ELTHAM SENSATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 September 1915, Page 7

ELTHAM SENSATION.

ATTEMPT TO ROB BANK. TWO MEN PLEAD GUILTY. HOW THE BANK WAS ATTACKED. A sequel to the recent sensation at Eltham was the appearance at the Eltham Magistrate's Court yesterday of [two young men, William Keith, stableman, and Samuel White, painter, both ot jEltham, who were charged: (1) That 'they did on or about June Ist, 1915, attempt to break and enter the Bank of New South Wales, Eltham, with intent to commit a crime therein, and (2) that they did break and enter the warehouse of Charles Anderson Wilkinson and commit a crime therein, to wit, the crime ot theft. The accused pleaded not guilty. Mr. J. L. Weir, of Eltham, acted for Keith, while Mr. R. Spence, of Stratford, acted for White. Mr. Cecil Wright, Stratford, watched the case on behalf of the Bank of New South Wales. SeniorSergeant McNeely, Hawera, conducted the case for the police. , George McGlashan, coachbuilder, of Eltham, stated that Keith had told him that lie (Keith) and White had tunnelled under the bank from the billiard saloon and that they were in a position to get into Wilkinson's store any time they , liked. This was about four months agv, and about a month afterwards witness went with Keith to see what had been done. Witness continued: "I went down Bridge Street and along the right of way by the furniture shop, then around the back way into the vacant section between Sim's and the billiard room. He pulled out some old clothes from under the billiard room wall and gave me an old pair of pants and coat to put on. He also put some on himself. He then opened a trap-door in the grass. He asked me to go in and then followed me, closing the door after him. We crawled along several yards in what appeared to he a trench. He passed me and I crawled along behind him. It was dark and I couldn't see ■where we were going. I crawled along until I came to what appeared to he a water pipe. We went under this and then he told me were under the bank. It was the Bank of New South Wales. After a, few yards further he struck a match and showed me what he said was the bottom of the safe. He crawled in under the safe first after lighting a piece of candle. He came out again and invited me to have a look. I looked in under the safe after first lighting a piece tended to drill through the concrete." William Denham Ross, manager, Bank of New South Wales, said that on Monday, 23rd August, 1915, in consequence of what he had been told he went under the floor of the bank. He used a box of wooden matches and observed an open trench leading to the strong room. He went down later on with an electric torch. He saw the open trench ran under the strong room and on turning the light in the other direction he could see that the other end was covered with board upon top of which earth had been thrown. There were also some tools there. There were a short-handled shovel, a spade, an adze, and a fork. He ■at once informed the police. That waß the first occasion on which he had seen the trench. THE TUNNEL UNDER THE BANK. John Alfred Duffill, architect, Hawera, testified that he had been asked by the police to go »under the Bank of New : South Wales on August 30th. He did so. He entered the bank and went through a trap-door in the passage. He ; got underneath the floor and went toi wards the front of the building. He ! found an open trench 18 inches wide by , about two feet deep extending from the , strong room about 7ft 6in to the front . of the "building. The bank at this par--1 ticular point is about four feet from the i level of the ground. He went down into [' the trench and found that the strong , room floor was exposed about three feet.

He noticed a couple of marks in the concrete as if made by a cold chisel or drill. About 7ft Cin from the strong room the trench took a turn to the left and dipped down in a gradual slope to the western wall. The trench at this point was covered over to tho wall with boarding with earth piled on top, making it very similar to the surrounding ground. The covercd-in part would be about 14ft long. About four feet from the wall the covered-in trench dipped sharply down into a tunnel underneath the footings on the bench wall, and the small right of way between the bank and the next building and the piles of the billiard room next door. The lengtli of this tunnel was about Bft by 18in wide and about 217 in from the footings df the wall, rising again to a trench under the billiard room floor. The billiard room floor was about 24in above the ground line. The trench is about 12in deep here by 18in wide. It ran right under the billiard room for a distance of 33ft Cin, and ends in a pit 18in wide by 2ft in length and 18in in depth. The pit was fitted with a trap door made out of inch timber, its size being 2ft by 2ft 6in. THE POLICE EVIDENCE. Senior-Sergeant W. MeNeely gave corroborative evidence. He arrested Keith on August 39, and when the accused was charged with attempting to break into the bank 'he replied, "I see." In company with Detective-Sergeant Siddells witness afterwards arrested White, who made no reply to the Charge. Detective-Sergeant J. Siddells gave corroborative evidence. When arrested White said, "I know nothing about ths bank." Constable P. Townsend stated that he remarked to White that it would take a long time to do the tunnel with the tools employed, and White said, "It took us over eighteen months to do it." Constable Joseph Wrobeniski said that on the morning of August 30th, at 3 a.m., he was on duty in Eltham In the passage of the cells which held the two accused. They were in separate cells. White was walking round his cell and created a little disturbance, and Keith asked, 'ls that you walking about' (re J ferring to White). White replied, 'Yes! What about it now, Curly?' Keith replied, 'Say nothing." White replied, 'My God, I must be going oft' my head.' Keith then said, 'Did you say anything to them, Sam.' White answered 'No. They got nothing out of me. 'They were down at my place and got a lot of clothes. They must have got some clue from you.' Keith said, "They got nothing out of me.' White replied, 'I think a man will drop In for it. The bank people will shake us up over this. A man will get a couple of years Tor this.' Keith replied, 'Did you get any stuff out of there,' and White answered, 'Yea, they got it at my house.' Keith said 'Did you tell them that you were with me,' and White answered 'No.' Keith said, 'You only want to say you weren't with me.' After about five minutes' silence Keith said 'What are you going to say about it? Say nothing. Say you were with me.' Senior-Sergeant Dlnnie, of Wellington, gave evidence as to identifying the finger-prints of the accused on a bottle found on the underground workings. At the conclusion of the evidence, both accused pleaded guilty, and were committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. A further charge against both men will be heard next Thursday. At the conclusion of the trial the prisoner White had a fit. from which he did not recover for some time.