SAFE AND BANK ROBBED

Evening Star, Issue 18809, 6 December 1924, Page 12

SAFE AND BANK ROBBED

MYSTERY CRIMES BAFFLE POLICE. Sydney police are puzzled by a theft of £800” from a safe in the residence of the caretaker at the stables of Grace Brothers, Ltd. Although the matter looks a simple one, the police have been unable to effect an arrest, though the theft occurred last Saturday (wrote on November 28 the Sydney correspondent of the Auckland * Star ’). Grace Brothers, Ltd., is one of the largest retail firms in Sydney, and it is customary for the carters, returning to the stables after a day in the suburbs, to hand over - their collections to Mr John Gates, caretaker of the stables. He places tho money in a safe in his homo, in which the only other residents are his wife, a daughter, and two sons. The story told to the police by Miss Vera Gatos, his daughter, is that when she returned to her home on Saturday morning at 1 a.m. she found the safe open and the money gone. The thieves had, however, missed about £SOO, which had been placed in another portion of flic safe. MONEY IN TWENTY BAGS. She stated that at night before she went out her father gave her the money,-which was in notes and cheques, the latter totalling £IOO, and she placed tho money in about twenty bags, which she packed in the safe. Then she put the key under her pillow. Her brothers were in Dm house when she left, but they went out shortly afterwards, leaving her mother in charge of the house and tho safe. Mrs Gatos heard nothing, yet when (he girl returned tho safe had been opened with the key from under Miss Gates’s pillow, and the money was missing. Soon after the matter was reported tn the police a man walked into (he local police station and handed in the cheques, which ho said 1m found in University Park, about five minutes’ walk from Die caretaker's home. Detectives have been engaged on the rase all Die week, hut without, any success, and there is now no chance of (he money being recovered. j ANOTHER MYSTERY, The robbery from Grace Brothers’l stables has a counterpart in one which \ was carried nut in the E.S. and A. Bank i in the city during the week. I A young worn in employed by a firm | of solicitors placed a deposit hook con- j tinning £920 in notes and. cheques on 1 the counter in front of the receiving! teller. There were others there at the l time, and her hook was one of many. | She went to another part of the bank to transact some other business, and while she wns away tho book and its contents disappeared. | A search was instituted immediately,' without success, and though (he police have continued the search they .have, been unable to find either Dm bank-j book or Die cheques, which have not] been presented.