PETTY THEFTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3589, 11 October 1879, Page 3

PETTY THEFTS.

Ifc is much to be^egretted thafc thero-should be apparent euch a marked inoreaae of late in the numbor of pebty robberies, many of th»m contemptible in their meanness, and tbat tlie thieves should — as a rulo — escape detection. Various paragrapliß hare appeored calling at- ! tention to thefts from premises in Armagh ' street east, and last night another case was added to the list, a hos having been taken ; from a garden where it bad been inadvertently : left. These favours, however, ore jiot being confined to any ono particular diatrict. Some time between Wednesday night and iFriday morning, the United Methodist Church, Colombo road, was broken into, entrance .being effected bv breaking a pane of glass in •one of tho roar windows, so thafc a hand, could be inserted and the catch of the window unfastened. On a former occasion this placa of worship was broken into, and the contents of the missionary boiea atolen. tlf in tho present instance tho thief anticipated similar plunder, ho wae considerably disappointed, aj the boxes had only juat been oleared out in tho legitimate manner. It may be assumed that the intruder was exasperated afc being foiled, sinco he turned all tho gas full on, and so left it ; and had tbo ordinary course of events beon followed, tho building would have boen destroyed, and human life probably sacrificed. Ifc is tho practice of tho attendant to tako in a light on Friday evening, but this week, by somo marvellous chance, tbo attendant wont into the placs in tho morning, and found the place to bo so full of gas as to render breathing impossible. So far, therefore, tho only cost to the congregation ia a considerable addition to tho gas bill and a broken pane of glass. Early in last wesk, the garden of Mr Holdsworth, Durham street, was entered during the night, and the whole of the fruit treoa, which had been planted on the previous Saturday, were taken away. Indeed, with tho exception of a few ornamental shrubs, a clean sweep was made. Another case may be given. A houso is being builfc on the Lincoln road juet above the gaol, for the Bev T. Fisher, the grounds haviDg been laid out and planted for aboufc a year, so that on the completion of the building the house and its surroundings might bo aa complete as possible. Thieves, however, have just paid the place a visit, taking with them, as a momento, about a dozen choice fruit trees. While we have no desire to press matters unnecessarily upon the attontion of the polico authorities, we may fairly ask thom to see that increaßod vigilance is used, and to direct that constables in plain clothes may be sent out nightly.