BURGLARY IN CITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20827, 20 March 1931, Page 14

BURGLARY IN CITY.

CLOTHING STORES ENTERED,

GOOPS WORTH £l2O STOLEN,

TWO MEN ADMIT CRIME. A charge of breaking and entering the premises of Haljenstein Bros., Limited, Queen Street, during the week-end of December 6 hist and stealing goods valued pi £126 14s, was preferred against Arthur Mni'tin Wellington, aged 48, seaman, and Herman Kondrop Madsen, iiged 24, a Danish kitchen hand, in the Police Court yesterday. Madsen was represented by Mr. Fawcett. Included among the property alleged to have been stolen by accused were 54 pat¥s of socks, 22 shirts, ten of cuff links, 48 tics, a dressing gown, a rug, two suitcases, six overcoats and a quantity of underwear and foot gear. William Joseph Gini, managing director of Hallenstein Bros., Limited, said the intruder, or intruders, gained entrance to the shop by breaking a glass fanlight above a display window, while a padlock and hasp on the front door showed signs of having been tampered with. On opening the shop on Monday, December 8, witness saw two suitcases near the door. They had been packed with goods by tlio burglars and were ready to carry away. On examination being made it was discovered that a large quantity of articles had been stolen. On March 13 witness went to the detective office and identified a small portion of the missing goods. Detective-Sergeant Martin said that on March 13, accompanied by two other detectives, he interviewed the accused, Wellington, in a house in Day Street. Accused told witness that he came to New Zealand from Australia in May last. In 1922 ho was convicted in Melbourne of shop breaking and received an indeterminate sentence, being released on April 24, 1930, on condition that, he left Melbourne. Accordingly lie went to Sydney later came to Auckland. Continuing,, witness said certain articles of clothing found in accused's room were stolen. In a written statement accused admitted having broken into Hallenstein's premises. He said he had burned a large portion of the stolen property, as ho had been unable to dispose of it. The other accused, Madsen, was also inter? viewed by witness and admitted having assisted Wellington in the commission of the crime.

The magistrate, Mr. F. K. Hunt, committed both accused, who pleaded guilty, to the Supreme Court for sentence.

Wellington was further charged "vi-ith stealing a lady's frock, valued at £3 19s fid, the property of Samuel Schneideman, Limited. Evidence was given that on March 12 accused entered the shop and paid a deposit of 2s 6d on the frock. While the assistant was making out''the receipt the frock was stolen by accused.

Accused pleaded guilty and was com mitted for sentence.