POST OFFICE ROBBERY

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 491, 26 April 1909, Page 5

POST OFFICE ROBBERY

Police fwvfeSTidATlbfri. "An arrest on tiib takapuna. Afttit a.lajJso.bf. three ahd a-'half nionlWi : : ■/■ v fi-brri tRo datb df thd rribbery from thß daffe dt. • • .tho pakdls depattmeht of tiib-General Pb&t . Oiuce, a niali hdk Ui-en jlrreStcd. u|Joii d . cnaf& nf boHihiittiiig this 61fcricd. lib *I*lll lib fpfntaily bliaflccl at /tls'o MaglStMte's Coiirt ;.y fr; will, ask fdr a remand. ;; ..Tho articles til lien frdra thii -3afo were -a V-v 'lumber'; of;'. f bbntSiHiiig i-jewellery 'valu<xl fit; aboiit £89, ,«a6h-,boxes bolonging to lour dorks fih'd containing about • .£3l fn monej.'aiid £60 ill stamps;, and- a registered package full of cahcblled- bank notefl: posted front a southern branch :tlf. tljo ■ , ~ Bank ,of New iZealandjynrid;which:had. only ;i : arrived on .the day-of tlio robbery; The cancollatidti of, the notes was efEocted by it smtlll (.•■ hole punched in tho denti# .about tile size of a shulirtg, and the v> otd "cancelled" was '. ■; • printed'twicia oii'-thd face bithp.riote. The •; pabkiigb had 406 £1 notes,ns4 £5 .botes* and 'V-ii , r £io : .iibtes;:j£/r^yy'yMyW'J'y^.: 1 - ;»:33t8 •.gtorjkofcflho occurrence is as follows —The. parcels oilieo" in Brandon Street was . left. as uSual: on the, ovonitig of. Sunday, Jantn , ary lOj; bii|,when ithe Mondayi.motmng Staff y assembled ]ufct before 8 o'blobk Cadet Afidrowo found-tho .room. full-.of smoke,- and it,' Was , - Been that the . safe had apparently been blown ojien with' gelignite; ft snlall portion of which ". ■■■ with a iuse ; was -observed on* the- floor; The covor .of. tho kevholo. had bfcen ,blown thrdunh the window, ahd whs afterwards folihd in the . Chief-Detective.' M'Grftth, and; ytietectivfe y Brol)erg,(now, Uhief-Deteotivo);7iild Detective . Williams investigated tho lriatteh and on an examination bf the' safeji which,was dn . upTtb-datß .Ohubb's drtlcloj were soon flatisfiedythat tho explosion wits lfofc.-.suffibientty. ..strong.to have .opened it; r Accordingly/ thejr sdedred the services of Mr.: Ekinsj ldcMmithi . who confirmed their suspicions that .the safe : ; 'yhad been.opened.by.a key before the explosion , toolc place. v This discovery was kept secret , uith a view, of arriving dt a solution of the mystery. i j: \___v ; Tho next .development ivaß- that early In rcbtuary a few of-tho caiicelled notes found : - their way ,to the head office.bf 'tho Bank of NefrZealand from, tho .Ilawera branch; Later .onj a further. number werd .rkeiyed froihWaitara, Now, Plymouth, ahd .Auckland. IllquirioS: wore at onco. instituted f but as tho ■ notes_ had ■ been ''repaired', very cleverlv. it va6 intposSiblo -to pscertain l how- long , they 'had been, in circulation' before : tho fact that y thoy had ibeen , and .patched wds -' discovered, • and .it ; w«b impossible. to bbtain •• a cluo ilr that, dircctioh. , , 1 v.; . About-.the. middle of last month ther batch of-.the notes, c'airie in frorii FeiltF ing_, but : a thpugli,/ : bh&. : kept a L .: •'. -to the', identity' of; the, pernbit who lad cashed y .y/yor circulated.them. • ,On April 20, the head .office accountant -in-.- . formed the authorities ;thiit': a;]arge' quaritity, ; : of : the^ r notoS hdclarl-ivkl fHnl ChristclmreK. arritdngfrtiriltho south,wßl-o . .wittohedj tlid oil ySatUrday ; iilglit Chief-' Dbtectivd Brobbtg'4rtd D'ctfectivca. Lewis and y y;y 'Andrews met ilid Takaphria on her hrrivitl . fwni Pioton, at ll.clO. They closely ob- • served iill ■ th'o ..pa3scnger3 : ,' The. fchief 'j. detective . . theti y went '. aboard "to ; search - awhile tho other detectives remained oh.guard on the wharf i Presently,while the chief detective was below. Detectives .Lewis and Andrews sAw a man) • answering tlie de- ■. scrijitioh: of the : individual: they, i 'were in J search of; ahd ho was c6iuhict<y] tt the Detec- . tlve Olßcej' where ho admitted that,ho was ntid niade. a .statchieiit re-, garding the chai-gb. • .. lleitimingWay. is a till; dark, wiry young mail of dbdiit 21 ycslrS of agd. It appears . that he cycled ffdnr Kaiitjidi to Swldcni ,' wliSi-jj lid caught a'tt-aim ittid tddu thb Takapuhii. y ; 'y-- ; '