HOTELS RAIDED.

Otaki Mail, 29 March 1922, Page 4

HOTELS RAIDED.

EARLY MORNING CRIME AT MEL- , BOURNE. Melbourne, March 4. 1 An audacious hold-up, . accompanied ( by violence to a night porter, and leading to a big haul by burglars, occurred , early this morning. , The premises raided were the Grand Hotel, and the adjoining 'White Hart Hotel, opposite Federal Parliament. House, and while the onslaught on the 0.-Yice safe of the smaller building was , a minor enterprise, yielding nothing, lj Fiat on the safes of the Grand Hotel j resulted in the disappearance of about ■ 00, including £550 which had been lodged for safe-keeping on behalf of | .Mi:s Edith Drayson; the well-known . actress." i * Surprising n flight porter *it tlic trout ) door, the thieves bound and gagged | aim with the celerity of practised ex- I ports, and proceeded, with equally ef-J fcctive craftsmanship, to rifle the of-1 .dee safes. The whole of their opera-j , vions did not occupy move than 20 min- \ i utos, Having been stunned by a violent blow on the head, William Killian, the night porter, who answered the burglar’s knock, can only bring a misty intelligence to bear on the investigations, but an examination of the hotel and : precincts make the affair easy of construction. So swiftly and surely did the burpars act that, in spite of the prompt alarm, which spread all over the house, : I they effected their escape. Smashed ‘ locks, empty safes, and porter Killian lying on the floor of the manager’s of- ■ rice, were found by the second night porter between 1.30 a.m. and 2 n.m. * The men had entered the hotel. ' knocked the night porter violently on 1 the head, and carried him to the mami„er’.-- room. Then they took the key "’ to the manager's safe from the cl raw- •’ or of his desk, and removed all his pri- ' vale property. Crossing to the other ‘ side of the vestibule, the thieves rifle* •he cash-box inside a large safe in the clerks’ office, taking about £7OO, of vhieii £550 belonged to Miss Edith J who is one of J. 0. William- . | „„>< tending ladies. She had just re- j . > urned from a tour as principal girl in 1:1... pantomime. “Humpt-.v Dumpty,” , * j “The Lilac Domino,” and other piudiu-t ions. The thieves then went into the White , Halt Hotel next door, which was re-J . 4 centlv acquired by the Grand Hotel ’ , Company, anil commenced work on the | mfe there. They were disturbed, liow- ' ' ( .ver. and went away, leaving £IOO in . ! ji,,. r rhey decamped in a motor- | ! car.