A WAVE OF CRIME.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 83, 3 December 1912, Page 3

A WAVE OF CRIME.

EXTRAORDINARY WORK OF POLICE HOUNDS. Latest files from Johannesburg show that district to have boon visited by a gang of thieves. One paper says it was not often that the record of this week in the Transvaal was beaten, with its daring mail coach robbery and the looting of bullion to the extent of £BOOO, the breaking into a post office and a haul of some £llO worth, the entry of masked Europeans into a store and the dynamiting of a safe which yielded them £2BO, and the hurglaring of an Indian store, with the use of dynamite on the safe, and the commandeering of £B7. No wonder, with that sensational news for the first day or two of the week,

the so-called “Black Peril” has been given a brief rest. The Mbabane coach had to go to Breyton Station, and as usual, stopped overnight at Lake Chrissie. It had only one passenger, a Johannesburg native attorney'. The coach was left in the yard of the hotel in charge of one native driver. During the night muffled screams were heard, and the driver was found with his hands manacled at the back-of his legs, and also gagged and bound with cords. He stated that three men set on him while he was asleep and having secured him stole the bullion, which was in two boxes. The bullion consisted of £2500 in gold and £SOO in silver.

The Germiston Post Office is situated at the store of Mr G. Overburg, who consequently acts as postmaster. At 10 p.m. he made a tour of the premises and everything was all right. The family slept soundly, and no member was disturbed. Other residents of the village, however, state that about 2 a.m. they heard an explosion. About .5 o’clock a passing milk-cart driver discovered the safe lying a few feet off the street. At 8 o’clock the police hounds arrived from Johannesburg, and the broken safe and other articles were shown to ono of them, which almost immediately led her attendant to a hole in the veld some couple of hund : red yards from the safe. Here was found a parcel of cheques, some foxlarge amounts, such as £3B and £27. A little farther on the dog nosed out a bundle of postal notes worth a large sum. The dog travelled down in the. direction of a spruit leading to Johannesburg, and en route led the holder first to a cash-box, and later to a wooden till which had been taken from the shop counter.

After this the scent was lost at the main road to Johannesburg, and it is considered probable that the burglars here entered some motor car. The spoor of a large car could be plainly made out.

The net cash haul made by the thieves was over £IOO.

With regard to a safe burglary in the premises of the London Fresh Meat Supply Company, Jeppestown, about 2.30 one Sunday morning several masked Europeans entered the premises and covered the four natives with revolvers whilst three others, also masked, entered the shop, placed the safe on top of some clothes to reduce the concussion, 'and blew off the door, abstracting £2BO, including £224 in gold, notes and silver. The men then left warning the natives that they' would be near, and that if any of them attempted to raise the alarm he would be shot. The natives, thoroughly scared, did not move for about an hour, and then found the coast was clear, and warned the propx-ictor. This was the first time the proprietor had ever left money in the safe, and he did so on this occasion as four natives were on the premises.