The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-11-22 00:00:00

GREAT POST OFFICE ROBBERY.

.C+o,oUll WORTH OF VALIIABLE3 sroLEs.
A daring robbery was cunmittc 1 on Wednesday even-
ing, at the branch Poet-Olfize, in 11 stten-garden, London.
About tire o'clock, as one of the utti:dals was making up
country mail, in tiro bags, one comprising the ordinary
ant the other coirataing registered lettere, 131118 of which
inclu led jewellery and diamonds to a very considerable
sum, the gas in UM building was suddenly turned oil at
toe meter, plunging the place into fatal darkness. in the
confution and c iminotion which ensued amens toe
amistaisis and the cost imere in the Aim. • men pushed
his way ti where the bade ready node up were hanging
on their customary h.ioks, awaiting the arrival of the mail
cart which conveys them to the General Poet-Office, and
seizing the byte rusiusl out of the building before any-
one load a burl:Avian of his purpose. When it waa found
out what had happened it was too late to make an elect to
catch the thief, who was enabled to get clear away. The
utmost censternation was ocumuoned by. the that

etTployei, as.it was known that
the tette,' which had been registered during the
day contained money, jewellery, and other yell-
able* to the extent of many thousands of pounds.
It has been estimate I that the amount con-
tained in the stolen letters wag as much as .C 40.000 but
s seatowf
nth. ed
emalanezia tiac.
larthe-
metropolis. It would appear tau the time selected by
ill.glanr4nd-geargpodernt jewellers anti thprecious e
the perpetrators and the manner of carrying out their
purpcse point to the utmost deliberation and the pro-
bability of the affair being • carefully•planned einspiracy.
The police believe that the thief or thieves had an
eczomphce in the °dice, who wee instrumental in turning
off the gal at a time preconcerted by signal. The gas
tooter is placed in • small apartment at the back of the
building communicating with that portion open to the
public be • e•itag doer. Tote room is generally occupied
by the t ',graph boys and thou In charge of them, and it
te c n.iiiereiicnpsail.k that any one could have entered
the room to get to the meter unnoticed. It is upon this
supposition that the police have based their opinion as to
the thief or thieves being assisted by an •Ooomplice in the
odic.. It may be mentioned that jewellers who send
preious stones, valuable, ,t! , by poet are in the habit of
effecting insurance at the rate of 10. 31. per .ClOO value.
Two men were arrestA at Plymouth on Friday night,
on suspicion of bong cone, root in the robbery, and the
d-t tile ot their captore rove severs' suspicious fact&
It appears that • p net able was tilt that two men.
Arangcro. a.• 11) ieftVullring to cross from Barbican to
Jersey. Tovir bound, seemed to he extremely
and they evidently intended at all hazard, to quit the
port. They had not been in town long, as, imhe I, they
had only just arrived from Weymouth, having journeyed
to the miter place front Southatnpton, and had visited
S iuthampton after having left L .n.I in a etiort time re-
vimislv. The police-conatablo, hearing that the matt had
paid £lO for a pawing* to Jersey, proceeded promptly In
search .1 them, lie woe not long in diocove•ime their
wbereaboute, tor they had so misused their op ire time
that thoy hal IiCCOMO helplessly fat !ixi^ated for some time
in the Brunowick notation the qusy. Upon being ',arched
in the charge.. fli!o uvoral Bane of gagland £m wit....
L5O note., £5 notes, hills, on I cheat lestelok, one ch. qtte
for £l,OOO, in all Is' green ,CI.IIUO cud .1:4,000 were found in
their poelessim. Thiele valuable g 'ld watches aw:re also
found upon thew. The men gave the name of Re ore. an
state th it th-y were brothers. They wire taken bet ore
the local no utvitrateo, on Satarilay. The accused stated
that they sere pawnbrokers in London ; that they did
!not owe a pony ; hut admitted that • notice in hank-
niptcy had been aervel Open them. There seems to be
reason 1, r doebting whether the men in coatody have any
connexion with the list tonaanten P.settifli s.c rebbory,
property they hsil in thscr poemasion cinstoted mainly of
!paper iu moy awl eiNituit Os had becta in that f
several days. inn
Down to a Into hour on Saturday night nothing whet-
, ever had transpired to throw the *lightest light upon the
radially. and the anthorities may be oonsiderod for the
Ithus to lee fairly Is st Tn.e best calculate.' ii know
do not believe that the t rtal amount of J.,nreln will ...et to £i 000, h..t the insurane speaking
Ithrough their sobc Ito, DI-. L ...sir., • Isere to their
! original lestainote of LIWO 1551, Tile Post.eitlee neithenigin,
have issued • rettraid il LoXIO for the capture of th thief,
which 'rings up the total amount offered to any
one
euecoeeful enough to edert • capture of A:l,dflodo