THE MELBOURNE BANK ROBBERY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1153, 27 September 1883, Page 3

THE MELBOURNE BANK ROBBERY.

A telegram from Melbourne dated Sunday, September 24, says the robbery at the Commercial Bank is now fully explaihed. The police finding that Richard Corbett, the caretaker’s son, could not be found, prosecuted enquiries. The caretaker’s family declared ho was living m Sydney, whither a telegram was despatched, A reply was received that he had been gone to New Zealand a fortnight. The police, however, discovered that he had been seen in Melbourne a few days before, and subsequently traced him to Meagher's Hotel, Sandridge, where he had been living for ten days under the name of Clinton. The police found Corbett in the hotel parlor, but he denied all knowledge of the robbery. Upon taking him upstairs, however, three bars of gold were found in his coat pocket, together with £4l in notes, £39 in gold, and £32 in silver ; also a loaded revolver. Corbett thereupon confessed he had duplicate keys made a year ago for all the safes in the Commercial Bank. He watched his opportunity and entered by the front door, and when Rinnock, the Ballarat Bank Manager, arrived with gold he concealed himself. The robbery was effected during the night, and he made his escape in the morning. He declared that he had planted the balance of the plunder in a swamp, but upon being taken there no sign of the gold could be seen. If is certain that Corbett was the thief who stole £IOOO, which was missed from the same Bank Two years ago, be having declared at that lime that lie had won £IOOO in a sweep. It appears that one of his sisters knew he was in Melbourne.

Later news states that Richard Corbett, who is under arrest, charged with the robbery from the Commercial Bank of Australia, was brought up at the Police Court on Monday, and remanded for a week. Three more bars of gold, valued at £2OOO, were found hidden in the shutter of one of the windows on the Bank premises. The place of concealment was disclosed by prisoner, who has also stated the locality where the other bars were hidden. The Bank applied for a warrant for the arrest of the caretaker at the Bank, who is the prisoner’s father, and all members of his family. The application was refused by the Magistrate, the case against them being groundless. The prisoner’s mother became seriously ill through anxiety. The balance of the bars of gold stolen from the Commercial Bank of Australia were discovered last Tuesday buried in the earth at Mordialloc, fifteen miles southeast of Melbourne. The locality was indicated by the prisoner Corbett.