EXTENSIVE JEWELLERY ROBBERY IN MELBOURNE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1105, 29 June 1883, Page 4

EXTENSIVE JEWELLERY ROBBERY IN MELBOURNE.

i\ii extensive .uml somewhat snns-i-1 tinrml jewel lew robbery lias been reported to the detective police as bavin" Been committed on the premises of Mr Iloßert Carter, jeweller, No. 7 Collins street west, some time between Saturday afternoon and 9 o’clock on Monday morning, 21st May, It appears that the premises were secured by Mr Carter on Saturday, when the most valuable portion of the stock was placed in the strong safe and locked up. together with the duplicate keys of the safe and premises, which were kept in a small cashbook in one •of the innerdlrawers of the safe. The •shop doors and grating shutters were also securely locked, and Mr Carter kept the only key by which an entrance could be effected in the ordinary way in his own possession. When Mr Carter went, to the shop on Monday morning the whole of the doors were found locked, and apparently in the condition in which they were left on Saturday. There was no appearance of any of the locks having been tampered with in any wav whatever. On the place being entered a number of jewellery cases were found strewn indiscriminately about a small room,"which is curtained oft' from the back of the shop, and on the safe being opened it was discovered that jewellery to the value of about £2 (| oo bad been abstracted. The detective police were at once communicated with, and Detectives Brown, Nixon, and Mahonv made a careful iuvestigitiou of the premises, but without discovering any clue: The duplicate keys were missing from the strong safe, but an entrance must have been effected and the safe opened before they could have been obtained, it was manifest that their absence had no possible connection with the robbery, unless, as is supposed, they had been previously stolen by some person who had access to them in the ordinary course of business. Skeleton keys may have been used, and the duplicates subsequently stolen from the sate to avert suspic'on. No ske’etou key is believed to exist by which the strong safe in question could hj .ve been opened without leaving some trace. At present the matter is involved in mystery. The property stolen consists of IG7 watches of various descriptions, including about 80. silver hunting English levers, IS Waltham silver hunting genevas, f> gold genevas, 12 gold hunting levers, 24 ordinary gold watches, and several gold and silver watches of special value, several gold crosses and lockets, about three or four dozen gold bracelets, a large number of diamond and wedding rings, numerous gold brooches, gold chains, negliges, a quantity of valuable plate, and a miscellaneous assortment of gold and silver trinkets of every conceivable description. Among the articles stolen are a number of valuable rings set with precious stones, pins, and other articles bearing monograms, which were with Mr Carter for repair It is impossible at present to ascertain the exact quantity of jewellery stolen, but the numbers of nearly the whole of the watches are known, and have been circulated among the pawnbrokers in thecityand suburl.s for general information.