DAYLIGHT ROBBERY IN MELBOURNE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 227, 13 June 1918, Page 6

DAYLIGHT ROBBERY IN MELBOURNE

BV MASKED AND ARMED MEN

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS BAILED UP AMAZING AUDACITY In circumstances of a most sensational and daring character, two masked and armed men on the morning of May 31 bailed tip two officials of the State Government. Printing Office on Eastern Hill, who, alter visiting the bank, were returning to tho office with two leather bags containing about .t-1200, which was intended to be paid out to the printing office employee. l ) as their fortnight's wages. The daring plot succeeded to ihe. extent that the meu got away with tlio bags containing the money. They wero followed by a crowd of people, whom they held at bay with revolvers, and thus protected they tried to escape on a motor-cycle with side-car attached. But they were unable to start the motorcycle. To ensure that tho machine should not be used in the pursuit they fired a shot into the petrol tank, thus rendering the machine useless. Then the men, followed still by a crowd of greatly excited people, ran through the gardens surrounding St. Patrick's Cathedral, and, climbing over tho iron fence in, Albert Street, proceeded in the direction of Lansdowne Street. Tn their flight they dropped the larger hag, containing over .X'3ooo. Passing through a lane oft' Lansdowne Street they entered a house in that thoroughfare ljy the back gate. There they dropped their disguise, in the. passage and walked coolly away in full view of a large gathering of people, eventually escaping in the direction of I'ilzroy. The sum actually stolen and not recovered was .£1125, which was contained in the smaller bag. This bag, empty, was subsequently found in a' lano off Young Street, in that suburb. Of tho money in the bag approximately i:7()0 belonged to tho Commonwealth, and ,£425 to tho State, for some of the,, hands jit the Government Printing Office are engaged on work for the Federal Government and others on work for the State Government. A Pay Day Raid. Friday was fortnightly pay day at the Government Printing Office, unci,' according to custom, Mr. JJ. 15. Bean, the accountant, and Mr. J. B. D'Arcy, senior clerk, left the oflice in a hansom cab for the Commonwealth Bank, Equitable Building,, Collins Street, shortly before ID o'clock to draw the sum of money required to pay the wages of tho employees. As several people wero awaiting attention* at the bank some delay took place, but the printing office officials in due course received tho money, and returning reached the courtyard near the steps leading to the office, just about 10.30 a.m. Mr. D'Arcy had the larger bag, containing a little over .£3OOO. Of this sum .£IOOO was in J!5 bank notes, and the remainder in notes of ill and 10s. each, besides a quantity of silver nnd copper. Mr. Bean carried the smaller bag, in which was .£1125, in bank notes, silver and copper. On stepping from the cab Mr. Bean turned round to pay the driver. As ho was drawing the money out of his pocket he droppeti sixpence and stooped to pick it up. After paying tho driver lie and Mr. D'Arcy moved to the footpath, which they had to cross to reach the steps of the office. Up to that moment, there Inid been no persons iii sight, and the officials had no suspicion ol the impending attack. As they wero itbout to mount the office steps, however, a man emerged from the portico, and walked down towards them. Ho was armed with a revolver, and wore a mask. He also carried an official-looking parcel tied with tape, apparently for the purpose of diverting suspicion. On reaching tho loot of the steps the man silently presented the revolver at Mr. Bean. At tliat moment another masked man, who had evidently followed the first man down the steps, placed a revolver against Mr. Bean's back., Realising the seriousness of the position in which he was placed, Mr. Beau made a move as if to draiv his revolver, which was in his right-hand coat pocket, but he was'an-' ticipated by the second man, who instantly grabbed the weapon, relieving Inni Jr i;. This ina.ii then said: "Drop your 'bag or I'll plug you." Mr. Bean dropped the bag. Whilst the first rol>ber kept Mi'. Bean covered with his revolver, his accomplice turned nnd pointed his revolver at Mr. D'Arcy, who was not armed, at the same time exclaiming/ "Drop yours!" Keeping both the officials covered with revolver?, the men then snatched up the two bags and ordered officers to turn their backs. They perforce complied. Immediately they did so the robbers.ran alongside the buildings in the direction of Gipps Street. Hue and Cry. Both Mr. Bean and Mr. D'Arcy called out loudly they had beep robbed, and attracted by their cries. several of the clerks ran out of the office to see what was the matter.' Joined by the cabman, Mr. J. Ferguson, of the Audit Office, Mr. Johnston, of the A.M.P. Society, and others, they went in pursuit of the highwaymen, who turned into Uipps Street and ran up the lune at the rear of Parliament Place. The robbers were much hampered by the weight of the bags, but they nevertheless made good progress, and holding the crowd at bay with' their revolvers they reached the top of the lane. Tliey were then ob. served to walk over to a motor-cycle and side-car which they had ill waiting on the roadway in Grey Street, in front of the Unitarian Church. Having placed the two bogs in tho side-car they tried, as aiready stated, to start the machine, but failed. Then one of tho men fired his revolver into the petrol tank of the machine. The men then ran staggering towards the gateway at the entrance to the grounds of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Grey Street. As they were doing so Mr. Ferguson rushed. at one of the armed men, thinking he could get him oft' his guard, but the man instantly tainted his revolver at him and fired, tho bullet whizzing past him. The robbers hurried through the grounds, and as they wero passing the archbishop's palace tho Rev. P. O'Brien came through the gateway leading from the yard at Ihe north side of the building. He was surprised and bewildered at what he saw. Tho taller man of the two, who had dropped his mask, was flourishing a revolver and looking round in a wild fashion, whilst the second man, still wearing the mask, wis staggering behind him, carrying the larger bag 011 his anil. Tho noise made by the crowd in pursuit was heard by Father O'Brien before he saw the people, and forming Ihe conclusion that the fore- j most man was mad, lie ran back through the gateway, closing it behind him. Finding the only means of exit on the northern side closed against them, the robbers then continued their flight in a northerly direction. ;,nd clambered over ] the fence in Albert Street, throwiug the bags over before them. At this stage they evidently decided to abandon the heavier and larger bag, containing about J!3i)00, and it was subsequently picked up by Father O'Brien and handed over io Mr. C. G. Donovan, u clerk in the Gov-irnmeiU Printing Office. The robbers continued their flight along Albert Stvqet, and, after turning into Lansdowne Street, they entered a lane oil that thoroughfare, thence passing along a small blind right-of- j way, at the end of which they boldly entered tho back premises of a housn at 25 Lunsdowne Struct,, ol which i). If'lntyre is the occupier. Mrs, M'lntyro was engaged upstairs at tho lime, and there was also a carpenter there mending some blinds, but there happened to be no one downstairs to interfere with the robbers. So each dropped his overcoat and his mask, along with Mr. Bean's revolver and a bullet, throwing all these articles behind tnn | front door. Then the.v opened the door, I and walked out on lo the street in lull | view of the people who had assembled in Lansdowne Street. N'obody appeared tn suspect that they were the robbers, but Mrs. M'lntvre, hearing n noise, came running downstairs, and saw them as they were leaving. She called out, "What are yon doing in my house?" They made no reply. Then she called the carpenter, who came down with a hammer in his hand, but the men by that time had left. On reaching the footpath the robbers, one of whom was carrying the bag, crossed at a leisurely

walk to the opposite comer ui Lansdowno, and Victoria Streets. ami hurried in the direction of Napier Hired, l-'itzroy. After Unit they were not. again seen. When ilio lino and cry was first raised, the Criminal Jnvestiß.itiou Department was communicated with by toleplinne from the lioveriinient Printing Office, and a largo number of detectives hurried to the scene in motor-cars and other conveyances. Threads of the narrative wero picked up at, various stages, but no nrri'sts wero effected. The motor-cycle, which was an .American machine, was numbered .>I!H at ihe rear of the side-car, but the faked number, 42.17, was attached ti| the front mudguard. It was thought at ilia time that the cycle had been stolen. The men left overcoats and a cap in the side-car, and it was found that the two overcoats picked up in tho house in Lansdowne Street had evidently been prepared for purposes of disguise. The second musk was picked up by a boy in Lansdowue Street. The masks were cleverly adapted for the purpose for which they wero used, .being made of cardboard ami brown paper, with rubber mouthpieces, so that they might bo securely held by the teeth. At the back was a loop of wire, to secure Ihe cord that was lied tn the mask, and went round tho wearer's head. Not far from the place where, the smaller bag was found in Young Street, a coat, trousers, and t.ivo vesls wero also picked up, and it was evident that on reaching that part of Fitaroy the robbers changed their clothes in order the tetter to elude identity and capture. A remarkable feature of the occurrence was that Messrs. Bean and D'Arcy were, not- accompanied by an oflicer of police as is the practice in cases where largo sums of money are drawn from the bank either for the pnrposß of paying employees or meeting any other contingency. Suspect Arrested. Henry Cook, owner of the motor bicycle and side-car used in connection with rlie robbery, has been arrested. Taken to tho detective office, he was questioned as to his movements. He stated that the turnout was stolen front him in tho morning, some hours before he reported the 1.153. He also stated ho had been at Richmond and East Melbourne in the company of a woman, with whom ho dined in town,* and for whom ho bought a present, hut he declined to disclose her name or where they had gone shortly after midnight. The detectives locked him up, and ho appeared at the City Court next morning, charged with the highway robbery of <£4425, the money of the Government Printing Office. Cook is 29 years of age, and a clerk employed in llio Victorian Railways Union.