THE BANK ROBBERY.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XI, Issue 63, 2 March 1921, Page 3

THE BANK ROBBERY.

MYSTERY AT MURCHISON. WHO USED TELLER’S KEY? A special body of police aro assistting Detective Young to solve the mystery of the Murchison Bank Robbery, that possesses many strange features (writes the Greymouth “Star’s” correspondent). So far no arrests have been made. The fact, however that so many members of the force are concentrated in Murchison is significant. Why not have special guards, on the watch through the Coast? But no. It is only natural, therefore, to predict some startling development. According to teller Engall’s story the .men who visited the bank at 3 a.in. for the purpose of plunder, where as silent as they are mysterious. They did not speak, nor did he. It follows that they must has rumaged round in the dark, for they would hardly be daring enough to light up the bank at such an hour, until they came upon the teller’s, keys which were in a chamois bag on the bank counter. All was plain sailing, for the manager had not cross-keyed the safe that night. Only one key was on the safe when the robbery took place. This was the first occasion on which the manager (Mr C; H. Ellis) had failed to crosscheck the safe. It is a usual bank practise to have several on a safe. These are.distributed amongst the staff and make it impossible for the safe to be opened unless the keyholders are present. At Murchison two keys, held the safe, and as the manager failed to lock with his, the thief or thieves needed only the teller’s key. GOES TO SLEEP. On the night of the robbery Engall and a friend named Stewart attended Chautauqua. Whether they went to the bank for a .smoke or supper after the entertainment is not known, but Stewart did not that night go to his home which is situated a mile away, but instead slept in a cottage next door to the bank. The Murchison Bank of Now Zealand is a one-storied building, and the teller sleeps in a room behind the public office. It was hero, he states, the grim intruders overoowered him. They tied his hands and Tv ’’ih binder twine, pud gaggo4 him ’-hb his own handkerchief. Thev also wrapped bbv’Wq about him tni-'n from his str‘ u n|.o,. Then the asle°n Wai'ing at seven o’clock be gave the alarm. THE BINDER TWINE. Tn the coHp<«» n Pv f f o || le found a roll of binder twine. From this a piece had recently been cut. The twine tvincr Engall’s hands was identical with that found in the cottage. END OF THE TRAIL. On the morning of the 'robbery just as the dawn came in and the darkness faded from the landscape, a car made its way out of Murchison. Who was in the car? Where did it go? The course of this mysterious car running from the scene of the robbery has been traced as far as the Lyell, but there the trail ends. Later. Ihe money has been found intact, planted under a bridge at the riverside, but a short distance from the bank. The atmosphere is highly charged with excitement as it is expected the police will make two arrests any minute.