THE SONOMA ROBBERY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17935, 1 December 1921, Page 8

THE SONOMA ROBBERY.

THREE OF GREW ABRESTED. ONE SUSPECT DISAPPEARS, £2500 STILL MISSING. By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright-(Received 5.S p.m.) A. and N.Z. SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 29. Three members of the crew of the Sonoma have been arrested on suspicion of complicity in the gold robbery. A fourth suspect has disappeared. It is presumed that he has taken part of the gold still missing. A fuwher minute search of the Sonoma and the water surrounding her has resulted in the recovery of nearly the whole of the specie stolen from her, valued at £25,000. A final tolly shows that packages containing gold to the value of 13,000 dollars (about £2600) are still missing. Details of the robbery now revealed sound like a story from the "Arabian Nights." It appears that one member of the Sonoma's crew had a key to a «iilchest, in which was kept a rubber hose, of which a 20ft. length was used to hide a portion of the gold. This individual went ashore to-day, saying that he would return in a few hours, and the police are now seeking him. Tho detectives have not relinquished their nation-wide search for the master mind behind the robbery, who is believed to bo en route to the East. It is thought that he and the missing member of the crew, together with the three under arrest, formed the quintet who executed the coup. The authorities refuse to 'give the names of the individuals sought or apprehended. The work of searching the.Sonoma continues, and no one is now permitted to board or leave the vessel, which is guarded by detectives on all sides. Every bit of cargo still remaining in the vessel is painstakingly opened and carefully examined. It is the conviction of the authorities that the missin? 13,000 dollars v will be found in the vessel. The retrieved gold has been safely lodged in the vaults of a local bank. A recheck shows that approximately £5400 was found in the hose and £17,000 in the containers in the water.