HIGHWAY ROBBERY UNDER ARMS.

Otago Police Gazette, Volume I, Issue 26, 21 December 1863, Page 131

HIGHWAY ROBBERY UNDER ARMS.

At 1 1 a m., the ■ 2nd November, 1863, as Mr. William Acton, of Switzer’s Diggings, storekeeper, was proceeding therefrom to Invercargill via the Pyramid, on horseback, when about eight miles from Switzer s, and the like distance from the Pyramid Camp, he was stopped by three armed men, one having a double barrelled gun, the other two revolvers, who fired upen and slightly wounded him, and robbed him of over 60 oz. of gold, some of it pretty coarse, some very bright and scaly, and some of it dark, being coated with nitrate of iron, £3O in sovereigns and half sovereigns, eio-ht £5 notes, a patent English lever huntin° watch, made by John Edwards, Liver-

pool, No. 7202, and a self-acting revolver lie men are thus described by him :

Ist. About 27 years’ old, 6 feet high, well built, but not very stout, light brown hair and bushy sandy whiskers not very long;, dfessed in blue monkey jacket with red lining,'.torn inside across the shoulder, small Bedford cord trousers, .light grey Crimean shirt, drab billycock hat, and low boots. ■} : , j

2nd. About' 30 years’ old, 5 feet 9 inches high, squints a little with one eye, supposed the right, dark complexion, dark bushy whiskers, dark hair wore blue cloth monkey jacket, moleskin pants, dark billycock hat, and short boots. .

. 3rd. About 35 years’ old, about 5 feet 6 inches high, thin features, light complexion, liMit-.brown hair, small . whiskers ; wore a broad body belt tied with strings, moleskin pants, billycock hat, and short Wellington boots cut in shreds across the toes.

. The double barrelled gun had a highly finished stock inlaid with gold or brass, the maker’s name in same metal between the; barrels, the hammers representing the heads of some animals. ■ One of'the; revolvers was a large sized Colt’s, the other a pepper box. it has been subsequently reported' by Sergeant Hewson, of the Mounted Escort, that a gun answering exactly to the . above , description,; the hammers or cocks representing dolphins, was - seen by him on. the 12th . of October, 1863, at George Fletcher’s Accommodation House, at the Elbow, in the .Province of Southland. A reward of ,£2O ill be paid to any .person giving such information as shall lead to the apprehension of the offenders.

At 8.30 a.m. the 12th December, 1863, as Mr. Skinner, Agent , for the Bank of New Zealand,, Dunstan . Branch,- was proceeding from the Dunstan to the Nevis, to purchase gold, he was stuck up by two armed men (masked) who assaulted and robbed him of the lollowing property: • £SOO in .'£s-note s, of the Bank of N.Z. (new) £ 95 in £5 do., do. (old) £2OO in £1 do., do. (do) £5 in silver, in crown, half-crown, and 2s! pieces, Some of the £5-notes identifiable. DESCRIPTION OF THE MEN. First, tall. and stout, hair and complexion supposed dark, dressed in moleskin trousers and dark billycock hat, carried a gun. ' - Second, shorter, hair and complexion supposed fair, carried a revolver. '•'* Two men, Thomas Murphy, alias Parker, alias Williams, and Thomas Cunningham, alias Clifford, (alias Stewart, have been apprehended, and a portion of the money found on them.