THE MELBOURNE BANK ROBBERIES

Dunstan Times, Issue 1217, 26 June 1885, Page 3

THE MELBOURNE BANK ROBBERIES

The following anno incement has Been 13311 a I liy the authoriti ■* of the National Bank :■ A reward of L3OO will be given for such infonn.i ion as will lead to the conviction of the throe men who robbed the National Bank ; LIOO on the conviction of any one of them, and a further sum of L 250 will be id veil for the recovery of the whole amount of i.he s olen money, or for a pro portionaie amount a lesser sum, if restorer!. On the lay after the robbery an impor* tant discovery was male known to the police, which gave the detectives a strong o’ue. Throe canvas hags were found in Studiey Park Black trackers were sent fir, hut heavy rain having fallen through the n'ght it was impossible to "rice them. Three hours later a gardener a Kmv informed the police that he had Sven ihvee men near the gully. On search being made the police were rewarded by fin ling a knife and tobacco also proof abundant that the men return's! to t iwn instead of going up count y. With these clu s, and the description of the men and horse and cart given by the Rev. Mr Stuart, the police on Saturday anes e 1 Joseph Yates, laborer in a house of ill fame. The girls were also taken. On Yates was found tw’ L 5 notes, and under the mattresses of a bed five sovereigns and thirty-ix halt sovereigns were di covered. The police a 1 so arrested two men and two women in Spring street, and at ahj nise in Sandridge two habi ual nriniimls M’Mahon and Miller, were taken with L 23 in gold and ten LI notes. Masks were foun I, and the horse and cart, which was identifie 1 by the Rev. Mr S uart as ihose he saw near the bank entrance on the m irning of the robbery. Auo her man, Dunlevy, has been arrested and identified as the man who drove ihe cart. Some con fission has been made, as the po ice have unearthed part of the tieasure, comprising L2OO in notes an I some silver. In connection with he arrests of Smith and Ross for the Horsham Bunk robbery, Ross, who was not suspecting of being ao ual'y concerned in the robbery, turned Queen’s evidence. It apnea-s that a clue wis got l y Smith paying into the Union Bask of Mel bourn- thirty-six HO notes of the London Chartered Bank, which were earth stained. He succeeded in ge ting a draft on Albury for the amount, where he got the money, and arranged with Ross to to s'lect, land, handing over money to Ross, who, however, banked it.. Same time afterwards, the police, who had been keeping an eye on Smith, arrested them both. At the trial the evidence proved that Smith, pre vious to the disc >ve yof the robbery, had been paying cheques anil notes other than the Chartered Bmk notes, which showed the Treasury had been tampered with already. When at \lbury both Smith and Ross changed their names. Smith was com mitted for trial at the next session on the Bth of September.