MYSTERY THIEF RETURNS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20924, 14 July 1931, Page 8

MYSTERY THIEF RETURNS

TWO HOUSES ENTERED J

WOMAN CHASES INTRUDER,

CANVAS SHOES LEFT BEHIND.

SIMILAR CLUES IN OTHER CASES.

Two impudent burglaries at houses otj opposite skies of Arnold Street, off N ew North Road, a short distance below the Dominion Road intersection, occurred about 6 o'clock yesterday morning, vrhen an intruder', believed to be a thief who has been giving the police trouble for two years, entered the dwellings and stole sums of £8 5s and 15s. Ho was pursued by the occupant of one house, but escaped.

The thief is believed first to have paid a visit to a house occupied by an elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. S. Tucker, at No. 18, Arnold Street, next door to the residence of a police sergeant. A defective lock oil the front door of Mr. Tucker's homo facilitated the intruder's entry. The thief opened a chest of drawers in the room in which Mrs. Tucker was sleeping and removed a purse containing 153 in silver. As the occupants of the house heard nothing the loss was not discovered! until later in the morning. The front door was found ajar, although it bad been shut the night before. After this exploit the thief made a call •at No. 9, the house of Mrs. Milne Hovey. He evidently effected an entry through an open window 'as all doors had been locked. A noise awakened Mrs, Milne Hovey, who got up in time to see a man moving in the gloom of the hall, from which the bedroom opens. The man fled toward the front of the house, escaped to the verandah, and dashed down a steep flight of steps to the roadway with Mrs. Milne Hovey following. But thd man was too quick and disappeared in ' the darkness. The burglar had discovered a handbag containing £8 53 lying on the kitchen table and removed the money.. He was evidently making his departure when Mrs. Milne Hovey awakened.

The police believe that the man seen is the hoiise-breaker who has been giving them difficulty in many parts of the city and suburbs during the past two years. Colour is lent to this view by the fact that a pair of canvas shoes was found on Mrs. Milne Hovey's verandah. After •" other burglaries, similar shoes have also been left behind, it apparently being the man's habit to remove the shoes when forcing an entry.