ALBERT PARK (MELBOURNE) BANK ROBBERY.

Kumara Times, Issue 3151, 9 December 1886, Page 2

ALBERT PARK (MELBOURNE) BANK ROBBERY.

MANAGER DARE'S STATEMENT.

[special to christchurch press. ] Melbourne, December 1.

On Wednesday, last week, a peculiar but daring attempt was made in the middle of the afternoon to stick up the National Btnk at Albeit P„rk, a suburb about two miles from the city. The Manager of the Bank made a gallant resistance, else there can be no doubt the robbers would have got away with a good haul. Early in the day two men called and made some inquiries about opening an account, casu. ally asking at the same time whether the manager was the only person engaged on the premises. He, suspecttng nothing, said he was, but when the men returned later he naturally remembered the questiou, and at once concluded they meant mischief. The men came the second time, just as the manager (Mr Gordon Hume Dare) had his cash on the counter, couuting it piior to cloning. Mr Dare saw ono of the men enter and walk up a side pasHj'ge. The me., knew very little about th« premises, as a constable lived in the back portion of the p.emises, and he was usually at home at that hour in the afternoon, but a« diatico would

have it he had gone to see the man-of. war Nelson in dock at Williamstown.

Mr Dare makes the following statement of what took place:—" I noticed that while the man was walking up the passage he put on a black mask. Re threw the door of my office open, and when I went to meet him, he presented a revolver at me. I presented my revolver at him; he then said something to me which I did not undestand. I called to him to 'Bail up!' and fired my revolver at him. The shot did not take effect, and he immediately replied. While this was going on. a second and younger man came in, but whether he had a mask on or not I could not say. I started forward to meet him, and wo had a scuffle near the door. I attempted to turn round and Hied another shot at the first man. He shot at me again. By this lime I was considerably excited, as things had taken a very serious turn. Two shots had already whizzed past my head, and I felt exceedingly uncomfortable. I made a move in the direction of the diningroom at the back of my office, believing that by lhat meanß I would be able to attract the attention of some one in the back premises. I closed the door of the dining-room, and then thrust my revolver through the glass pane of the door. A few seconds passed, and then the fellow who had first attacked me went out of the front door. I went after him as far as the door and then stopped. A large crowd attracted by my cries and by the reports of the firearms had already collected outside. I called out to them that the man was a robber, and told them to pursue him. The manager of the Federal Bank, which is just across the way, joined me at this time, and together we looked after the cash which was left in the bank. Just as I got to the door the second man ran through the back portion of the premises, and made his escape by way of a lane. Both men were shortly afterwards arrested, one of them having jumped into the arms of the police by getting over a fence into an inspector's backyard. The sum of £B7 was found on one of the prisoners. Altogether they took nearly £3OO, the most of which they threw away as they ran. It was picked up by all sorts of people, carters, women, children, &c, and only £27 is still missing." The two men arrested declared they are brothers, named Lewis, but they had given different names where they had lodged. They said they had robbed because they were starving, but this has been shown to be untrue. On the previous Sunday night they attempted to stick up a young man in the Fitzroy Gardens and fired a shot at him, but his story was not at first believed, as the police discovered that he was wanted for a larceny in the country, for which he has since been sentenced. The men, however, confess that they fired the shot. From the frequency of such attempts at bank robbery of late, it is recommended to bank employees that they keep up their revolver practice. Mr' Dare has received a letter of commendation from the Directors of the Bank congratulating him on his bravo resistance, and enclosing a cheque for 100 guineas. Mr Dare was absent from his duties on Friday, in consequence of the death of his mother on the preceding evening. As the deceased lady was suffering from heart disease, it had bepn thought advisable not to tell her of the peril in which her son had stood on the previous day, and she expired in ignorance of the events of that afternoon.