LATE LOCALS.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 March 1921, Page 3

LATE LOCALS.

—, | n A meeting of the Diggers’ Football i Club will be held at the Overseas Club, j immediately after the Returned Sol- j], diems’ Asocia t ion AReting at i .30 this 8 evening. Advt. 0 The Totara Sawmill, destroyed by fire ’ on Sunday morning, was. owned by 11 Alossrs J. D. Lynch and 11. J. Wickes. | *’ There was an insurance on building | plant and stock of .61,400 in the Atlas * Office. n I Air Al. C. Barnett has been appointed j Assistant Public Trustee in place of Air j J. \Y. .Macdonald, wlm was recently f promoted to the position of Public Trustee. | Another of Sir William I terries s j portfolios lias been allocated, Sir Fran- | 1 cis Bell having taken over control i f the i 1 Marine Department. This leaves the * portfolios of Native Affairs and ( us- ' toms vet to be distributed. i ' j 1 Since the Murchison bank robbery uiu February 22 the police have liven ilili- ) gently searching for the burglars with- t out result. The following details ot 1 , the robbery, more complete than those j already published, are culled from a , letter received from a Alurehisou resi- ; dent. The statement made by the a teller, W. Engolcl, was to the effect that at about 3 a.m. on February 22, when asleep in bis room adjoining the office some person put a rug or coat , over bis bead and held Him down. - whilst another tied bis feet and bands with a rope. A sheet was from the lied and tied around the bedstead _ over bis feet, and a rope was tied ( arming the bed over bis chest. A silk ( handkerchief was then put into his mouth and secured there with a sateen - ' belt. He struggled but could not get up, and be neither saw the burglars . nor heard them speak. He managed j to free himself at about 7.30 a.m. and immediately informed the hank, manager, Air Ellis, of the occurrence. Information was given to the police and Constable Robertson went to the bank. He found the doors of both safes wide open, books scattered about the floor itn( j £2127 15s missing. A considerable sum in silver was overlooked by the thieves. Two days later a person passing over the Matakitaki bridge, about half a mile from the township, saw a parcel lying on tlie riverbank under the bridge. Thinking U might have something to do with the robbery he sent word to the police and Detectives Young and Russell and Constable Robertson, proceeding to the spot, took charge of the parcel and on opening it found the whole of the missing money.