An Important Arrest.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4482, 17 May 1883, Page 2

An Important Arrest.

It has been a matter of wonder amongst the members of the Melbourne detective force, where all the proceeds of the jewellery robberies of the last 18 or 19 months have beeu going. During that period there have been house breaking and burglaries in alarming numbers in the city and suburbs. Lists of the property stolen have been regularly circulated amongst the pawnbrokers and others, and how missing articles were being disposed- of lias, until the last few weeks, been a complete mystery, The problem is "believed to be now solved, however, and the credit of unravelling it belongs to DetectiveMackey. About four weeks ago that officer obtained information which led him to suspect the bona fides of Mr William Gresham, silversmith, 25 Cardigan street, Carlton. Gresham, however, was to all appearance a man of undoubted respectability, and his premises, a two-storied dwellinghouse and shop, seemed well furnished, stocked, and equipped with the tools of his trade. Bat there was one thing whicn struck the detective when examining the outside of the establishment, and that was the proclamation emblazoned on the front of the shop, that William Gresham wa» "late of Clerkenwel], London." A little inquiry in this point resulted in Mackey ascertaining the fact that Gre«» ham arrived in the colony about two years ago, and he noted that the period corres-.. ponded rather closely with the timenduring : which the whereabouts of the stolen jewel- - lery had been a mystery.. He further learned that ever since his arrival in the colony, Gresham bad been working for some of the large jewellery establishment!, and failing to find any fresh clue, Mackey could do nothing but watch and wait. He was not idle, however, but in keeping a strict tturveillance over the man, he laid plans which resulted in his finding certain stolen articles which had been sold by Gresham to pawnbrokers. His inquiries next led him to the Mint. Thinking that Gresham was likely to sell gold or silver there, he waited on the officers of the Mint, informed them of his suspicions, and enlisted their co-operation. On Tuesday last, Gresham, as was calculated upon, presented himself at the Mint, and offered for sale a bar of gold 20ozs in weight. The officers, in accordance with the arrangement made, told him they would have to assay the gold to see whether it was up to the standard required for coinage, and requested him to call back at two o'clock on Wednesday. Detective Mackey was on the alert in the vicinity at the appointed time. The man returned punctually at the hour, and the; bar of pold was given back to him with the excuse—which was a true one—that it was below the standard required. As he was leaving the building, Mackey made his appearance and arrested him, and took him to the Detective Office and thence to the watchhouse, on a charge of having feloniously received stolen property. When the prisoner was searched at the detective office, there were found in his possession part of the proceeds of a burglary committed 15 months ago, nnd a pawn ticket for 80ozs of silver. - The only reply he made to the charge when it was stated to him was that he was ignorant of having any stolen property . in his possession, and that all he had got had been bought by him honestly. The persons who sold to him were, however, strangers to him, and be could produce no record of their names. Detective Mackey; armed with a search warrant, also visited the prisoner's establishment. There he found the usual utensils and tools used in the silversmith's trade. There were crucibles, bellows, acids, batteries, gold, silver, and jewellery. There were in one parcel about 120ozs of silver, also a watch in the process of being "re christened." In the shop, too, were found portions of the proceeds of two robberies, one of which was committed, about a fortnight ago at the residence of Miss Emma Perry, 131 Blanche-terrace, Victoria parade, and the other at the house of Mr D. Tracey,: in Emerald-hill, last Friday. For instance, the works of a valuable gold watehstolen from Mr Tracey were found in a leather case amongst tools, whilst the case of the watch was got underneath a bed upstairs. » silver mug with Mr Tracey'a name par* tially erased was also discovered in a jar of potash, or what is known in the trade as " pickle." The deduction is that the mug was to be burnished in order to entirely - efface any marks by which it might bY identified. The shop likewise contained quantities of stones, mountings, and jewellery in a mutilated and unrecognizable state. The property recovered; and believed to be stolen, is estimated in value at between £200 and £300