SONOMA ROBBERY.

Northern Advocate, 27 January 1922, Page 7

SONOMA ROBBERY.

DARTXG AND SKILFUL CRIME

ROBBERS' METHODS DESCRIBED

Dramatic details of one of the most (luring anil well conceived robberies ever committed on the high seas were fully unfolded when the steamer Sonoma returned to Sydney. The full story revealed an extraordinary criminal cleverness in removing 25,000 Australian sovereigns in live boxes from the ship's specie tank, secreting them in ! unsuspected hidden recesses of the ship, and throwing three boxes overhoard while the ship was being searched at San Francisco. It appeared also that the recovery of the specie was due entirely to a stroke of luck, aided by highly specialised knowledge. A cohort of detectives had failed to locate the sovereigns, and for a time the problem peared to baffle the utmost ingenuity and rescource of ship's officers and police alike. Then the first assistant engineer, whose trained ear knew the exact note which every pipe and should give forth when tapped, discovered the first "plant" in a pipe, and that furnished a clue to the second. A suspicious and mysterious splash liad j suggested dragging the bottom of the bay. When the recovered money was counted only two sovereigns were mis.-'-

The ship's officers declared they 'knew the ringleader who committed the theft, but he was not aboard the ship, long at San Francisco after hearing of the discoveries. He was a "fair-com-plexioned man," with a foreign accent, and on completing a watch at the gangway, apprehensive lest further discoveries should associate him with the robbery, he sauntered from the dock to a I cafe to have some lunch. . Having take J i a glass of milk and some food he wens [ into the lavatory, and was not seen to j come back. When he got inside he opened a window, climbed, ! out, ancl made his way to a place where he kept a motor cycle. Taking it out post haste, he "hit the trail," and by this time may be looking for fresh escapades among daredevils in Mexico or Venezuela. Premeditation and methodical execution marked every stage of the crime, says the "Age." At its inception three r.ien held a' hole-and-corner consultation on the ship. One was the individual with'the heavy accent. His purpose was to get a confederate to procure wax impressions pf the keys which opened the specie room. Chosen for his patience, nerve and special skill, this fellow had to watch a long time for his chance, but it eventually came when the officer in charge was called to see the" captain. He slunk into the cabin, saw the keys and was about tc commence -when he heard approaching footsteps . Escaping discovery by diving under the bunk and lying stil', he noticed the officer had only returned to get his cap. The intruder then emerged, and obtained the wax impress'.Oßi. This happened after the ship had left Honolulu for San Francisco. \ DUPLICATE KEYS MADE ON BOARD Two nights later the same trio met again. It was a foggy night, and the Sonoma held on her course toward the Golden Gate. At this stage No. 2 c-f ihe trio played part. He reported to the man with the heavy accent tha J he had made the duplicate keys and handed them over to his leader.

Next night the fog agaU came down l ; .ke a light blanket over the sea. The ' Sonoma ploughed her way through the darkness. The fair-complexioned man was on watch at the specie room till eight bells sounded, when he reported ''all correct," and the middle watca was relieved. Tired men went for t v eir rest below, with the exception of one rr.an, who stole along the aft part o-C the deck, carrying a heavy box under his arm. It was the ringleader. Ho wore canvas shoes, which made no noise. Two crouching figures awaited his arrival above a vent pipe, and had prepared a 20 feet length of canvas hose. The vent pipe led down to the oil tanks and was used to carry fiumes from, the c.il. At the ringleader's whispered direction, the hose was put into the ;np°, Ihe box prized open, and a cascade of sovereigns, eight or ten at a time, poured down the hose, the soft clinks boing drowned by tlfe rhythmic throb of the engines. The top of the hose was tied I'ghtly at the top of the vent; the string concealed, and the rounded top of the vent screwed into place again as if nothing had happened.