BANK ROBBERY IN MELBOURNE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 456, 25 February 1867, Page 2

BANK ROBBERY IN MELBOURNE.

[from the Leader.] Considerable excitement wa3 created >n Wednesday by an advertisement cautioning the public against taking or negotiating any bills, a large number of which had been sto!eii®froui the Oriental Bank. ‘For some time there was an impression that all the bills under discount in the bank had been abstracted, but we are glad to learn that this s not the c .s;. Only a portion has been s oleo, and the necessary steps have been taken to secure the bank against any loss. It appears that all the bills were arranged, according t« their date, in a wooden box provided with compartments indicating the dates of each parcel so that the\ could be selected at a glance. This box was enclosed in a heavy tin box which was dep sited in the bank safe All the bills were intact when the tin box and the safe were securely locked up on Monday night, and both box and safe were feund securely locked on the morning after, when the robbery

was discovered. The .total value ol bills thus deposited was £800,000; and the package abstracted couudned bills to the amount of £300,000. - The robbery must, it is supposed, have been effected between the closing of the bank on Monday evening and the

opening for business nest day. We understand that no other bills than those which are the property of the btak were meddled,with. The bills taken were specially endorsed to the bank so that it is difficult to see how they can be made use of by the depre dators. No cash or other securities were abstracted, nor does there seem to have beeu any disturbance of other securities placed in the vicinity of those

Stolen. As we have already said the, manager has been able to take sucl? steps as will effectually secure the bank from loss ; and in the investigation of the case he has the assistance of certain acute members of the detective force. The above mysterious robbery at the Oriental bank formed the principal topic of conversation in town on Thursday, It is said that the detectives irve obtained some clue to the depredators, but that prudential considerations induce them to keep it to themselves for tbs present. In theJ meantime, the bank authorities, yes-M terday, offered a reward of AIOuO for* the discovery of the offenders. An impression prevails that the occurrence . is likelv to be followed by results more serious than was anticipated at first. We are assured that the story connecting the robbery with the appearance of an eccentric advertisement in a contemporary print, is all moonshine. DISCOVERT OF THE BILLS. [From the Age.] We learn that the detective police have succeeded in recovering the missing property in the following strange manner. Early on the morning of the 3rd inst., an enclosure was pushed under the door of the Detective Office, i Little Coliins-street. It was addressed 1 thus: —“Superintendent Nicholson, or Resident Clerk, James D. Scott, Detective Police Office Melbourne.” This address was not written, however; but u : obviously to avoid the clue that might be afforded by the manuscript, each

separate word been cut out of some printed paper, and pasted on the envelope. Upon opening it, Mr Scott found inside a small piece of white card, upon which printed letters forming the fallowing words arranged as follows were pasted:—“Look for Bills, Carlton Gardens, Nicholson-street N, of Watch House, and Bank Book Room, over ink.” Superintendent Nicholson was at once informed of the of the occurrence, and after a diligent search found the whole amount of the abstracted bills. The opinion is that out of mischief the depredation was committed by some individual within the Bank, and the Culprit is traceable by something more substancial than suspicion. The Bank authorities intend to spare neither money or trouble in bringing the guilt home to the proper parties, and the whole mystery will probably he cleared up in a few days.