ROBBERY EXTRAORDINARY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 137, 10 June 1911, Page 13

ROBBERY EXTRAORDINARY.

The rascals who some years ago stole a six hundredweight safe from a City stockbroker's office, and coolly asked a policeman to give them n hand in hoisting it on to their cart, still hold the palm for burglarious impudence. But they are run close by the saucy knaves who last Friday broke into the post office in Kingsland-road, and annexed the safe containing postal orders, stamps, notes and cash to tho value of £500.

Kingsland Road is one of the busiest streets in the metropolis, and is traversed by a frequent service of tram-cars. The post office is carried on in a china shop at the corner of Lynedock-street. On Friday evening, at 7 o'clock i as usual, the shop was closed, post office 'business ceased, and all the valuables were placed in a safe weighing about 2ewt., which stood in a wooden frame behind tho counter. The safe contained over £350 in postal orders and stamps, five £10 notes, and about £ 100 in gold, monsy kept in reserve for the old age pensioners who had not called on Friday for their weekly Government allowance, a number of old-age pension postal forms, a promissory note for a small amount and the office dating stamp.

Soon after ten o'clock five or six men drove lip in a pony trap, quickly opened the shop door and entered, and a few minutes later came out, bearing 4 .he safe. This they lifted on to the barrow, covered it with a piece of sacking, and lei- ! surely drove oft. Their proceedings had j been watched by the usual small crowd I which will gather anywhere in London on the. smallest provocation. The crowd took the safe thieves for officials or workmen, and it was not until a small boy piped, " Why, they've left the door open." that anybody suspected anything. Then a young man investigated, there were jimmy marks on the door, and tne post office portion of the shop was in dire disorder. Lie at once raised tne alarm, and communicated 'bis suspicions to the policeman on the beat, who discovered to his chagrin that he had actually passed the post office while tne thieves were inside.

Scotland Yard was apprised of the robbery, and on Sunday succeeded in tracing the safe to an empty house in ijeyton ; some lour or Aye miles away. It had been ripped open from the uacK, and the. gold, stamps and notes—about £250 worth in all —abstracted, but tne postal orders and. other contents wore intact. The police, however, can nnd no clue to the daring thieves, for although the safe was taken away under the eyes of a large number of people no one has com c forward who can give aji adequate description of the men concerned in tha job.