Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-08-29
R0BBING GOLD SHIPS
A DIFFICULT TASK OFTEN sucoEss-
 FULLY ACCOMPLISHED.

AiieSe SafinS heat5 Of Burglary.
 Some of the More Notable Thefts That
 Havo Taken Place.
 Several times i'll each year Australian newspapers announce the departure to England or San Francisco of vessels carrying hundreds of thousands of pounds value in gold. In 1896 the three colonies of Queen sland, New South Wales and Victoria sent away over $40 GOO, GOO.
 It is not a matter of surprise that such announcements excite the cupidiry ot section of the community or that from time to time attempts arc made to surreptitiously lay hands on somo DOT tlon of the seductive treasure.
 Robbing ships safe on tho Austra- Ian coast is now conducted with the same silent and thoughtful deliberation as IS the solving of difficult chess problem. The first thing tha riAer sets hls heart upon is how to get the key. The theory, and indeed the general prac- tlee, is that the captain checks the boxes as they arc stored in the bullion room, locks the door when the transaction is complete, and, sleeping or waking, car ries the key in Il leather pouch around bis neck till he unloeks the door at the ond of the voyage.
 But theory and practice are often set aside. in the Tararea case, at Mel bourne i'll 1880, when $20, 900 worth of gold bars were stolen. the police dis covered that two keys, either of which opened the bullion room, used to hang against the wall in the public bar. It was also discovered that one of these keys smysteriously disappeared 13 months before the robbery and that no serious investigation was then made into the loss, nor was any alteration made in the lock of the bullion room.
 This Tararua was running between New Zealand and Australia and had shipped boxes of gold at various ports. Altogether she was supposed to carry II boxes. On arriving at Melbourne it was found that one of these boxes was missing. Examination showed that some one had simply opened the door with Q key, extracted tho box and locked the door again.
 The robbery from tho Iberia, which left Melbourne for London in March, 1889, is supposed to have been also eff focted by means of key surreptitiously procured. In that case tho robbery was not discovered till tho arrival of tho vessel in London.
 The robbery from tho China develop cd in q remarkable way. Here the Ori- ental bank in Sydney placed the gold on board a coast steamer called the Avoca At Melbourne the gold was transship- ped to the China The China touched at Adelaide and other ports, but it was only at Galle the discovery of tho rob- bery was made. Detectives operated on all the ports simultaneously but no- where could a olew be found. The amount missing was tho usual SEQ, GOO.
 In 1878 man named Weiberg, who had been carpenter on the China, took up selection ill the interior of Nicto- ria. Before settling down he married Melbourne barmaid and appears to have eoniided to her some shady particulars of his past history. 1lc 52,a -oo and Delilah story was in part Iepo.g4a. a4d the public laid themselves out to watch Welberg. Tho upshot was the arrest of tlo man as the safe riaer of the China,
 One thousand sovereigns were found il Il tin of fat stored away by him in Melbourne. In his hut was discovered a wooden plano stuffed with gold. The wood was hollowed out and the gold dropped in. In the hut was also discov cred lar of soap containing 200 sover- oigns
 He told the detectives that no had l, 500 soyereigns concealed on his selec- ton and offered if they accompanied hjm to point out where the booty lay As may be aurmised, ha fooled the pc lice into a wild, thick timbered region, tnoz them suddenly off guard and made his escape. He was reeaptured, howey or, somo months later.
 The mystery of the Iberia was cleared up in a still more singular manner. One day two boys playing at Williamstown saw mouso run into q hole under the platform of the railway pier. eOno of tho boys started to dig the mouse out with q stick and to his surprise un- earthed q ma of soyereigns. The po- lice were informed, and before tho day was out 5, 742 sovereigns wero recovered.
 The recovery of the Aredale gold was more satisfactory as far as amount is concerned For nearly two years the police Iabored in vain. The mystery might never hayo been cleared up but for all accident. A wharf Jumper fish, ing at Nelson pier where tho Aredale had been berthed, hooked on to some- thing which excited his curiosity. Ob- taining assistance, tho Jumper succeed cd in bringing to the surface the miss ing box, with it's treasure intact Tie robber had egidently sunk the box, in- tending to return for it when opportu- nifty offered -Ghambers' Journal.
 
 It Was Gnly the Old One.
 A rough, awkward handed Lanca- shire girl was broken ill by q benevolent