ROBBERY AT MILTON

NZ Truth, Issue 725, 10 May 1919, Page 5

ROBBERY AT MILTON

• Horse-trainer Arrested SMART WORK BY THE POLICE Most -of Missing Money Recovered.' (From, "Truth's" Dunedin Rep.) j The little township of Milton was thrown into a state of excitement on. May morning, when the news went forth that the Post Office safe had been broken into and that a sum of £500 had been lifted therefrom. Mr. P. MeGuire, the postmaster, went to bed about eleven o'clock the night before, his office keys being left, as usual, m the hip pocket of his trouj sers, which were placed m the bedj room wardrobe. Late m the night, or early m the morning, <he was disturbed by a slight noise; but, after listening for a while and hearing nothing more, he concluded that bis daughter In the next room had been restless. About seven o'clock, however, a young olerk In the offtoe, came hurrying to Mr. McGuir© with : THE STARTLING INFORMATION that the door of the office sale was open. As two large deposits had been paid m the <lay before, Mr. McGuire iWas at once apprehensive ot mischief, and upon 'his hastening to the office, his fears were confirmed. He found the safe had been opened with a key, whioh, with the others, was missing from his pocket, and that notes, ot a total value of £500, had been taken from the safe. These included one £50 note and several £10 ones. About £10 worth of silver and about £200 worth of stamps and postal notes ihad been left behind by the thief. ' Detectives Kemp and Hammerley motored out to Milton m response to the early reporting of the robbery and, with Constable Fox, were soon m the midst of investigation. The numbers of some of the missing notes were quickly ascertained from the manager of the National Bank at Milton, and, as the result of further inquiries, suspicion fell upon a horse -trainer, NAMED VICTOR KEEN, who had left Milton for Oamaru with a trotting horse the morning after the robbery. The Oamaru police were at once communicated with, and, within 30 hours of the opening of the safe i at Milton, Keen was arrested at j Oamaru,' and most of the stolen money ' was recovered. The recovery of the money so promptly is an exceedingly icreditable piece of work, and is one upon which all the officers concerned must be heartily congratulated. One j £10 note was cashed at the Oamaru .! railway station on Thursday evening, and on Friday morning Constable Palmer had traced it so successfully that he felt justified m arresting Keen. At one o'clock on Friday, Detectives Kemp and Hammerley left for Oamaru, arriving four ihours later. In company with Constable Palmer, they recovered £395 of the stolen money m a moneybelt belonging to Keen, which; was. found hidden m an- outhouse on the premises of Mrs. Speed, On Saturday morning Keen was charged at the Magistrate's Court with the robbery. He Is a clean-cut, rather well-set-up fellow of 26, who, for some time, has followed the profession of horse-trainer at Milton. Chief-Detective Bishop at once asKed for, and was granted, a remand till the following Friday. In reply to the j Magistrate regarding the granting of bail, the Chief-Detective said that little was known against \ Keen. He had not gone to Oamaru with the intention of clearing out, but to take up work m a stable there. The sum of £415, altogether, had been recovered, leaving a deficiency of about £ 85. Of this, 'however, a considerable sum had been spent on harness and a saddle. After his arrest Keen had given the police every facility to regain the missing money. Bail was allowed m accused's recognisance of £200 and two sureties of £100 each.