Burglar's Outfit in Motor Car

NZ Truth, Issue 1031, 29 August 1925, Page 6

Burglar's Outfit m Motor Car

Helensville and Eden Both Stocked with Explosive

Three Arrests— Many Burglaries— Bail Refused

In the history of crime it sometimes occurs that the observing 1 of apparently commonplace happenings leads to very important discoveries and to disclosures Which . might have otherwise remained shrouded m mystery. It is just possible that- the discovery of a missing motor-car m the possession of a stranger on the Helensville Road may throw a good deal of light on a series of troublesome robberies m Auckland. Three arrests have been made.

The business people of the city, find the. crime investigators as well, have boon more than perturbed' of late by tho frequence of robberies on a tnoro or less grand scale, and many phases of the crimes committed have proved very perplexing to the authorities, 'if not mystifying. Each "job" done has shown unmistakable trace of a thoroughness* r which spells the master mind. Retreat has been so effectively cut off and tracks so well covered up •that inability to bring off an arrest i '' would.' be no discredit to even a modern Sherlock Holmes. There has been a. liberal use of gelignite and other explosives. = while the workmanlike manner m which the "jobs" have, been executed has given good grounds for assuming that a handy equipment has been put' to the best use. The Auckland Criminal Investigation Department has of course had its shrewd suspicions or the saner at work, but suspicion is one thing and proof another. CAR DISAPPEARS. At the end of last week it was reported to the police that a motor-car had been stolen from the parking; place at Albert Street. The car belonged to Mr. George R. Metcalf and Avas valued at £300. Mr. Metcalf's friends knew of his loss, and it happened that the ear hnd been seen being driven "through Ayondale, where incidentally a burglary had been committed. Some days afterwards a Mr. Thbs. Johnson, and his son-in-law Mr.. Henry H. Charnloy, were returning from Kaukapakapa, and when on the Helensville Road they saw a car they recognised as that, of Mr. Metcalf being round on the road. - : ' With commendable presence of mind they engaged the driver m conversation, and ultimately got into touch with. the police. In due course the driver of Mr. Metcalfs car was conveyed to the city, where he was taken m charge and proved to be Gustav Henry Hansen. A search of the car revealed an impressive array of , the stock-in-trade of, a burglar, including a jemmy and a box of detonators, while there were also many articles which could be identified as having formed part of the "swag" from the burglary at Avondale. A .soaVch of the arrested' man';-; quarLeys at Belgium Street brought to light a further quantity, of, explosives. Chief Detective Cummings interviewed 1-Ja"nse':i m. -company •■ with

Senior Detective Ward, and the upshot was a dash out to HelensvMie m the early hours o£ the morning i-.v Messrs. Cummings and Ward, while Detectives White, Barling, Moo??, Meiklejohn, McWhirter. and Sutherland also took part. Some very interesting exhibits were discovered as a. result of a search of the locality. the principal being as much g'-li-',iit.e as would have blown to. smithcrc-.is half the business places m the city of Auckland. Further, sleuthing by Detectiva Barling led to the unearthing of a further quantity of "gely" — 50 plugs, as a matter of fact — on the summit of Mi. Eden m a "plant," where there were also some tobacco pouches, razor strops, and other odds and ends fresh from the stock of some city shop. The explosives were part of the stock removea from the explosive magazine at Mt. Albert about a week ago. TWO MORE ARRESTS. Probing the matter further, the detectives soon added to their capture of Hansen by the arrest of James Harold O'Brien and. Ernest John Urasting, who were taken into custody. In due course all three appeared before Magistrate Poynton at tho Auckland Magistrate's Court charged with converting a' motor-car to their own u.=e. Chief. Detective Cummings aaked for a remand for a week, which was granted. O'Brien asked for bail, but when Mr. Cummings stated that he had recovered as much gelignite as would destroy half the business premises m the place, tho request was promptly declined. O'Brien is described as an electrician; Brasting as a motor mechanic; Hansen is a fireman. Fleet fortnight m the city has been an extremely busy time and the services of many policemen from the country had to be requisitioned. The presence of mien m lonely country districts with a liberal supply of explosives and safe' cracking tools is of course unsettling and sinister, especially m the -absence of the scions ,of the law. .Further charges will- be preferred against the trio m connection with some of the recent bur^giaries. . Incidentally, the operations of tho Auckland defectives have carried them all the way from. Helensville to J->len, and they seem to know their way about equally well m either. Which speaks volumes for their resource. The fact that they report (he presence of combustibles m Eden as well .is i;i the other plage may give a new angle to theological controversy.