THE BANK ROBBERY IN TASMANIA.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1173, 22 August 1884, Page 3

THE BANK ROBBERY IN TASMANIA.

There was great excitement atlWcoYi&lield oU 'the morning of July L’4 when ir. became k«okrn that tl)« Bank of Tasmania was robbed the previous eveni g It appeavs that Mr Stackhouse, the acting manager, was out on a visit to ii friend some distance from the township, and as he was returning ho.me through the bush road lie wis accosted by some person who hade him,good evening, and asked him for a light. Mr Stackhouse, not su - pecting .anything, stooped, and as he did so, three other men rushed upon him He resisted as much aspossiM , und in doing so received sofau inj u' - ies to Ins face and hands. Eventu-

ally „he was overpowered and. held down on the ground and his arms tied His pockets were then searched, and I ,keys pf the bank were taken from him. Two of the men still held him,

while the other two made off with the keys to the bank, winch they entered wi hoyt observation a id robbed of a parcel of notes, and some gold and silver coin, the amount being nearly L 1500., No men answering the description of the robbers .were seen about the township, blit it is probable they were disguised. The meal polic' -' inau was away,'and the robbers were enabled to got a good start. It is stated that the number of ihe notes are known.

A later account says that the manager had been visiting Rome friends and was returning homo at 9 o’clock, when lialf-a-mile from town be was stuck up by four men disguised A bag was thrown over his head, and he was led off the road into the bush and bound to a tree. The bank keys were then taken from his pocket Two men mounted guard, and the others went to the bank and robbed it of something like LIOOO This done, those who visited the bank returned within a short distance of where they left their comrades, aiid fired a gun as a signal, and the manager was re leased. He was tied to the tree for two hours, At the time only one constable was in the town to look after the safety of 2000 people. Mr Arthur Evans, manager of the Launceston Bank, visited Reaconsfield in company with Sub-Inspector Walt)i*,Sc«tt an I Detective Wilson, of the municipal police. Mr Evans as csrtaiued that the robbers had taken about L2OOO in notes, L3RO in gold, L2OO in silver, about 30->z of alluvial gold. and a number of cheques. Mr ' Veil 'Stackhouse, who was stuck-up, was a le lgor-keeper in the head bank, pi temporarily in charge of the Beaconstield branch He is about 22 year" oi l, and i" oile of. the bank’s in at trusted olii era. Detectives Wilson and Morname, and Superin tendeat Hopkins, from George Town, have made a minute investigation of all the circumstances relative to the bunk robb'ry. Tho scene of the encounter was visited by the police, and shows signs of a slight skirmish Mr Stackhouse’s walking cauc was found oh the snot, also the bag which was tied over his he <l. The robbers used very mild but effective measures in handling him, not using any serious vio’enco after having got him seriously bound. After securing Mr Stackhouse two of tho robbers took the keys of the bank fr >m him, the other two remaining behind to keep guard over him Tho ■ night was very dark and algo wet, but Mr Stackhouse it iter that on being released by tho men after the robbery of the bank, he just caught a glimpse of one of the party, but he h.ul his face masked, so that he could not ia any case identify his assailants. A more secluded spot could not have boeu chosen for waylaying anyone, it being audit a quarter of a mile from Swift’s jetty, whither Mr Stackhouse had gone to spend an evening with some friends,’ and about three-quarters of a mile from tho bank. The bank was entered by the fro t door, which the robbers locked behind them, and made their exit out of the back window. They C iukl not have been more than three minutes in the bank, as a wax candle just fresh lit shows as if it had been burning for about that time. The bank itself is a brick building,-with a manager’s room attache:!, and is within three feet of Mr S. J. Mitchell’s residence, whoso study is next to the manager's room, and Mr Mitchell states t-liat he was in his study till about half-past ten, so was actually I within a. few f>et of the robbers, and

yet lie avers he never heard a sound A bug containing cheques and coppers has Iveu di covered at Beauty Point and nine’coppers on tlie road leading to that locality. Notes issued at the branch boro the word “ Beacons held” in ied letters, and tho directors have decided to issue fresh notes with Heaconsheld printed in blue, and withdraw the red notes from circulation. On Friday a large number ot red notes were exchanged by the head banks for other’s, the directors having announced that they withdrew them from even, lation. In each c.i§« the names of the persons exchanging the notes were taken-for reference. It appears that the window by which tberb bars left the bank wasnu ordinary on , and not protected in the slightest degree A startling arres* of the supposed bank robbers was made by tho Laun jces'.on police at Beacoiisheld eary last i Sunday morning, causing ihe wildest excitement in the. town, not merely on account of the detest, but of the . posh ton held by the parties in ii.-.lr-cTfi sein-t kssV v; *»•» vvoiirri t -v

dialing Bf.VHiiti leu-ling mid iiiglu * w* tipeoted oitijsaus. A out 5,t m. ,Bit "day a contingent of :ho I.niiuc ton i».uoio»|>ili|)olii:e >f.i ce. m;v> i i number, arrived, *ich warr int* tor th arrest of Me sva R. Id. (Jolting pro priet.oi of vhe Exchange Hotel, ami hie sou George, aged about twenty The others who were arrested ar Edmund O'K efe and Charles Wur<l of Klirado celebrity, and the bn there Barrstt, (two brothers ofJ tn Barrett, who was cleverly captured about 18 months igo by Mr Sub-inspector Haves f >r the robbery of a large quantity of jewellery some three years ago. but wtidmade his 'escape, out of the gaolatG'Orge Town, and has since evaded the police). On the arrivil <>f th- police they at otice got the assistance of the Beaconsfield lorce, and began making the arrests, being fully armed for any emergency Mr Barrett was arrested >y Mr Haves athHfpast five ill the street. The ohe s were afterwards arrested and c mveyeo t'v the lockup Colli s’s house was thor mghly searched for mini y, aid ■about L4O was found, but the bank manager could noi.identify it us any of the stolen money. About half-past 3 pm. Col ins and his son were removed to the new gaol. Fully 100 people, worked up to the fullest pitch ot excitement, watched them off Hobart, August 8.

Two of the prisoners charged with robbing the bank at Beaconsfield have been discharged. Four otheis havo been admitted to bail.