STICKING UP THE QUIRINDI BANK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 145, 18 June 1880, Page 4

STICKING UP THE QUIRINDI BANK.

Me f aid says : — The^ Branch of the Commercislrbanfe'. here was made the 4 scene of a well-planned, and deliberate robber v the. QthfiE -nighk; 3Jhe - tntfnager, JolLi Jt. A«r Allen^ Wihilat. teeding his. horae ab^u^ f 6^p.tnT., habf three revo'lv^M- ; pre.sea^d at his- head by three a¥me<3 menj, tsjhqse f^ces were concealed : ;:^JDie^\of s '^TO''o|r'c|o.tin; , One: w4s attalj^gentleinaniy-looking fellow, and the other twc were of medium 1 height. s Mter gr^at; tjiife^ pit the; one side, and jmaiiy e^u^vocat^ons on the other, t\e scene lasted for about auhoury the manager was ! forced to open the safe. She delay was of idrvice, and owing to Bfs coolness and intrepidity the robbers got only £SBS, the sum being mostly -a in gold* They took none of:, t%e manager's personal effects, and said they only wanted mdkey. The manager's wife and sister were all the time kept ufidOT cover of the revolvers, but they behaved most bravely. After the thieves liad helped themselves to a .bottle of whisky at the fireside, they - left at half-past one this morning. The, affair has created quite a sensation Here. The banker's assistant is away on vacation, and the police are away on country duty. . The people of Quirmcft are very dissatisfied" with the position of th^r T/drc'e^^uarters" here, which are almost a mile away from the town. BANE MANAGER'S ACCOUNT. The°bank manager, Mr A, Allen has ~ been efght or ten 'years in the service of the Comca'ercisl Bsnk, and was accouotnant at Mururundi and other place, His account of the cffair is as follows: — "Being all by myself, I wes \ at work until about half-pact 9 o'clock when I sealed up the second key for the purpose of taking in to — : — . (It may be here explained that the Com- ' meroial Bank has a strict rule with their country branches, to never keep the, keys of the bank safes on (he ' premises. They generally entruat .them to the police). Finding the * police out I went to my stable to lock /at my horse, and just Jas I got ioside the "•ftbdr, two! armed men. one wiih a black face and, no hat or boots or. — thß other maskedf told me (o bail up and inarched me into the house, were Mrs , Allen end her eieter were. I managed to drop unnoticed the sealed kty, jßtating that Mr— ii— T . had it. After waiting for two hours for Mr^ 'a return, |and drinking a bottle of whisky meanwhile, they got tired, and threatened to burn down the house andx blow open the safe."V Allen then got the key and subsequently opened the safe, and the robbers took £240 in gold, £148 in notes of other banks, and 100 £5 Commercial Bank; notes; total, £488. , The numbers of the notes are from 204 981 to 2050Q0 inclusive. The robbers

have been traced towards Coonabarabraa, and their capture is hourly expect- • cd. ' " J ' LATER NEWS. After a closed but unsuccessful searqh amongst the adjacent' mountains, tUe police all returned to town about JO o'clock last night. The local police ate still scouring tha plains*. Suspicion with regard to tho rdbbers almost amounts tq a certainty now. This morning Wright, witih Mr. Abbott, P.M.,of€runnedah, visited the late camping ground of the suspected parties, where they discovered the masks worn iri : the robbery, as well as pieces cut out for eye holes, and a handkerchief stolen on the Queenfs Birthday from a young lady whilst dancing j also; a rough plan of the banking premises. The police party are out again to-day searching diligently for the robbers.