SENSATIONAL BURGLARY

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 710, 5 January 1903, Page 2

SENSATIONAL BURGLARY

ROBBERY WITH VIOLENCE.

THE PLACE SET FIRE TO BY THE BURGLAR. Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, last night. A sensational burglary occurred at the Kaiapoi brewery oil Saturday morning. At three o’clock, Frank Ilemplctoan a clerk emp.oycd in the brewery, was / knocked down by a man outside his, rcsiaence. The man took from his pockets the keys of the brewery office 1 and sale. i A little while afterwards J. Slev- 1 enson, brewer, living at the brewery, * was awakened by his wife with ‘ the news that the house was full of smoke. 1 I-lc got up and discovered that the office was on fire. The safe door was. open, and the office door also. Stevenson secured the ledger and cash-hook, and some of the keys taken from Hcmplcman’s pocket, were > found in the brewery yard. Marks of buggv wheels were traced to the office door, and it was found that jffjnic money had been taken from the safe, but the exact amount is not known. Detectives proceeded from town to sift the matter. There was a smell of kerosene in the safe, and in parts of the: office. The whole affair is veiled ;in mystery, but evidently the thief or thieves were cognisant of the whereabouts of the safe. No banking had been done for several days.