CLEVER ROBBERY IN AUSTRIA.

Kumara Times, Issue 1393, 19 March 1881, Page 2

CLEVER ROBBERY IN AUSTRIA.

The Vienna correspondent of the London Globe was suddenly called to Pesth for a few hours recently. The affair was pressing, for a friend had been severely “ winged ” in a duel—a sufficiently common event in pngnatioug Pesth, and he made for the Stattsbahn with all due speal, and took the next train to Hungary. This, as is usual in such cases, was a confirmed “ parliamentary ,” which bore him along at 20 miles an hour. The carriage which he entered contained two ferocious looking Magyars—booted, braided, and pomatumed. They screwed up the moustachios to level with their eyes, glared about them with a “ what do you think of that ” expression, and with many “ Teremetetes,” cursed the unpunctuality of departure, the heat, the time, the place—Vienna—everything; in a word, they were real Magyars and out-and-out “ patriots.” ...The other occupants of the compartment were a welldressed, good-looking youth, a who appeared dreadfully innocent-looking old gentlemafiof, say 60, the pattern of benign paternal mildness—a sort of Magyar Mr Pickwick. A moment later we started. The old gentleman addressed several remarks to the young one, who, however, vouchsafed by scant reply between mighty yawns of fatigue. In a very few minutes the youthful German was snoring hard. The. old gentleman then turned to us and proved very communicative, telling us how thc youth opposite was his son, deploring at the same time his oarelesneas in money 1 matters. “ There he goes to sleep amongst rangers

Vith a whole pocket of money ; is that hot carelessness 1” inquired he with inore candour than flattery. “ Just to him a fright, and to teach him a lesson for,fcx- future, I shall take it a way‘from mn." Mr “Pickwick” therehpon quietly lifted the flap of the youth’s coat,and took outa bulky pocketbook, which he placed in his own breastpocket with a knowing smile. Soon biter this the train stopped at Presburg. The old gentleman begged us to look after his son, his son’s hand luggage, and his own overcoat, whilst he was absent; He got out and returned fab more ■ on the contrary, he vanished fcompletely. The train once more started, and we awoke the tried Teuton and informed him bow bis father had been left behind, and how he had taken the pocket-book with him, a piece of intelligence which produced the most startling Jesuits. The sleepy one began to use the most unfilial language, Felt frantically for his pocket-book, and uttered a howl of rage. He remained Unintelligible for some time, but at last he managed to grasp out that he had no father, and had never in his life been the innocent old gentleman before that night. “ There were 3000 florins in that pocket-book,” shouted he wildly ; “ the wretch must have seen me take it out at the station.” This is one of the most impudent cases of robbery which has happened here for some time, for it required an amount of deliberation* coolness and daring, which •Would have sufficed a general to win a great battle. Needless to say the mild old gentleman has not since been heard of.