GRAVEYARD VANDALISM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16454, 16 June 1921, Page 5

GRAVEYARD VANDALISM.

ARREST OF TWO BOYS,

CONFESSION REPORTED. Detective-Sergeant Gibson, who has been inquiring into the acts of vandalism perpetrated in the Barbadoes Street Cemetery by the breaking of crosses and headstones, arrested two small boys yesterday at Richmond, and charged them with the offence. The boys are reported to have admitted the offence, and given an account of what they did in the cemetery. They were released on nominal bail, and will appear at the Juvenile Court on Saturday. The elder boy is aged fourteen, and the younger eight. They live at Richmond, not far from the Barbadoes Street Cemetery. They are understood to have entered the cemetery with the object of gathering the glass jars from the graves as a moans of raising money to spend on their own amusement. Should they have done the mischief, it seems extraordinary that such small boys should have been able to throw down so many heavy headstones. The damage was done a week ago last Tuesday. Thirty-three headstones were thrown down in the Anglican Cemetery, and fifteen in the Roman Catholic Cemetery, in addition to which slabs were stripped off and caps broken. The cross over Bishop Harper’s grave was one of twelve crosses that were broken. A reward of £ls was offered by the Christchurch City Council and ,-£lO by the Church Property Trustees, for information leading to a conviction in connection with the offence.