Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 1886. The Wellington Jewellery Bobbery.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1877, 30 August 1886, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 1886. The Wellington Jewellery Bobbery.

“ William Mitchell, alias McKenzie, alias the Masher, who was recently sppr ended at Featheiston for the jewellery robbery at Wellington, appears to have been afflicted with that weakness of brain in criminals which often causes them to come to grief. '• The Masher ” carried out the robbery of Freeman’s) jeweller’s shop with the greatest skill and audacity. He “ cracked the crib,” got hold of over £BOO worth of valuable jewellery, and made a” plant ” of the plunder in a hole in the Reclaimed Land. Obviously, the next step of (the criminal should have been to get away with his plunder to some of the other .colonies or to England, and there dispose of it. Bnt “ the masher ” did not do this. He hung about Wellington, took a trip to Dunedin, and then came back to Wellington where ins plunder still lay concealed. “ The Masher ” appears to have had plenty of opportunities to get off with his plunder; yet in that infatuated and idiotic way which is peeuliar to criminals—otherwise clever fellows enough—he still lingered about the scene of his predatory exploit to his own serious danger. " The Masher ” lodged in Wellington with certain people called Arnold and mast have let out someth! ug to them about the robbery. At all events, one of the Arnold’s boasted in a Wellington hotel" that i r *>« could get £IOO he would “ spring [the plant of the jewellery stolen from Freeman’s.” This boastful talk on the part of Arnold pnt the detectives on the alert. A search was made by them, under warrant, in the bouse of the Arnolds and two silver sleeve links were fonnd nled under the wall paper of tbe rot i which " the Masher ” slept. We presume) thosej. dver sleeve links were supposed to have been part of the articles stolen from Freeman’s ; so from that moment the detectives had the Masher ” nnder continual, bnt unsuspected survellianse. A little plot was concocted by the detectives. A pretended buyer of the stolen jewellery telegraphed from Featherston to a certain person in Wellington, expressing n desire to make a purchase. This information was conveyed to “ the Masher," who came oat to Featherston, arranged terms with the supposed bnyer, returned .to Wellington, “ lifited ” the jewellery, and [finally came back next day to Featherston with the whole of the stolen jewellery ia his possession ready to deliver ny :. v ho supposed buyer for a sum of £2OO. Of course the detective was waiting for “ the Masher ” at Featherston, and so he was taken with all the spoil in his possession. The bunting down and capture of " the Masher ” was a very neat piece of business on the part of tho detectives. “ The Masher,” on being captured, evidently thought that the game was up and that—the stolen goods being in his possession—his guilt was manifest. He even admitted that the detectives had " bested ” him, and metaphorically “ threw up the sponge ” and acknowledged that the game was played outfit isja very curious thing that an experienced criminal and old gaol bird like " the Masher,” who could plan and carry out a robbery in such a cool and masterly manner as he did, should not have had the shrewdness to perceive that his only chance of realising the proceeds of his plunder and 'getting off soot free, was to quickly clear out of the colony altogether, and flee “ to distant parts beyond.” That “ the Maaliot ” did not adopt the course which promised safety, immunity from capture, and an enjoyment of the money to be obtained through the sale of his plunder, can only be accounted for by tbe theory that nearly all habitual criminals have a soft s t . u . in their brains—a sort of “ kink ” in the ohain of their mental and-moral organisation—which causes them, at critical times, to stupidly do the very things which will inevitably lead to their own capture, trial and punishment, Savans and physiologists have often referred to this trait in the mental organisation of many of the criminal classes. It is just as well burglars, forgers, and murderers should have ti’ia “ gpft spot ”ia their mental organisations, because makes them all the less dangerous and all the easier discovered, captured, and dealt with by the law. If tbe criminals were sharp, astute, and ” all there ” at every point, they might get the upper hand ei the honest men, That, in truth, would be a great misfortune and terrible calamity.