Housebreaking, Stealing from the Person and from Dwellings.

New Zealand Police Gazette, Volume XII, Issue 13, 20 June 1888, Page 118

Housebreaking, Stealing from the Person and from Dwellings.

Ah Fun is charged, on warrant issued by the Dunedin Bench, with stealing, on the 29th ultimo, from the pawnbroker’s shop of Abigail Isaacs, Maclaggan Street, Dunedin, a pair of dark-grey tweed-trousers, value 10s., since recovered. Description: A Chinaman, about twenty-eight years of age, sft. Sin. high, slight build, black hair, long pigtail, no hair on face, pale complexion ; dressed in dark sac-coat, dark-grey trousers and vest, and black soft-felt hat. Identifiable. He left Dunedin on the 3rd instant, and is supposed to have gone up country.

Between 8 a.m. on the 27th and 8 a.m. on the 28th ultimo the store of George Applegate, Okaiawa, Taranaki District, was broken into, and an envelope containing about £1 worth of shillings and sixpenny stamps stolen. Envelope identifiable. Suspicion attached to a Maori, name unknown, about twenty years of age, about sft Bin. or 9in. high, medium build, little if any hair on his face ; dressed in dark coat, very much torn about the sleeves, brown trousers, and drab felt-hat with crape round it; speaks broken English. Identifiable. He is charged, on warrant issued by the Havvera Bench, with wilfully breaking a pane of glass, value 155., in one of the store-windows.

(See Police Gazette, 1888, page 98.) Breaking into and stealing from the dwelling of Neil Henderson, Waikaia Flat: Albert Edward Mavver and Henry Treen, arrested by Constable Thomas Griffith, Lumsden Police, were charged with this offence, but the charge was dismissed on account of complainant declining to swear that anything was stolen from his dwelling. Both men were committed for trial on two other charges of housebreaking.

(See Police Gazette, 1888, page 90.) Stealing from the hut of Arthur William Dutson, St. Andrew, near Waimate: All the stolen property except the gold guard has been recovered. It was found secreted in a hedge near St. Andrew. Suspicion attached to Thomas Halpin, alias Thomas Andrew Alpine, who was seen in the locality at the time the offence was committed. (For his description, &c., see Police Gazette, 1884, page 18G.)

(See Police Gazette, 1888, page 108.) Stealing a cornsack, containing clothing, &c., the property of Robert Sutherland, from the Railway Hotel, Invercargill. The sack, containing one pair of the new boots, the pair of old boots, the moleskin trousers, the hat, a packet of bootpreservers, and two pairs of slippers, was found, on the 25th ultimo, under a hay-staclc in the Park Reserve, Invercargill.

Between 11.30 p.m. on the 6th and 6 a.m. on the 7th instant the Victoria Hotel, Abel Smith Street, Wellington, was burglariously entered, and the following stolen: Five bottles of Hennessy’s brandy and a bottle of gin, value £2 Is. 6d.; 12s. in silver, and Bs. ljd. in coppers ; the property of Alexander Smith.

Stolen on the 23rd ultimo, from the store of William Flavcll, Innumia, Whangaroa, a very largo silver Waltham

watch, case flowered, gold hinges, ketch to regulate hands, no glass, number not known, value £6; and a large gold chain, four-plat bar, 2in. drop, value £B. Identifiable.

Stolen on the 7th instant, from the Leviathan Temperance Hotel, Cumberland Street, Dunedin, a rather long greyclieck tweed overcoat with cape, a strap of similar material on left side of collar, dark-check lining, value £8; there was a pair of brown-kid gloves, value 35., in one of the pockets; the property of Charles Mitchelson. Identifiable.

Between 11.50 p.m. on the 16th and 8.30 a.m. on the 17th instant, the railway-station, Petone, near Wellington, was broken into, and the following stolen : An iron-safe containing about £9O in notes, gold, silver, and coppers, a cheque for £2 Is. 4d., drawn by R. Brown in favour of the New Zealand Government Insurance Department or bearer; about forty-five postal notes for the sum of £l7, for various amounts from Is. to £1; about £7 worth of postage-stamps, value from £d. to Is.; a post-office savings-bank book, No. 25611, issued at Featherston to G. W. Bennett; a post-office savings-bank book, No. 43292, issued at Petone to T. F. Bennett; and a cylindrical wooden case, about 15in. long by 3in. in diameter, supposed made of kauri-timber, not painted, for holding stamps, &c.; the property of the Government. Identifiable except the money. The safe was found on the morning of the 17th instant in a paddock about half a mile from the railway-station, broken open, and the contents missing, except a sovereign, £1 4s. in silver, Is. Bd. in coppers, and 10s. worth of stamps. A large sledge-hammer was found at the place, with which the safe w'as broken open. A handtruck, which was taken from the railway-station, was also found at the place, in which, no doubt, the safe was conveyed to where found.

Stolen on the 30th ultimo, from the shop of Gordon Matheson, Laurence Street, Mornington, Dunedin, a gold shield-pin with diamond in centre ; value £5. Identifiable. Suspicion attached to a man, name unknown, who was in the shop on that day. Description: Supposed English, a hawker, about thirty years of age, sft. 7in. or Sin. high, dark hair and whiskers ; wore dark-clieck clothes and darkcheck hat.

Stolen on the 6th instant, from the dwelling of Thomas Johnstone, Woolcombc’s Gully, near Timaru, a nearly-new brown-coloured accordian with ten keys, black-leather strap handles lined with red leather, nickle-platc ornaments at corners, well finished, and fastens with two brass slides, both considerably bent; value £1 10s. Identifiable.

Stolen between the 24th ultimo and 6th instant, from the dwelling of John H. Hawkins, Opua, Bay of Islands, scwt. of kauri-gum, a boat-rudder painted white, a brass ornamented rudder-yoke, two paint-brushes, a tin dish, five kauri-planks, 6by 2,14 ft. long, a kauri spar and sail-sprit 12ft. long; value £2 2s. Gd. Identifiable except the gum.

Three men, names unknown, supposed labourers, are charged with attempting to rob Basil Latham and Albert Gough, with violence, about 9.30 p.m. on the 16th instant, on the Masterton and Carterton Road. Description: First, about forty years of age, about sft. lOin. high, long thin features, full dark beard whiskers and moustache ; wore dark overcoat and trousers, and dark slouched hat. Second, about twenty seven years of age, about 6ft. high, stout build, cleanshaved except dark moustache ; wore dark suit and dark broad brimmed hat. Third, about thirty-six years of age, about sft. Gin. or Tin. high, stoutish build, bushy beard ; wore dark-tweed coat and vest, white or light-coloured moleskin trousers, and dark slouched hat. Identification doubtful. Complainants were riding in company towards Masterton, and when passing a clump of trees the offenders ran from under the trees in front of their horses, ordering them to stop ; two of them caught hold of Latham and his horse, and endeavoured to unseat him, but he succeeded in making his escape from them, accompanied by Gough. Mr. Latham” who carries on butchering business, &c., at Waingawa, is in the habit of bringing large sums of money into Masterton on Saturdays, and had a considerable amount in his possession at the time.