Daring Robbery

Horowhenua Chronicle, 22 August 1910, Page 3

Daring Robbery

AT THE LEVIN HOTEL THE SAFE AND VATIC A BLES ' STOLEN'. | SMART (!AI"ITR]':. ! * I r FINE WORK BY THE IYLFCE. i

A burglary of an audacious character was perpetrated 1 at the Levin Hotel in the early hours of yesterday morning. It appears that at about three o'clock (information was conveyed to Mr .J. Berryman, the landJord of the hotei, that the front door was open. M Rrorryrnan was naturally incredulous at first, as he had, according to custom, securely haired and bolted the house before retiring. On coming downstairs the discovered that not Only was the •front door open, but the hall door also His suspicious were at once aroused, and a glance round the oflice was sufficient to prove that the safe was missing. Information was immediately convoyed to the police and Constables Pagrie and Longbottorn were soon on the scone. The office itself was not in a state of disorder. Tho burglars ihad laid their plans with strategy. At the prosent time it is uncertain how gained ingress into the hotel, hut the evidence would point to the fact that they prized the lock of the office window and got inside. They then forced the door leading from the office into the passage, : iwl threw open the door leadiing into Oxford street. In order that no sound should reach the occupants of tho house, the burglars placed a mat against tho front door with the object of keeping it ajar. Although subsequent events are naturally a matter of conjecture, it would appear that the desperadoes carded the sale, which was a particularly heavy one, across the road over the railway line to Mr Mcintosh's premises, where they commandeered a trap into ivhioli they deposited, the safe • * and conveyed it to a section of land adjoining the Levin Express Company's building. The trap was dirnwn along the right side of Queen street where there is a considerable, amount of grass, presumably to hide the traces of the cart, but as the "* road was wet with recent rains, the course pursued, was nlainly visible. Annived at the section in question, the burglars at once unloaded the drag and inserted a.charge of dyna mite into the lock of the sale,'and blew it open. They then decamped with their booty. The safe was very badly damaged, and will be ol no use in future. The trap in • which tiliev conveyed it to the section was tilted on its shafts, and payable cheques were scattered all over the place. Mr A. 0. Rotter told a Chronkile reporter that he heard an explosion about half-past three o'clock in the morning, and Mr J. Oak stated lie also heard a loud report. While ' tho burglars were busy returning to their domicile, Constables Bagrie and Longbottom were instituting inquiries locally, and at six o'clock, acting on information received', they proceeded, on bicycles to Koputaroa. Here they instituted a searching inquiry, and as the result of their investigations they effected a dramatic arrest of three persons: H. R. Hunt, J. Karnsihaw and L. Eflis, who are to be brought before the Court this morning. They were arrested in proximity to Porter's flaxmills, and Mr Porter, we understand, at once placed a suitable vehicle at the disposal of the police for the transference of the men to durance. ft is stated that two of the men are not known to Levin, and the other is understood to be occasionally seen in the locality. It was exactly two hours and a half after tho police started out that they effected the arrests. r Lhe men wcro thunderstruck on the appearance of the custodians of the law, and denied any complicity with the outrage. The latest information goes to show that Constables Ragrie and Longbottom retrieved all \\\c stolen v goods, though the adventurers had left behind them many valuable articles' of jewellery. Particulars •will be detailed in the Court proceedings.