A Brutal Robbery.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5173, 19 March 1888, Page 3

A Brutal Robbery.

[PEII l-m-SS ASSOCIATION. I

Dtjnbdin, This day.

A daring and brutal daylight robbery was perpetrated during the early part of Saturday. At a quarter-past six the streets are always comparatively quiet, and on Saturday such business thoroughfares as Bond and Crawford streets were deserted. This was the locality of the outrage. It occurred on one of tho vacant allotments between Bond and Crawford streets. William Slattery, aged 19, who has beon working up country, was drinking with some companions in a neighboring hotel on Saturday afternoon, and they left the premises and proceeded together down Jetty-street wharf. Turnitifr to the right, Slattery was suddenly assaulted by the other two. One struck him a blow on the left temple with a gin bottle, which v-as shivered iv his hand, and both struggled with him upon tho ground and managed to stifle any outcry while thoy rifled' his pockets. Slattery, however, was conscious, and resisted stoutly. Ho succeeded in holding on to his purse with one hand, but the ruffians tore his trousers' pockets several inches down and extracted 17s 6d. At this juncture an alarm was raised by an unseen spectator, and they were obliged to decamp. A female servant" in the New Zealand Restaurant, Princess-street South, happened to be at the back window, and had seen everything that passed well enough to be able to identify tho men. She raised tho alarm promptly, and several men were quickly on tho spot. From tho description given by tho servant there was no difficulty in subsequently capturing George Anderson and Charles McGrath. Both bear a very indifferent character. McGrath was picked out by the servant from. among several other men known to Slattery up country, and the latter had lent him £2 or £3 a few hours before the robbery. Tho injury inflicted upon Slattery proved to be very severe, and he was removed to the hospital, where he lay unconscious until the following morning. He will be unable to leave tho hospital for some days.