DETECTIVE’S TASK

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 May 1931, Page 8

DETECTIVE’S TASK

DIGGING FOR BANKNOTES. SYDNEY, April 30. The unusual spectacle of squads of detectives armed with picks and shovels passing through several Sydney suburbs was witnessed one day this week, when, after a safe robbery, they investigated possible hiding places of the loot. The robbery was reported from the offices of W. E. Smith, commercial printers, of George Street, Sydney, and after detectives had questioned several suspects they started out on their queer quest.

Their first taste of digging was in the backyard of one of the suspects. There the squad of detectives set to Work and systematically dug up every portion of the ground. Their efforts were fruitless. They refrained from disturbing a flourishing dahlia bed in their operations and except for this small patch they had uncovered a quarter of an acre to a depth of three feet. Though loath to disturb the floWbr bed they had no choice. They met with success' almost immediately, however, for under one of the choicest dahlia plants they found £4OO in notes, as well as several articles which Wbr& identified as having been in the safe.

As, in addition to the £4OO, a conslderablfe sum had been taken, the detectives’ operations did not stop there. They continued their investigations and set to work to dig up the backyards of three other Suspects. But, even after turning over every square inch of ground in these places, their efforts were fruitless.

Then from “information received,” they concentrated their efforts on the bank of a creek running into Cook’s River at St. Peters, a suburb of Sydney. They had a big task in front of them, and teams of diggers worked for three \days before they achieved success. Well-buried under the root of a flourishing wattle tree they found another £5OO in notes.

The digging operations of the detectives—they numbered sixteen—occupied nearly a fortnight. Charges were made against three men.