The searchlight., 1912-01-12
AUSTRALIAN mac
CHARGED WITH RoeeINc BANK
AT NEW WESTMINSTER,
q. c. OF &s7s,ooo.
ARRESTED in new YORK
And This Resulted In HE Capture
BY New York Police.-Aceom- (,
pIiee Caught In Los
Angeles.

New York, N. Y-John McNam.
ara Of San Francisco, known to detec-
tives Of half a dozen cities as Aus
tralian Mack" was arrested here ON
a warrant charging him with the lar
ceny of $375.000 from the Bank Of
Montreal at New Westminster. B. c..
which was dynamited Sept. IA. Eleven
hundred dollars was found in his wal.
let and detectives are searching the
city for $4,000 of the banks funds
which he is believed to have brought
to New York.
In addition to larceny, Mcnamara
is charged with dynamiting the banks
safe and binding and gagging a Chi
nese watchman. He admitted that
he was in British Columbia at the
time the bank was robbed and had
lived at the Strand hotel in Vancouver
afterwards. but declined to say any
thing further.
For nearly Is years, the police as
sert, Mcnamara has been known to
the authorities throughout the coun-
try.
The crime with which Mcnamara IL
charged was committed by four men,
who entered the New Westminster
branch of the Bank of Montreal on
the night of Sept. IA, and after bind
ing the watchman and dynamiting the
safe, departed SO heavily laden with
loot that they wrapped 1t in pillow
slips and sheets and had to use an
automobile to get away. They dropped
SS mn h,,n 0f hills In THAR hoc OF
and finding that they had more than
they could carry hid $4,000 beneath
a sidewalk.
Two hundred and forty thousand
dollars of the stolen money was nego-
table. lacking. however. the sigma.
ture of the banks officials. Six
weeks later a bank in Buffalo re-
ceived $1.O05 in the stolen bills, de-
posted by a poolroom keeper. The
procured 1t and upon his failure to
give an answer the money was con-
fiscated.
Sent $1,000 To Wife.
San Francisco. John Mcnamara
has a long criminal record. He bore
the aliases of John P. McNab, Big
Mac" and Australian Mac" In 1899
he was arrested in Boston on a burg
larry charge In 1900 he was arrested
in Cleveland on a charge of bank rob-
berry, but was acquitted. He also was
arrested in Australia on a charge Of
bank robbery.
During the Schmitz-Ruef regime in
San Francisco, Mcnamara enjoyed
many privileges and conducted a no
torious resort known as the Turtle"
Later. he and BILLY" Gallagher con-
Quoted another resort known as
Toms Cabin"
Mcnamara was traced last August
to Portland. thence to Seattle. and to
couver in August and it was the month
following that the New Westminster
bank was robbed.
II was through McNamara's fam
lily in this city that he was finally To-
Gated. He had sent $1,000 to his
wife, who resides in the Sunset dis
trict of San Francisco. Through the
forwarding of the money Mcnamara
was located in New York.
Mcnamara had been associated with
a man named Barrett who Is serving
time in an Oregon prison for burg
larry. Barrett is now believed by local
detectives to have been connected
with the New Westminster bank rob-
berry. Barrett robbed the First Ma.
tional bank Of San Francisco of $20..
900 in 1904 and served five years In
San Quentin.
Aeeompliee 10 Caught.
Los Angeles. - Charles Hoffman.
alias Charles Don, alias c. w. How.
| ard, was arrested here by agency de-
tectives, charged with being connected
with the robbery of the Bank of Mont
real at New Westminster, B. c., last
September.