ROBBERY OF FIVE HUNDRED OUNCES OF GOLD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1092, 7 April 1883, Page 3

ROBBERY OF FIVE HUNDRED OUNCES OF GOLD.

A clever capture of an alleged gold-robber (says the Sydney M iming Herald) was made by Detective Austin, of the Sydney force. It will probably be remembered that in June last year 500ozs of gold were stolen from the Day Dawn Geld-mining Company, Charier* Towera. The gold bal be n removed from the smelting-house, and far a lime the mat ter remained a mystery so far ss the means of its removal and I he identity of t he robbers were concerned. Eventually," from information received,” a man named Nilla was ar" rested and committed to take his trial on a charge of having been c mcerned in the robbery, and a warrant was issued for the arrest of one McConnell, also believed to bo concerned in it. M'OonneU had, however escaped from the colony to, it was believed, New South Wales j and thi* belief was made a matter of almost certainty by the fact that portion of the gold stolen had been passed through the Sydney Mint by a well-known firm of jewellers in this city. The matter was put into the hands of the Sydney d-tective force ; but though they traced the gold back from the Mint to the jewellers, they were at that point baffled, and the thief it was thought had successfully escaped, no trace of him remaining in this colony, eo far as the de-

I tectives rouUi ascertain, The so nd .liapier j in the hi-tory o' tin- crime relates thit recently the landlady of aohot> lin Syrti ey incident illy mentioned to Detective Au-tin that tt gen lernnn staying there hud stated he bad neon robbed o some jewellery. Nothing more came it the mat'er at the time i< it.il one ev,-n----ing 1 -Italy, when the deDclDe wan pa-sing the house, the lanrlla iy saw him ami called him in, Buying, “ Oh, the gentleman who lost the jewellery is inside now.” The defective went in and interviewed the man, who told him in the most confiding manner that he had purchased about £220 worth of jewellery from a firm, the name of which made the detective listen attentively, for it was that of the one to which the stolen gold had been traced. Looking closely at the man, he recognised something familiar to l-im in his face, t.nd a minut,-’* thought established the conncc ion be ween the person he was ta king to anil the one represented in a photog'aph «hioh he carried in his pocket ol the gold-robbir. A few more questions satisfied him that he had at last met the long-lo ked-for-thief. He left thu house without suspicion as to his discovery being excited in the man’s mind and despatching a tneisge to Detective Wigg, who had been associated with him in the work of detection, they met and determined to arrest the accused on what might b> called “ the dummy charge ” of having stolen the jewellery which he was then wearing. The arrest was made, and the alleged robber was brought before Mr Clarke, K VT., at ti e Central Police Court, |where the fitst charge was withdrawn, and the prisoner remanded on a second charge of having *• feloni udy stolen SOOozf of gold, the pro erty of the Day Dawn Gold Mining Company,” an extradition wnr rant to be obtained in the meantime. The prisoner admitt d that he was the man referred to in the charge