Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1898-07-14
ROBBING GOLD SHIPS
A DIFFICULT TASK OFTEN SUCCESS
FULLY ACCOMPLISHED.

Several times in each year Australian
newspapers announce the departure e
England or San Francisco of vessell
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,
900, 900.
1t Is not matter Of surprise that
such announcements excite the oupidity
Of section Of the community or that
from time to time attempts are made tc
surreptitiously lay hands ON some por
ton Of the seductive treasure.
Robbing ships safe on the Austria
lian coast is now conducted with the
same silent and thoughtful deliberatior
as is the solving Of difficult cbes,
problem. The first thing tho rif1er set,
his heart upon is how to get the key
The theory, and indeed the general prac
tice, is that the captain checks the boxe,
as they are stored in the bullion room,
locks the door when the transaction Il
complete, and, sleeping or waking, car
ries the key In aleGthCr pouch around
his neck till he unlocks the door at tns
end Of the voyage.
But theory and practice are often sci
aside. In the Tararua case, at Mel
bourne, in 1880, wncn $4,000 worth
of gold bars were stolen, the police dis
covered that two keys. ritH"r Of wife.
opened the bullion room. ur,1 to hIr.
against the wall in the public lag.
was also discovered thnt one of tics
koysmysteriously disappnurCd / , month
before the robbery and that 10 suriUu
investigation was then made into III
loss, nor was any alteration made i
tho lock of the bullion room
This Tararua was running botwer
New Zealand and AuYtrali.. and Nv.
shipped boxes of gold at vuIiUas port
Altogether she was supposed to Cari
III boxes. On arriving at MliDDUrnr
was found that one Of these lm - " o.
missing Examination showed that's.
one had simply opened tie door vito
key, extracted the box and locked tn.
door again.
The robbery from tho iberia, which
left Melbourne for London in March.
1889, is supposed to have boon also ef.
fected by means of Il key surreptitiously
procured. In that case the robbery was
not discovered till tho arrival of the
vessel in London.
The robbery from the China develop.
cd in remarkable way. Here the ORR.
entail 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 Gale the discovery of the rob.
berry was made. Detectives operated OH
all the ports simultaneously, but no.
where could olew be found. The
amount missing was the usual $40, 600.
In 1878 man named Weiberg, who
had been a carpenter on the China, took
up selection in the interior of Victo.
ria. Before settling down he married O
Melbourne barmaid and appears to have
contided to her some shady particulars
OF his past history. The Samson and
Delilah story was in part repeated, and
the public laid themselves out to watch
Weiberg. The upshot was the arrest OF
the man as the safe rifier of the China.
One thousand sOvereigns were found
in tin of fat stored away by him il
Melbourne. In his hut was discovered
a wooden plane stuffed with gold. The
wood was followed out and the gold
dropped in. In the hut was also discov.
cred bar of soap containing 200 sover.
eigns.
He told the detectives that he had
1900 sovereigns concealed on his selec-
tion and offered if they accompanied
him to point out where the booty lay
As may be surmised, he fooled the po
lice into wild, thick timbere region.
took them suddenly off guard and MADE
his escape. He was recaptured, howev'
er, some months later.
The mystery of the Iberia was cleared
up in still more singular manner. One
day two boys playing at Williamstown
saw "a mouse run into q hole under the
platform of the railway pier. One OF
the boys started to dig the mouse out
with a stick and to his surprise IN.
earthed ma Of sovereigns. The pc.
lice were informed, and before the day
was out B, TAP sovereigns were recovered.
The recovery of the Aredale gold was
more satisfactory as far as amount is
concerned. For nearly two years the
police labored in vain. The mystery
might never have been cleared up Jut
for an accident. A wharf Jumper fish
ing at Nelson pier, where the Aredale
had been berthed, hooked on to some.
thing which excited his curiosity. Oh.
tanning assistance, the Jumper succeed.
ed in bringing to the surface the miss.
ing box, with its treasure intact. The
robber had evidently sunk the box, in.
| tending to ratnrn for il when nnnortn.