SAFE-BREAKING PLANT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15639, 5 October 1921, Page 4

SAFE-BREAKING PLANT.

GELIGNITE AND DETONATORS. •A HAUL IN MELBOURNE. “The most efficient safe-brauking and burglary outfit /that lias come to tbe office,” comment of detectives on the contents of a large cabin trunk that was brought, to t|ie Criminal Investigation .Department-,'■’Melbourne,' a week-or two ago. T’here were lour fully-loaded revolvers, fifty plugs of gelignite, 200 detohators, ’and ICO specially made detonafe/fs. These special detonators. arc (says’the Argus) about, the size of a man’s finger, and, in use, are connected to ap.elecfric light socket. When the switch, Is turned on, the detonator explode?. There.,were saws, bi-aces and drills, climbs, , about; ICO keys iyid skeleton lccys; masks, 1 burglars’ “masterpiece?” .(used for. turning door keys in locks from ,the outside), and apparatus for bbtaiiiirig keys from locks from the outside.' Carefully locked away were a number of 1 , strychnine tablets. Tlio Criminal Investigation Depart-ment'claims-that. by . the seizure of this outfit' it-s;ha? cleared up many of the large safe : robberies that, have occurred duripg The last "three years. Four months ago a clue was discovered, and since then Senior-Detective D. Mulfahy,. Senior, Detective . H. Mercer, .Detectives ,«T. Madiri, l 'A. L. Lee, arid T. C. Holland (of ■ the .Postal- Department) have been conducting - investigations continuously. The detectives went one afternoon in a motor car to a confectionery shop and tea ■,rooiri. l in Glenhuntly road, Llsternwickj ' Detec,tiye Holland , entered first, and; bought a. packet- of- chowitig _gum. ( He was served by a man who was in his: ebirt sleeyes. D elective. Holland was. followed- by tho mjier, detectives. “Wo’ro detectives,” said Detective Mulfahy, “and we believe that there is stolen property heroy” “Tliero, must bo some mistake,” replied, the man., He was scarcli©d, and-Detective Mulfahy alleges that he ' found two .diamorid rings in one pocket. The man >va's explaining how ho got the--rings,' when one of the detectives said: “W o aregoing to search this/place from top to bottom.” It is alleged that the mgn -replied : “There s no need l to disturb-'tho place. I’ll show you.’* He took them upstairs to hie bedroom, and opened a- trunk. - There were several suits of clothes in the trunk, and before handing a coat ahd waistcoat to the man a detective foiimd a tube containing tablets in one of the pockets. A quantity, of jewellerv and -goods wore taJMB-Vmh the trunk to Music!! - street.

Later in the afternoon the detectives arrested a- 'second man in the city. At tlio city watchliouse the same night William Henry Wilks, aged 47, of Toronto, an engineer, and Walter M‘Oormack, aged 47, years, a dealer, of Luxton road, Ifawkslniry, wejfe locked up on charge? of breaking and entering extending over a period from April 6. arid involving' «umstotallin£abouWL6oo. ,