THE EXTENSIVE BURGLARY AT WELLINGTON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5325, 1 June 1885, Page 4

THE EXTENSIVE BURGLARY AT WELLINGTON.

♦ (New Zealand Tinu:i), Thursday.) "Wellington was rather startled yesterday by the announcement that a most extensive robbery of watches and jewellery had taken place on the premises of Mr Gr. L. Jenness, watchmaker and jeweller, Willis street. Mr Jenness has been so long in business in this city, and 60 generally respected, that the feeling of astonishment was mingled with that of sympathy. No robbery, on anything like the same scale, had ever before taken place in Wellington. The list of the goods taken, the value of which Mr Jenness estimates at ,£796 4s 6d, is as follows : — 26 gold watches, 40 silver watches, 20 solid gold alberts, 15 English alberts, 20 la-.iee' gold alberts, 40 to 45 gold necklets, 24 silver necklets, 12 ladies' silver alberts, 6 dozen silver rings, 12 gold brooches, -4 pairs diamond earrings, 24 gold brooches and earrings, including 5 diamond sets, valued from _33 to J635, 12 gold and diamond scaffpins. On Saturday night Mr Jenness had put away the bulk of the goods in the safe, where they remained until Tuesday morning. Feeling rather tired that night, Mr Jenness allowed the goods to remain where he placed them in the morning, and retired to rest about the usual hour. So far as he is able torecolleet, he doo3 not remember having lately seen any persons, except one, of a suspicious-looking character, in his shop. The man whom he noticed stood at the off counter, and appeared to tat!o a cursory survey of tho premises. The doors were locked, the keys being left in the inside. The burglars, finding that to be the case, cut away one of the panels near the lock, and turned the key. They effected an entrance by the back door, and passed through the workshop into the front portion of the.premises. Though Mr Jenness and family always sleep on the premises, they did not hear a sound of any kind, but it is evident the burglars were disturbed by some noise or alarm, for they would not, in all probability, have left so soon had not something or another occurred. Mr Jenness thinks that a clock, which sounds a loud bugle alarm every hour, must have beeu the cause of their leaving as soon a3 they did. Constable Bree, who was on the Willis street beat on Tuesday night, states that he saw no suspicious-looking persons about. It is quite possible, seeing how close the premises are to the harbour, that the burglar 3 might have got hold of a boat, and that they arrived on the scene by that means, and decamped in the same way. Thero is no clue whatever to the robbery so far, but the detectives and police force are on the alert, and no effort will be spared to capture the gang. It in quite evident that they are not mere amateur robbers ; the systematic way in which they did their work proves that they are "professionals." The lantern which they used and left behind them in the bhop i 3 a vory common article, such as any market gardener might bring into town. The glass was covered over with sheets of zinc, which could be easily made to slide up or down as required;. and one side of the glass was covered over with thin pasteboard. The tools which they used were all carefully taken away. Mr jenness finds some little consolation in the fact that the robbery might have been a good deal worse, as would inevitably have been the case had there not been an interruption of some kind.

[Peb Pbbbs Association.] WELLINGTON, Mat 31. The police, it is understood, have a clno to the perpetrators of the jewellery robbery at Jenness', and at all events ono arrest has been made, but not here. Tho police believe that there are several confederates, and until further arrests are made decline to give further particulars. It is, however, currently reported that the arrest was made in Christchurch, and that the discovery was made through the pawning of a watch, the number of which Jennes9 was able to identify. [This matter is referred to in our local columns.] Later. The police have made two arrests in connection with the robbery, viz., John Davis, a Mulatto, at 'Wellington, and a young man named Appendale, at Lyttelton. The latter had been employed at Te Aro Hotel, and on the room which he occupied being searched, a couple of keyhole saws were found and a giuiblot. It is said that in a carpet bag lying in the room some of the missing property was discovered. The police are very reticent.