ANOTHER TRAIN ROBBERY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 680, 24 June 1914, Page 6

ANOTHER TRAIN ROBBERY.

MAIL BAGS .STOLEN. • This section of line between Eakabi .and Taumarunui has already achieved notoriety from impudent train robberies; '/Twice bave the consignments of cashj£rom the Kakahi State sawmills be ; en stolen, on another occasion, the Manunoi post office safe was rifled and last week three mail bags containing, it is believed, about £l6O, were stolen on the train. The news of the last-named theft ha 3 been purposely held back from publication so as nut. to put the thieves on their guard against detection, but days have elapsed,and the 'work of detectives and constables; Having proved fruitless, there is rio Object in further reticence. On Monday evening of last week, the ffiail contractor at, Kakahi, Mr Tuck, conveyed two .bags' of mail matter to the railway station, put them in the guard's van in the presence of th'e guard and duly signed the way-bill. At Piriaka another bag was received in.a similar way. It seems incredible but it is nevertheless true, that the custom is to hang the bagß up on hook? in the guard's van open. > The mail agent at Taumarunui collected the mail as usual from the van, being asked by the guard, Mr Greening; at the .time, "It is all right?" anji answering "AH correct." When the letters were sorted that, evening in the post office one of tne staff remarked that there were no Kakahi letters, Then it was noticed, that there were no Kakahi bags. The matter was, of course, communicated to the police, and the local postmaster made all possible enguiries on hia own account,but not a trace of the missing bags or their contents have been found. ' \ -'■

Following on the heels of this theft comes the news of another haul made on Friday of the Taumarunui-Ohakur.e maif bag which is reported to have been Btolen from the train between Pokako and Obakune. Guard Gray. waß on the train, arid, -is paid to be quite positive that the bag was in the van after hB left Poicako. It had diiappsared, however, -before he reached Ohakune. Apparently from this there i 3 an organised system of train robbing. From the simplicity, of the arrangements for mail carriage it wonld be surprising it they escaped. Detective Cooney is in the district at presant making enquiries', nut so far he does not appear ,to ' have discovered any clues.