DARING ROBBERIES IN MELBOURNE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1216, 19 June 1885, Page 3

DARING ROBBERIES IN MELBOURNE.

A daring robbery. was perpetrated at the i Albion Hotel, South Melbourne, on May 30 (says the Art us), and after a severe struggle with Mrs Eliza Doua'd, the landlady, one of the robbers was arrested About 8 o’clock Mrs Donald was in a room at the back of the bar with her brother and some friends, when a respectably dressed man entered and asked for a drink, Ue was very slow in his movements, and attempted to engage Mrs Donald in conversation. She asked him for payment for the liquor supplied, and he, after searching diligently in his pockets, produced a L 5 note, for which he wanted change, as he said he bad no other money. Mrs Donald took the note, and having found that she had not sufficient cash fur it in the till, was about to go to her room upstairs .to oh ain the amount from some money which she had locked np, when the man in the bar called her back, and said, ‘‘ Oh, don’t mind changing the note. I have some small money which I wish to get rid of.” At the same time he produced from his vest pocket a number of threepenny pieces. Mrs Donald accepted the money for the drink and was returning to her friends, when one of them remarked that she heard a muse upstairs. Mrs Donald at that moment saw the shadow of a man on the wall of the staircase, cast by a light which she had left burning in her room. She ran up and found a man in her room, and her chest of drawers broken open. The man had a chisel in his band, anil brandishing it in a threatening manner, attempted to piss her to the door, but she seized him by the throat and screamed for assistance. Those persons who were down stabs had no sus pinion of what was going on overhead. They were talking loudly among themselves and did not hear the cry for help. Mrs Donald clung to the man’s throat, notwithstanding that he threatened to injure her wir.h the chisel, of which he retained possession. He ultimately got free, and made a dash for the window. It was looked, but he went at it with such force as to break m e of the sashes. He was almost through the aperture when Mrs Donald again seized him ; this time by the right leg. He kicked himself free, and fell 20tton to the footpath of Northumberland street, on to which the window opened. The noise of *he breaking of the wiodow attracted a number of persons, who found the man lying with his leg hurt on the pavement. It was soon known haw he came there, and a constable who came upon the scene arrested him. The man whom Mrs Donald had served wih drink in the bar was seen to run away by the persons who seized the injured man as they came up. Mrs Donald received severe cuts on her arms, but she does not know whether the prisoner caused them with the chisel or whether she sustained them whila holding him at the window. A search of the chest of drawers showed that LSO in notes, gold, and silver, which Mrs Donald had placed there, had been stolen, and that the following a'tides which had also been deposited there, had been taken away : Two ladies’ gold open-faced Geneva watches, a black jet chain, a heavy long cold neck chain, a ladies’ ring with a stone missing, a gold pencil case, and a gold tooth] ick. The man, when placed in the South Melbourne waichhouae. said his name was George Reilly, but Detective Lomaine, who saw him subsequently, identified him as a notorious “hotel barber” known as “Smithy,” alias “Paul,” who several mouths ago. completed a sentence of two years’ imprisonment for a simi ar offence. When ho was set at liberty, hotel robberies of this description became very c mmon until lie went *o Sydney. Detec five Mahony, who went over th re, told the Sydney police who he was, and soon afterwards he was arrested there for an offence similar to that of Friday night He was discharged, and came to Melbourne several weeks ago. Although the pio perty described was missed, none of it was found on the prisoner, and the police up to the pre-ent have been unable to trace it. At 10 p.m. on the nay before the above robbery was committed, an equally audacious one was effects I at the Cricketers’ Arms Hotel, at the corner of Kae and Percy streets, North Fitzroy. At the time mentioned four suspicious men were assembled in the bar parlour, which opens into Ihe passage to the stairs. Their orders were being attended to, when one of them left, saying he was going home. No notice was taken of his movements, but it is supposed that he went upstairs and broue open a chest of drawers, for soon after the other men left the chest of drawers was found to have been broken open, and the following money and property stolen : LCB in no es and. gold, a laly’a open-taoed silver Geneva watch, a lady’s long gold chain, wi hj a locket containing photographs attached ; a large linked snake pattern gold chain, and a nugget of gold set as a breast piu. Descriptions of the suspected men have been supplied to the police.