MISSING BANK NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15123, 14 October 1912, Page 9

MISSING BANK NOTES.

A MYSTERIOUS LOSS,

[from on OWN COMIESrO.VDENT.j

London", September 7. Law Armstrong (the widow of Sir George Armstrong), of Cadognn Square, S.W., has reported to the Scotland Yard authorities a mysterious incident which occurred in the Cockspur-street office of tho Credit Lyonnais on Monday afternoon, when she lost two unnumbered 500 franc notes (£4O). At tho request of tho police she has postponed tho tour abroad for which she required tho foreign notes and other money which she changed.at tho time of her loss.

"It was my intention to start on a motoring tour abroad this" morning," she explained yesterday, " and yesterday afternoon I went to the Credit Lyonnais to change £65 into French money. As I stood at tho counter I noticed on my left a gentleman, but I did not see what ho was doing. He wae standing in front of an opaque screen, which hid him from the view of tho officials. On my right was a short, foreign-looking man* The clerk pushed two 500 franc notes through tho gut'ehefc to mo, as well as three or four 100 franc notes, a.nd tho rest in gold. I counted tho money and tho notes, and found that they were all correct. I then folded the two notes for 500 francs into four. Just as I had done so tho clerk who had given them to mo asked me to sign my name on a, bit of paper. I pushed the two notes to the left of mo, and did as ho requested. Directly I had signed my name I drew back and said : '' Where's my money? It was there when I began to write.'

"The 500 franc notes had disappeared, but the rest of the change' was in front of mc. The cashier said: 'It was there a minute ago,' and, I replied.. 'Of course it -was-.' Tho man on my left had gone, bnt the man on my right was still there, and he said : 'I saw you hold the notes.' I said to the cashier : ' The man on mv left must have taken them.' He replied": ' It cannot be him, because, ho is a, customer whom we know very well.' He then asked me if the notes were in my bag. I opened it, and found it was empty. Nor were the notes on the floor. It waa the greatest piece of luck that I did not lose another note of the same value, as I wanted three, and the bank had only got two." ' '"

Tho manager of the bank stated jester. day in an interview that it had vet to be proved that a robbery had occurred. Probably there had been some misunderstanding on tho part of a customer. Inquiries were being made.