THE RECENT BURGLARIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18323, 13 August 1921, Page 13

THE RECENT BURGLARIES

TWO ACCUSED CHARGED. COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE. The sequel to the series of burglaries which took place in tho city and suburbs at tho end of last month took place in tho City Police Court yesterday morning before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M. The accused were two young men aged 19 and 21 years respectively, who were not entirely unknown to the police. Their names wore George Salvin Thomas and John Andrew M’WiUiam, and they were charged with breaking and entering a number of promises and stealing a variety of articles, including two pea rifles, a revolver and cartridges, pipes and tobacco, watches, chocolate, and sums of money. The charges wore set out as follows: —(1) Breaking and entering Laidlaw and Gray’s and stealing articles valued at £4O: (2) breaking and entering the shop of George Wm. Canter and stealing goods to tho value of £5; (3) breaking and entering the premises of tho Consumers’ Co-operative Company and stealing goods valued at £1 13s 9d; (4) breaking and entering tho premises of Kiach and M’Lennan and stealing £3 7s lid in money; (5) breaking and entering the shop of Samuel M’Cracken and stealing money and articles valued at £2 9s; (6) breaking and entering tho premises of Alex. Steele and stealing money and goods valued at £l2 8s 6d. The total value of the articles stolen amounted to £64 19s 2d. Chief Detective Bishop conducted tho prosecution, which merely consisted of tho formal tendering of evidence. Detective Boer, in recounting tho story of tho burglaries, stated that on August 1 ho interviewed both of tho accused at Oamaru, whore they had been arrested on charges of a similar nature. _ He obtained a statement from them both, in which they fully admitted the thefts and described the manner in which they had been carried oht. Tho two accused came from Wellington on Julv 20. Prior to that they had been working on tho West Coast. The night following their arrival in Dunedin they went to tho premises of the Westport Coal Company whore they effected an entrance but found nothing. Later the same night they entered several shops in Lower Stuart street bv breaking the back windows, and here they stole money and goods. On July 26 they went to Laidlaw and Gray’s and on the following night they visited MJCracken’s shop and tho premises of the Consumers’ Co-opera-tive Company. Tho next day they loft for Oamaru by the 11.15 a.m. express. James W. Patton, manager of Laidlaw and Gray’s shop in George street, in evidence, said that on Tuesday, July 26, the premises had been securely locked at 6 p.m. At 8 a.m. on the following morning he found tho back door open and an upstairs window broken. On examining the shop ho found that the articles mentioned in tho information were missing. Tho accused Thomas said he and his colleague knew nothing about tho pea rifles. They did not steal any rifles from Laidlaw and Gray’s shop, and although they shifted some boxes of cartridges they did not take any away.

The Chief Detective said that as tho accused admitted stealing ' all the other articles he would withdraw these particular items from the information.

Further evidence was given by George Wm. Canter (tobacconist), Alexander M'Kenzie (salesman for Riaeh and MT.ennan), Charles Fraser (manager of the Consumers’ Co-operative Company), Samuel M’Cracken '{grocer. Oaversbnm), and Alexander Steele (fruilerer. Stuart street). The accused then pleaded guilt v to all tlie charges, and were committed to the next sitting of the Supreme Court for sentence.