Postby dognose » Tue Feb 05, 2019 6:35 am
TWO JEWELLERS BURGLED PROBABLY WITHIN MINUTES
Hull
A very extensive robbery of watches and jewellery was committed on the premises of Mr. Daniel, jeweller and watch-manufacturer, Queen Street, Hull. It seems that Mr. Daniel had occasion, shortly before eleven o'clock in the evening, to go to the Minerva Hotel, and in the course of a quarter of an hour returned, and found the premises apparently in the same secure state as when he left. On entering, however, he noticed a large dog, which he kept in the house, lying on the floor dying, and near him some pieces of liver strongly poisoned, of which he had eaten. The robbers could only have been on the premises from five to ten minutes. A costly case of gold watches, guard-chains, rings, and other jewellery, in value between 1,500l. and 2,000l., were carried off. The thieves carefully locked the door after them. A second burglary took place in the same street on the premises of Mr. Gardener, most probably by the same parties, and nearly at the same time. The proprietor was in the habit of sleeping on the premises, but he did not do so on this night. The door was fastened with two patent padlocks and a lock in the door. All these the thieves had most cleverly unlocked, and after plundering the interior, relocked them as if nothing had occurred. On Mr. Gardener opening his shop on the following morning, his suspicions were aroused on finding that the key would not enter the lock of an iron safe, trebly locked, which held the most valuable portion of his stock. A locksmith was then sent for, who picked the locks, and the contents of the safe were discovered to be stolen. The booty consisted of seventeen gold watches, twenty silver, all new, and nearly twenty secondhand; gold chains and guards, diamond-pins and rings, gold and silver snuff-boxes, &c., in value near 3,000l.
Source: The Annual Register - March 1846
Trev.