MESSENGER ROBBED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 October 1941, Page 7

MESSENGER ROBBED

ATTACKED IN STREET LARGE SUM OF MONEY STOLEN. DAYLIGHT CRIME IN AUCKLAND. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND. October 28. An attack involving the stealing of a briefbag containing about £640 was made on a 16-year-old messenger employed by the Waitemata Trading Company while he was walking in Victoria Street West about 10.45 o’clock this morning. The assailant escaped. Almost the entire city detective force was mobilised for a widespread search. The small brown leather brief bag which was not locked, was being taken from, the shop of the Waitemata Trading Company in Hobson Street to the Bank of New South Wales, Queen Street, by one of the company’s employees, Colin Jackson. It contained £305 in bank notes of small denominations, a small quantity of silver and 10 cheques totalling nearly £2OO. The cheques were negotiable and, with one exception, were for fairly small amounts. This money was being taken by the messenger for banking and was being deposited on behalf of the main shop and several branches. In addition, the bag contained a “closed” cheque for about £l4O, with which Jackson was to pay an account in the city.

The company’s money has been taken to the bank regularly by Jackson for the past three months, his usual custom being to walk from Hobson Street to Queen Street by way of Durham Street west. However, to gain shelter from heavy rain, the messenger thi§ morning went down Victoria Street west after leaving the shop shortly after 10.30 o’clock. When the boy was passing the Victoria Hotel a man approached him and, without warning attempted unsuccessfully to snatch the bag from his right hand. He then struck the messenger a severe blow on the upper arm and the pain caused Jackson to release his hold and the assailant seized the bag, dashing into the front door of the hotel. The man ran through the building and cut the back door into a lane running off Durham Street west. Another man followed him, assailant made his escape in the direction of Albert Street.

In spite of the sudden and vicious nature of the attack, Jackson was able to give detectives a description of his assailant, and an intensive search was begun immediately. The man is stated to be between 32 and 35 years old, and strongly built. He was not wearing a hat.