SONOMA GOLD ROBBERY.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17316, 30 November 1921, Page 8

SONOMA GOLD ROBBERY.

BECOVERY OF MISSING SPECIE. (By Cabl*—Press Association—Copyright.) (Australian arid N\Z. Cable Association.) NEW YORK, November 28. A total 0f,'5560 English sovereigns was discovered in a ventilator shaft on board the Sonoma, at San Francisco. San Francisco messages report that eome of the gold was found by an engineer, 3lr Knudsen, stuffed in a rubber hose on board the Sonoma. (Received November 29th, 5.5 p.m.) SAN FRANCISCO, November 38. The United Press Association reports that 75,000 dollars more of the Sonoma's gold has been discovered. The "San Francisco Chronicle" states that all the gold (has been found. % (Received November 29th, 8.20 p m.) NEW YORK, November 28. The sum of 75,000 dollars was found in its original container bu&yecl to a large oilcan tied.by a rope ,to the Sonoma's rudder. Another message states: , "Fifteen thousand pounds was found in three milk-cans suspended under water at the stern of the Sonoma." The "San Francisco 'Chronicle" states that attempts to identify J. Whatton, the Sonoma's cabin boy aa Charles Barrett, who was implicated ini the bullion robbery on board the 6teamer Humboldt in 1920, failed to^ay., According to Chief-Betective Matheson, there' i$ no possibility of Whatton ing Barrett. He said: "I arrested Barrett wfhen J .was working the. Humboldt case, and .am certain Whatton is not the same man. There is absolutely no similarity in .their .descriptions', ,1' ani almost certain that Barrett is at present in the East. The habits of the two men are - totally dissimiliar."

DISCOVERY ACCIDENTAL.

(Eeeoived. November !%H.h t -.10 y.m->. SAN FRANCISCO, November 28The discovery of part of the gold was. totally accidental. Mr. Knudsen, finding a ventilator s/haft out of order, opened it and found that a rubber hose stuffed into the ventilator was shutting off the air. He then pushed, and a) shower of sovereigns fell out. v This strengthened the belief of thq detectives tlhat the remainder of. the; gold was still on board, and searches were renewed,,proceeding over the vessel slowly and minutely. The Burnsj i»s>teotive Agency was called. in, arid advanced the theory, which won partially substantiated by known facts, that the thieves-were passengers on board the Sonoma. The Oceanio Company's officials immediately consulted the records, which showed that one man had made three consecutive trips in the Sonoma. His name is not disclosed, but the Burns Agency declares that the individual ia now en route to the East, and it is believed his arrest is likely to follow dhortly.

SOME STILL MISSING.

(Received November 30th, 12.5 a.m.) „ NEW YORK, November 28. A final check shows that 13,000 dollars of the Sonoma's gold is still missing. [Five boxes of gold coin, valued .at 125,0 CO t dollars (£25,000), shipped at Sydney "by the Commonwealth Bank, and consigned to the '''-International Banking Corporation of San Francisco, were stolen on board the Sonoma.]