THEFT OF £10,000

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 138, 15 June 1927, Page 11

THEFT OF £10,000

ENGLISH TRAIN ROBBERY

ACCUSED MAN BEFORE THE

COURT

Alleged to have stolen a mailbag contaming £10,000 in Treasury notes from tho Cardiff-London express on 2nd FebTuary, Joseph Foster, aged 44, who was arrested on a provisional warrant at Claudelands, Hamilton, recently, appeared before Mr. W. G. Biddell, 8 M an the Magistrate's Court to-day. Foster, who is described as a traveller, was also charged with having received the £*%• W7, lch waß the property of the British Government, knowing it to have been dishonestly obtained. _On the application of Chief-Detective Ward, he was remanded to appear next Wednesday. . Mr. T. M.-Wilford, who appeared for Foster, said he understood that several similar remands would have to be asked for untili the necessary warrants and documents arrived from the Homeland. The Magistrate: "I suppose that can't lie helped." Mr. Wilfordi "No, sir."' He submiMed that, as- every British subject had the inherent right to ask for bail, his Worship might fix a certain sum whether or not the accused would be able to find the necessary sureties. The Chief-Detective: "I am instruct-" ed to oppose bail because of the largel sum of money involved." Tho Magistrate: "I don't propose to grant bail to-day, Mr. Wilford, but you may renew your application next Wednesday." The accused is.a son of the late Pastor Foster, who formerly lived in Waihi and Hamilton. He: himself lived in Waihi at one time, but. left the Dominion over twenty years ago. Foster, had been hying; in Hamilton for some weeks before he was recognised by a constable who, knew him-as a boy. His arrest on provisional warrant followed, .The details of the^ robbery in connection with which the arrest was made are that four registered packages containing Treasury notes valued at £10,000' were among the contents of a mailbag stolen in transit between Cardiff.and London on the evening of 2nd February. The bag was placed in the mail van of the train at Cardiff Station by the postal officials. The van was locked, and was opened for a few minutes only at Newport and Swindon, when other mails were added to the pile. The only other stop between Cardiff and London waa at Beading, but no mails were taken on there, and the van was therefore not opened. On the arrival of the train at Paddington, the bag in question was missing.