JEWELLERY ROBBERY.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2694, 25 November 1882, Page 3

JEWELLERY ROBBERY.

fPEESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM. J

AUCKLAND, November 24. The following are the particulars of the jewellery robbery on board the Wellington on Sunday morning, the sth inst. The steamer "Wellington arrived here from her usual Tauranga trip, and berthed at the outer T, Queen street Wharf. Among the passengers on board was Manders Scott, of the firm of Scott Bros., Wellington, who was travelling through the North Island. This gentleman carried among his luggage, which was stowed in the forehold ef the vessel, a small tin box, containing a sample of jewellery amounting in value to about XIOOO. Various articles, comprising watches, brooches, bracelets, earrings, &c, were packed in morocco leather cases, laid carefully in the box, and the latter was fixed outside with two patent locks, while for additional security two leather straps were bound round the outside. This valuable package was shipped along with the rest of the Auckland luggage in the fore hold, to which the crow had access, but it was not supposed any of them were acquainted with the fact of its presence. Scott's luggage was removed in due course, and, under the impression that all the packages wero sent to the Albert Hotel, it was not until Tuesday morning the owner wont to get some of the jewellery out of his room, and, upon investigation, he there found the box had been broken open. One of the locks was broken off entirely, and the other had the appearance of having been opened with a key. An examination showed that fully three parts of the contents were abstracted, and that jewellery of various descriptions was missing, and the empty morocco cases which evidently contained these articles lay strewn about the bottom of the box, along with a few brooches, earrings, bracelets, &c, which had either been overlooked or not cared for by the plunderers. Scott was then fully aware of the great loss he had sustained—that fully .£650 worth of jewellery shipped on the steamer had been extracted, and there were grave suspicions that the robbery had been perpetrated while on the steamer. Scott proceeded to the police station and gave information of the robbery, and the matter was placed in the hands of Detective Strathern and Sergeant Martin, of the water police force. Suspicion naturally was first directed towards the Wellington's crew, and in consequence of information received on Saturday, the 11th inst., two men were arrested. One belonged to the forecastle of the vessel and the other was a bushman. They gave tlieir names as Healey and Stewart respectively. On the following Monday these men were brought before the Police Court and charged with robbery, and both were remanded for want of evidence. The last remand was until to-day. The whole of the steamer's crew maintain the utmost secrecy regarding what transpired during the voyage up, and it is stated the men entered into a compact to say " They knew nothing about it," and that they should not " Split upon one another." This of course made the task of tracing the robbery extremely difficult. The police were almost left to their own resources in consequence. Since the arrest of Healey and Stewart no less than four others were charged with the robbery. Peter Young, Sutherland, Roderick Deran and Erickson, all from the forecastle of the steamer, were at different times arrested and brought before the Court, and each in turn was remanded until today. Stewart, bushman, it was supposed had in some way been concerned iu the robbery. A probability existed that should the robbery have been perpetrated by the crew they had likely accomplices on shore. The men denied all knowledge of the jewellery having disappeared, and the police were therefore placed under the necessity of seeking it out. • ne of the first steps taken was to search for the jewellery, which it was supposed had been secreted somewhere. A diver was procured and sent under water where the steamer lay in port, but without success, and the search was directed elsewhere. Prom information received the police proceeded to a certain place in Ponsonby on Monday last, and there discovered about one-third of the missing articles buried deeply under ground, and so well hidden were they that although the same ground had been carefully examined previously, no trace of the valuables had been discovered. The jewellery had actually to be dug out, and when this operation was completed the police were in possession of 17 watches, 28 gold bxooches, 36 gold lockets, 28 pairs of gold earrings, 12 gold keeper rings, 13 gold"watch keys, diamond bracelets worth .£2B 15s 2d, diamond rings valued at .£3O, the total value being over .£2OO. This collection was not found all in one place, but buried in two distinct holes, and seeing that larger lots were still missing it was evident that a skilfully laid plan of burying the jewellery in different places had been adopted. Again the police, with the assistance of information from an outside source, made a search under a house in Hobson street, and found more of the stolen goods. In this case the articles were not buried under the ground, but carefully hidden by other articles being placed so as to impede the view of any intruder. There were found several bracelets, brooches, rings, &c, to the value of £25, which were taken in charge by the police, and placed in safe keeping along with the .£2OO lot previously discovered. In this manner one-third of the jewellery was discovered and identified, while nearly £4OO worth is still missing. The whole of the above men were brought up to-day at the Police Court, and the evidence partly heard, and the accused remanded till Tuesday. Bail was refused.