BURGLARS’ HAUL

Taranaki Daily News, 30 April 1931, Page 6

BURGLARS’ HAUL

£lBO IN CASH DISAPPEARS NEWTON KING’S SAFE BLOWN EXPLOSIVE USED ON DOORS EXPERTS’ WORK APPARENT MANY CHEQUES ALSO TAKEN A haul of £665 in cheques and cash, a watch case, a sovereign case arid a medal was secured by burglars who entered the head office of Newton King, Ltd., New Plymouth, between the hours of 9 o’clock on Tuesday night and 6.10 a.m. yesterday and blew open the strongroom and safe doors. Of the money stolen £lBO was in notes and silver and the remainder consisted of cheques, payment of which was stopped immediately the banks Opened yesterday morning.

Apparently the thieves were conversant with the construction of the building, for their methods appeared to have been systematic. An entrance was made through a back window overlooking the haymarket by first breaking a patent fastener on one of the fanlights. This enabled them to reach the lock and open one of the larger windows. When they had broken into the building the thieves secured soap from the typists’ room and this was employed in controlling the explosives used in blowing the strongroom door. Evidently the charge was inserted in the keyhole. The bolts along the top and down one side of the door were torn apart and the cap of the keyhole was shot like a bullet through the top of a window surrounding the office of the accountant opposite the strongroom. Damage caused by flying pieces of metal was also inflicted on the woodwork on th. other side of the passage, while to the left of the strongroom the plaster walls were spattered with soap. Once inside the strong; oom the thieves appear to have confined all their attention to a small iron safe which was blown in the same way as the outer door. The head of most of the bolts in the safe door Were broken by the force of the explosion, which also shot the keyhole cap into an iron ledger rack opposite and twisted the frame in much the same way as a light bullet from a rifle would have done In the safe were three cash-boxes, two of which were . the property of Newton King, Ltd., and the third of the Phoenix Insurance Company, of which the firm is the Taranaki agent.

The three boxes and their contents were all taken, but eight or nine cheques which had been brought from the Stony River sale the previous day alid were left loose in tin safe were not removed. The drawers of all the stolen cheques were known and steps wfere taken immediately to stop payment. It is the custom of the firm to bank all money that conies into the office before 3 o’clock, and had this not been so the thieves’ haul would have been very much larger, as only money which was taken at the office after 3 o’clock was put in the strongroom safe. ■ The burglary was discovered by. the janitor, Air. T. Eddlestone, about 20 minutes after he had arrived on the premises. His attention was finst attracted by the small round hole in the window of the accountant’s office caused by the flying keyhole cap. Immediately he discovered the depredations he communicated with the police. Although the first intimation of the burglary was not received until 6.30 o’clock -yesterday morning, a man returning hohie along Devon Street at about *3 o’clock yesterday, morning noticed a small man who appeared, to be loiteriiio- on the corner of Currie and Devon Streets, and it is thought possible that he may have befin a scout as the corner would command a gooa view of the approaches to the robbed premises. As the man was standing in the shade of the verandah no very clear impression of his appearance was gatli ered.