MISSING TRUCK FOUND

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 34, 3 November 1937, Page 7

MISSING TRUCK FOUND

Prefia Assn.— Copynaht.)

Victorian Mystery Partly Solved DRIVER DISAPPEARS

(Br Telegraph—

MELBOURNE, Nov. 2. The mystery of the missing transport truck was partly solved to-oay by tbe accidental discovery of tbe missing vebicle secreted in dense scrub in tbe Kinglako Hills district, about 36 miles nortn-east of Melbourne. The wool portion of its valuable load bad gone. Both tbe cabin doors wero open, one side of tbe bonnet was lif ted, tbe front seat was on tbe ground and nearby lay tbe tarpaulin and a man's hat.and ffindshoes, but there was no sign oi tbe driver Dempsey, and nothing to indicate bis wbereabouts. It was impossible to see tbe truck twenty yards oif tbe main xoad. Detectives were quickly on tbe scene and discovered another dismantled truck a short distance away. Appar* ently it bad been tbere for some tirue, but tbere was no evidence of a struggle. A eareful search near Dempsey 's undamaged truck revealed, in additton to a battered felt hat, a pair of torn trousers, a black beret and two leatber gauntlets,' possibly tbe property of tbe missing driver. Tbe wool portion .of Dempsey 'b load was valued at £300. Tbe remainder of tbe load, eonsisting of skins, barrels of tallow and two eases of soft drinks, was intact. Tbe complete original load was yalued at about £700. •Tbe mysterious disappearance froin one of the main Yictorian country tborougbfares of a transport wagon l&den witb wool, tallow and ^kius yalued at more than £1600, on October 15, aroused fears tbat tbe driver might have b6en kidnapped' and migbt bave met' witb foul play. John Dempsey, of ,tbe Darbyshire Transport Service, Carlton, left Bendigo" for Melbourne witb tbe lobded transport wagon. He was las'fc seen in tbe vicinity of Kyneton,' about balf-way to Melbourne. A systematie searcb proved.fruitless. Tbe police stated fbat bigbwaymen ba.d been been operatlng on country roads and heavy losses of goods bad been xeportedvin recent montbj.