ROBBING THE MAILS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2657, 31 December 1915, Page 6

ROBBING THE MAILS

OV■ V ■ ■ THE PAHIATUA SENSATION. A development, has occurred in conduction with the' recent theft of a large number of letters from the Pallia-, tua Post Office by the discovery of the letters on Tuesday by a shooting party, visitors to Pahiatua, in the hush in • the gully on the property lately occupied by Mr. T. AV. Manifold, Tiraumea Road, a distance behind the main residence. ...The' find was subsequently reported to the police. l The discover}' wai. quite axjcidental (says the "Herald"). . The ' letters, which were ,■all torn, had been pushed under some bushes, and there was a'silk handkerchief and empty ■ sugar bag lying near.' A number of chcques and postal notes were found amongst the correspondence; _• V The robbery took place -some time between the; evening of Saturday, November 27, and Sunday, November 29. Ono of the postal officials: who was on duty on the latter date .discovered that a large number of letters were, missing from the rack behind,the counter. His suspicions being aroused, he. made investigations,' and found that' a large quantity of correspondence had been taken. o.ut ,of the letter-rack in. the', mail-room, and he thereupon communicated with the postmaster. Between i ■ 200-and 300 loose letters, comprising the ■usual' Monday. morning outward mail, Sad vanished. The private letterrboxes and the letter-carriers' delivery ' wore not interfered with.- The Post Office, premises were, it-is-stated, locked- as ■usual on the Saturday night. When an official went.on. duty on the Sunday morning he noticed that the letter rack -in the mail-room was bare, but lie concluded that the letters liad been mado 'up into bundles the previous evening ; and put into the mail bags. V . Detective M'ljveney, of -Wellington, subsequently visited Pahiatua. and inquired into the case. .