward the end of 1920, after a spell in prison, that St. George obtained a post as school teacher. He told a plausible story to the Liverpool Education ('ommiifee, and was appointed at a salary of ,C 3 a week, with an additional 35s for acting as physical instructor at a night school. His career .n« a school teacher lasted but a lev.' days. He drew some money on account of his salary, borrowed £2O from his headmaster, gning in exchange a note of hand authorising the headmaster to draw his (St. George's) salary when it became due, and then disappeared. It was in the summer of last year that he began his raids on Surrey mansionsBusiness and Pleasure. lie hired a eovered-in punt on the River Wev, so as to lie able to enjoy a summer holiday and combine business with pleasure. St. George carried out all his burglaries single-handed, but he invited others to share with him the delights of river life. In his role of a " gentleman of independent means," he created quite an impression wherever he went, and had no difficult}* in making a host of friends and acquaintances. St. George always posed as a. lover of architecture, and a. connoisseur of art treasures, and would go for long walks with local residents, ostensibly to admire the architectural beauties of the. district. "What a fine old pile!" he would exclaim, when a big country house was pointed out to him. No one suspected that his close examination of such residences was for the pnrp6so of spying out the lay of the land,".while his inquiries about what valuables were stored on the premises were so tactfully framed that his sinister motives were never detected. At the end of the day St.. George would return, to his punt, and wait until all was quiet before mounting a bicycle and Miting out, under cover of darkness, to make good use of his information. Midnight Crimes. For two months the police were continually being called out on m drigh!. burglary alarms. The sudden epidemic of crime caused alarm and mystification, but. no one thought: of pointing the finger of suspicion at the popular punt-dweller. St. George usually removed his booty to London without delay. -After committing a burglary at one house, he wouid break into the garage of'another, requisition a motor ear, make a midnight rush to London with his spoils, return the ha mo night, replace the motor-car, and then retire to his punt.

But, tor the smarl detective -work of ;t village constable St. George might have been at large still, 11 was !*.('. Klkins, of Send, a river side village four miles from Woking, who was responsible for his capture.

Klkins was roused from his bed late one night, by an alarm of burglary at Sendmore House, the residence of Mr. T. (!. Lucas. The constable made a search of the house in the best Sherlock Holmes manner, and in the drawing-room he found a piece of matchbox that had been dropped on the carpet'. Following the Trail. The constable's next, clue was the discovery of the tyro marks of a, bicycle outside the house. The constable followed the trail, which led down to the river bank, near where the punt of Si. George was moored. All unsuspecting. Si. tieorge was asleep in the punt, and he received a rude shock when he was roused from his slumbers by the constable, who told liiin to empty his pockets, among other things, his matchbox, little dreaming that it was evidence against him. There was a piece missing. The constable produced the fragment ho had picked up from the drawing-room floor. It fitted exactly. St, George did not take his capture in good part. When be was charged at the police station lie was told about the matchbox clue. "That is not sporting!" he declared. His finger-prints were taken and sent to Scotland Yard, and St. George was then identified as a well-known criminal, who figures prominently in the records of the Criminal Investigation Department.