Audacious Sketty Burglary
Taken from The Cambrian | 22nd September 1905
The county police are investigating one of the most daring exploits at housebreaking in their records. On Wednesday Mr Edward Jenkins, Rose Cottage, Sketty, and his family left home for the day, and on their return late in the evening they found the house had been broken into and ransacked from top to bottom. A sum of £1 8s. 6d., which was in a drawer, was stolen, as also was a valuable watch and chain, silver pencil case, and several small articles of jewellery.
Entrance was effected through a side window, one of the panes of which was broken sufficiently to allow the insertion of a man’s fingers to raise the catch and open the window. Every room was visited, and the contents of the drawers and cupboards turned out. The burglar or burglars were disturbed, an there are evidences of a hurried departure.
A postman on his rounds called at the house about the time the men were busy upstairs, viz., nine 'o’clock, to deliver three letters. After knocking at the door the postman saw a man’s face peering out of the window of an upper room. This man knocked at the window and then came downstairs and opened the front door, and with remarkable coolness and audacity took the letters from the postman, who, noticing that the recipient was strange to the place, asked him if he belonged to the house, and he answered with the utmost sangfroid that he had only recently joined the household, and that the other man who usually did the gardening etc., had left. The coolness of the man disarmed the postman of all suspicion, and he went on his way.
When Mr. Jenkins and family returned they saw the house had been visited, and they discovered the loss of the money, and communicated the fact to the police. It was not till Thursday morning that the watch and chain were missed, and this was then also reported to the police. In the meantime the watch and chain had been pawned at Mr Levi’s pawnbroking shop in Heathfield Street, and the police are for the present baulked. Had Mr. Jenkins informed the police of the double loss first of all they are of the opinion they would have secured an arrest, as a good description of the man has been furnished them by the pawnbroker and postman.
