MARAUDER ON CITY ROOFS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 689, 14 June 1929, Page 1

MARAUDER ON CITY ROOFS

FOUR MORE OFFICES ENTERED DARING “CAT” RAIDER USES STEPLADDER THE marauder who has been raiding city offices for the past fortnight gave another exhibition of scaling walls last night. Several offices in the Edson Buildings, which run from Queen Street through to Lome Street, were entered. In order to do so the marauder must have scaled several walls and climbed numbers of stairs and waterpipes.

This morning the caretaker of the Auckland Savings Bank, Mr. A. Dowson, found a step-ladder on the roof of the bank building. It had been carried there from the Tornquist Studios and used by the thief to gain entrance to the Crown Studios. , Although it was thought that an attempt had been made to break into the Savings Bank, this theory is disproved, as there are no signs of any doors or windows having been tampered with. The premises which were entered last night were: Mr. F. Brown, dentist. Tornquist Studios. Crown Studios. Schneideman’s, clothiers. Nothing of any great value was taken and the marauder’s haul could not have amounted to more than a few shillings. The nurse in Mr. Brown's rooms says that yesterday afternoon she saw a suspicious character loitering about the entrance. He was a short man, dressed in a navy blue suit and with his hat pulled well down over his eyes. This confirms the suspicions of the police regarding the man who has been raiding offices in blocks of buildings throughout the city. Entrance to Mr. Brown’s rooms was gained by climbing fire-escapes and then along a narrow window sill to an unlatched window. Although the whole office was ransacked only a few pennies were taken from one drawer. A large quantity of stamps and several ounces of gold used in the workrooms were left behind. Mr. H. Tornquist stated that the

studios must have been raided early in the evening and that the thief must have walked up the stairs leading from Queen Street. He left by a window leading on to the fire-escape in the light area, and then entered the firm’s workrooms. Nothing was taken, except the stepladder, which was found this morning on the roof of the Savings Bank. Last evening the marauder must have scrambled about the buildings for a considerable time, and it is curious that no one saw him. Mr. Brown stated that he was working in his rooms until about 8.30 p.m.. and that he heard a noise down below in the light, area, but he thought it was rats. Now he thinks it was the raider. The thief had used wooden matches, woica were found scattered about in some of the rooms he had visited.