HOTEL ROBBERS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2181, 20 June 1914, Page 6

HOTEL ROBBERS

■ ■* THE ARREST OF A SUSPECT IN MANNERS STREET. The arrest of a man alleged to liavo been concerned in several recent robberies in city hotels, was elfectcd yesterday by two detectives. Throughout : the week several hotel robberies had been reported to the police, and in somo cases quantities of jewellery were reported as missing. Yesterday morning Detective Sergeant M'llveney and Detective Bailey watched the movements of a well-dressed American. Ho entered; Manners Street from a side street, near the New Zealandcr Hotel, and, crossing tho road, stopped totalis to two men. Tho dotectives stationed themselves in a doorway near the Union Clothing Company, anil when .the American approached they accosted him. Tho interview which followed was short and snappy. It only lasted a few minutes, when, making somo remark, more forcible than polite, the man started off at a fast run. He had not covered any great distance beforo tho detectives had arrested him. Tho occurrenco naturally drew a crowd, but without difficulty the detectives took their man to the Manners Street police station, and /later to tho Lamhton station. Tho arrest took place at 11.30 a.m., and tho man gavo his jiamo as Hiram Dexter, who had arrived in Wellington from Australia last Friday week. Whether ho is connected with any criminal act or not is for tho Court to determine. In all about £160 worth of jewollery has been stolen from hotels in the city, and several charges will be •preferred against Derfcer this morning at tho Magistrate's Court, One information charges him with the theft of £108 worth of jewellery from tho Duke of Edinburgh. Hotel. .The other charges .are:—(l) Tim theft of between £30 and -£40 worth of iewellory from tho Grand -''Hotel';-(2) theft of about £20 worth ..of jewellery and'money from the Hotel Windsor; (3) theft of a gold watch, valued at' £4; from the Hotel Cecil. .-• This- jewellery-is chiefly the property of guests at tho hotels.