THE BRUNSWICK BANK ROBBERY.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1710, 21 June 1883, Page 4

THE BRUNSWICK BANK ROBBERY.

TliK, circumstances surrounding the daring Jobbery that was so successfully committed at the Brunswick branch of the Colonial Bank of 'Australasia on the afternoon of Tuesday, the 17th of Apiil last. Are' unique in their way, and the subsequent proceedings of the oH'onder both Audacious and remarkable. At about 12 minutes to 3 o'clock on the afternoon of the 17th ult., Mr Michael Francis Conriek, the manager of the -Brunswick branch of the Colonial Bank, situated in the most populous part of the Sydney road, closed the B ink and went to the Commercial Bank, about 200 y.u-ds distant on the other side of the street, for the purpose of making the necessary daily exchanges of cheques, ito He seemed the Bank before leaving, but on returning, in about 10 minutes, found that the back door, which wa« composed of every flimsy material, had been hnr-t open, evidently by a man s shoulder havinir been forced against it, and the whole of the cash, amounting to £711 0s Id, stolen from the drawer under the counter, which had been left unlocked by Mr Conrick, who did not consider it necessary to remove the money to the strong safe, as he only intended to be a few minutes absent. The Bank was cleared out, only £3 or £4 in small change Mt behind. Little or nothing catenated to throw light upon the affairs could be obtained, with the exception of a description of two suspicious-looking characters who were seen Hanging about Brunswick during the day. The numbers of the notes, and a description ot the two auspicious-looking individuals were published in the Police Gazette on the 10th of April. It lias _ since transpired that one of these individuals actually committed the robbery. A Bcreaching investigation was at once Instituted by the detectives, but no tangible evidence Was obtained until ttbout a week after tho robbery, when a man giving the name of Alfred Tient, and representing himself to be a commercial tiaveller, living at Drummond street, Carlton, lodged a sum ot £'200 at the Bank of Victoria, Collins-«-treet, at a Iked deposit for tin months. The money consisted of notes of vn:ioii3 descriptions, and included two of tho. £10 stolen Colonial Bank notes. The notes were indentified, and on being called upon by the manager of the Bank of Victoria for an explanation as ro how they came into his possession, Mr Trent said that he took them in exchange for gold atAlbuij a few days previously, from a gentleman who appeared to be going thiough fiom Melbourne to Sydney. On the following day a letter in pencil was found on the counter in the Colonial Bank, at the comer of Kh/.abeth and Little Collins streets — signed " Alfred Trent," and explaining that he had come by the notes lodged at the Bunk of Victoria in the way of exchange at Albury, A wanant was issued for Trout's arreat by Mr Call, P.M., on the 27th ult., but the police found a difficulty for a time in coming up with him. In the meantime a man answering Ti cut's description cashed two of the ICo stolen notes at the Spencer .street booking-office, ttlld about, the same time lod&ed £!!),"> in Jlotea at tho Union Bulk, Colhns-slieet, and obtained a dialt on the agency of the Hank in S.m Francisco, m the name of Henry Palmer. This occuied about a iortnight ago, but the fact of the deposit having been made was not discovered until some time afteiwanK A peculiar incident, ha\ ing a slight as■sociation with fio lobbciy, ocuniod about this time which will leijuho a brief retrospective view by way ot explanation. In Fcbnmiyu robbery was committed by two men at Saiulliuibt, in which some £70 was stolon One of the ollendcis, mnvd William Jone*, was caught on tho spot with skeleton keys in his possession, and icecived a sentence of 12 months' iinpiisoninent with haul labour. Tlie other man succeeded in making his escape. Tlie matter was probably fomottou by everybody but the olFendi-i'f. until a foitmsjlit ago, v hen a man answeiing Trent's dcsciiption in almost every detail called at the Sand hurst Gaol to .see Jones, but was icfused pel mission o\\ ing to the lateness of the hour. He left gic.it!.> dissatished, but returned in a few minutes with a letter lor Jones, containing DO sowicgns, in which lie si id lie had <i very good " contract," and as lie had been much luckici than he expected, he intended to go to ■Sail Fiauoisco, an 1 he hoped tint when Jones got out of dilliudtics he wouM fol low him thete. Thi-> intercstim: communication, which was signed " Hoi ace "Warsdalc," was at once fot warded to Inspector Kennedy, who tinned it to good account. A .stionir chain of uicumstan tinl evidence was beiim gradually foiged for the mm Ticut, w ho-e lavish distnImtiou of the Known nofc-s was jriiidunllj lcmov mg tlu obstacles winch tlie dotoc tivi's exctyuhcio enconnteieii in their s-eatch. In consequence ot this ami other infouuatimi which made it clen tliat Tient, rainier, Wai.s'lale, and Sweeney w»ie identical. Inspector Kennedy telegiaphed to Mi Fosbcry, nf the New South Wales police, on tho 14th inst., to the ellecfc that the otleuder, who had pone overland, was believed to be George Sweeney, nlutt, James Wilson, and that he would go to the Gencial Post office for letters addicsbed to him under the name of Horace Dy/art. When Hoi ace Dy/art, alms Tient, "/'"•> Palmer, olms Sweeney, called for the letter and tcbgiani that wore waiting for him he was apprehended by Detectives Wiln.ott and < lough, ot the New South Wales police, and conveyed to the lock-up. The Union Bank diaft on the San Kianci-o agency for £19,") was found sewn up in the leg of his trousers, and 4.'] soveicigns weie found in his possession. He was identified as George Sweeney, an old Victorian and Kuw Zealand convict, who escaped fiom custody at the latter place on the 14th of June, ISS2. The sentences which •Sweeney is known to have .seived consist of ] 2 months with haul labour lor rob bery in Melbourne in 1873, tin oc yeais for stealing fiom a dwelling in Melbourne in 187"), two years' hard hbour for houspbrcaking at VVcllingtou (N.Z ) on the 7th of April, 1870, and 12 months for stealing fiom a dwelling at Chiistehurch on the 4th April, ISSI. Since his escape he has been at huge in Victoiia. [Sweeney, it is undei stood, is identical with the man Elms, alms Longmoio. who escaped thiough a window ot the Clnistchurch Police Couit, and was never ioeaptured. ] — Mi Iboiii oc A "i/wi.

Ik (lennany hair bolting has been coming into use foi sonic tinio, and is being quite genei all) adopted. It is .said to give a loughei bin face, with .1 sin ei clutch, and can be hmml ot lcs bieadth than cithci leather or rubbei. It is stated in > T e\\ Yoik that after the sale of tin ee million conies ot the new Testment in Km one and Ameiifa the demand siiddeiitly censed, winch has been a si'\cie blow to many leading publiahei s. According to the Fninlftii (er Zi Hint//, a large eagle was shot on April loth at Nakkoo, Lapland, winch had aiound its neck a In ass chain w ith a tin box altiehed to it. This box contained a slip of paper on which was written in Danish, " Caught in 1702 by \V. and C. Andcison, Boetod, in Falbter, Denmaik " J")VNVMjrK w.is first intioduced in 1806 by Nobel, the Sweedish chi'inibt, and is niadtt by taking a s>pon»y kind of clay ami impregnating it with nitroglycerine. \VAf!\ER'.s mausoleum at Wahanfiied was not a new tomb. When the composer's dog, Rnss, was j.oisoned some yejrs ago, his body was ]>l-iced in the tomb which was than destined to receive as ifc now has dope, the remains of his master, outl \ynj»ner l>ad carved by the entrance the effigy of his fa vouiite in an attitude of repose, and underneath the legend, '' Here Jtuss lests, and waits."' Rats and Mice.— lf you wish to de- - troy them get a packet of Hill. 1 !. Macic Vkkmin .•Kiii.uk in packets, fld, 9d; and Is, to be obtained of all storekeepers, ( or from T. 13. HtU by epclQiing an extr»-»tanip, ,