19 December 1935

MYSTERIOUS THEFT OF GOLD FROM THE TARARUA

Three Bars, Found Years Later In Trunk Of Man Who Died From Poverty

Gold! What an allure it has for most of us, and for what crimes and mysteries has it been responsible! In order to get it men have sacrificed families and friends, apparently with out compunction, and have ruthlessly swept aside anyone they thought stood in the way of them obtaining it.

Gold has a strange fascination for most people, and many a man and woman, who would scorn to commit a crime or do a dishonorable act for any other reason, seems quite unable to resist the fatal allure of gold. On the off chance of finding it men have braved the frozen wastes of the Yukon, the waterless deserts of Western Australia and the cannibal-infested wilds of New Guinea— not in hundreds, but literally in hundreds of thousands, all told. Even the terrible blizzards of the Antarctic or the burning sands of the Sahara would not deter them were some one but to whisper the magic word gold.

The greed for gold has been the cause of many mysterious robberies in the history of Australian crime, but there were few that baffled the police more completely than the theft of five bars of gold from the Tararua in the early eighties. The vessel was a regular trader between Australia and New Zealand and the gold was lost during a voyage from the Dominion. It was placed in the strongroom of the ship in the usual way and safeguarded during the voyage, but the five bars had completely disappeared when the vessel arrived in Australia. [arrived Melbourne, via Hobart 13 Sep 1880]

The ship was searched from stem to stern, but they could not be found. Eventually the shipping company dismissed every member of the crew, from the captain to the ship's boy. The belongings of each member were thoroughly searched, as might be imagined, but the bars had apparently vanished into thin air.

The search was continued in every State in Australia, and every member of the dismissed crew was kept under surveillance by the authorities, in case he might give them a clue to the missing gold. To help in the detection of the offender, a reward of £1,000 was offered for the discovery of the gold. Nothing happened, however, and after an intensive search for many months, people forgot about the missing bars.

Not long after the robbery a former steward on the Tararua, whom we will call 'X,', went to reside at Hindmarsh. At first he was regarded with suspicion — as was everyone who had been connected with the Tararua. But this steward was found to be an expert furrier, and was given employment at a local factory. Gradually he won the respect of his neighbors by his industry and quiet mode of life, and eventually all suspicion regarding him died down.

It was not until 'X' died that his complicity in the crime was esta lished. He had appointed two local men as his executors, and they were taking an inventory of the articles in a wooden trunk belonging to him, when they came across a bar of gold. Remembering ''X's' former association with the Tararua, they informed the police, and the trunk was taken to the Watchhouse, which was where the General Post Office is now. Detectives Hampton, Lawton, and Thorn were present when the trunk was opened. After the bar of gold had been revealed, they made a more thorough search for secret hiding places, but could find none. It was not until someone noticed that the lid fell back more quickly than was usual with wooden trunks that they had any suspicion that, there might be something inside the lid. With hammers and other tools they smashed in the lid, and there found two other bars of gold identical in size with those stolen from the Tararua.

'X' had asked that the trunk be sent to a brother in America. The tragedy of the story, however, is that 'X' died of consumption, after having lived for a number of years in comparative poverty. His very poverty and wretchedness had made people certain that their earlier suspicions regarding him were quite unfounded. Although he had three bars, of gold in his keeping, he could not buy the nourishing food he needed to restore himself to health. He never gave a hint of uneasiness, however, and for a time left the trunk at the local factory, apparently with the gold in it. The local constable, O'Connor, had been instructed to keep a close watch on him, but was completely deceived. The executors each received £500 of the reward, but the policemen who actually found the two bars in the lid received nothing. What happened to the other two bars that were stolen from the Tararua has never been explained.—.

Real Life Stories Of South Australia (1935, December 19). Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), p. 14. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92332872

A Novel Bathing Costume

About 50 years ago there lived at Robe a kindly old Irish couple named Kelly. Mr. Kelly had the, at that time, rather unusual distinction of being an enthusiastic swimmer. Every warm day, work permitting, he would make his way to his favorite swimming place, which was at a beach about a quarter of a mile from the house where he resided. Mr. Kelly had no time for "thim new-fangled- swimmin' costumes," neither did he hold with the practice of risking chills by undressing on the beach and straightway plunging an overheated body into ice-cold water.

To avoid this, he formed a custom of undressing at home. He possessed a large umbrella. Armed with this, and with no other covering, he would proceed to his bathing beach, holding the umbrella in front of himself as a screen. Although the track along the cliffs which he invariably followed was not frequently used, there were several occasions when people who happened to pass that way were astonished by the sight of a large umbrella approaching. As it drew closer, they would be able to see a man's head and feet showing at the top and bottom respectively of the umbrella. As it drew level, the umbrella would turn side on and then gradually swivel round so as to cover the back of the retreating man.

There was one occasion when Mr. Kelly had the misfortune to encounter two separate parties within a few yards of each other. Then, as he declared, he was "between the divil an' the deep sea." For an instant, he considered sitting down underneath his umbrella, but deciding that this would appear undignified, he drew off to the side of the track, and concealed behind his umbrella, spent a few minutes gazing across the bay.

So great was Mr. Kelly's enthusiasm regarding his recreation, that his wife decided that she also would like to learn to swim. Mr. Kelly was delighted with the idea, and declared that be would soon teach her. He suggested that they should purchase another umbrella, but his wife wisely decided to defer the purchase of this very necessary adjunct to swimming until such time as she had learned to swim. Mr. Kelly went to great lengths ex plaining the necessary strokes and kicks.

When the first warm day arrived, the couple proceeded to the bathing beach, and Mrs. Kelly undressed in a nearby cave. After leading her to where there was about four feet of water, Mr. Kelly gave a few final instructions, and holding his wife, on the surface, said: "Stroike out, Bridget. Kick me, darlin', kick!" He then removed his support, and his 'better half,' acting on his instructions to the best of her ability, disappeared beneath the surface, leaving in her wake a streak of bubbles and foam. What the good woman said after being rescued from her submarine journeyings is no one else's business; but she never bought an umbrella — A.H.B.

Haunted By A Cat

Some years ago two men who were travelling through the mid-north enquired of a man they met whether they would be allowed to make use of a certain disused house for camping in. The man replied that there was no objection to their using the house, but said that no man had ever camped there twice, and that a great many never put in the full night there. 'For,' he added, 'as sure as fate the house is haunted.'

The travellers, however, were of a sceptical nature, and against, nay, rather in spite of their informant's warning, decided that they-would risk it. Accordingly, they boiled their billy, and under the very eyes of the ghost, enjoyed a hearty meal. Unrolling their swags they prepared for sleep, first shutting the door, as a cold breeze was blowing. They had not been lying down long when there came a tap on the door, but, on rising to investigate, the travellers could see no one, so returned to their blankets. Soon, however, an other tap was heard, but they took no notice until presently the door, which was fastened by an old-fashioned trip latch, opened suddenly.

They now began to 'sit up and take notice.' Closing and latching the door they once more returned to bed; only to be drawn out of it again by the preliminary rap and the opening door. After several such 'rude awakenings,' they began to get nervous, and were preparing to abandon the house when one of them suggested that they should watch. Accordingly, one stationed himself outside the door and the other inside the house, and the vigil began.

Very soon the watcher on the outside was surprised to see a large cat stand back from the door and spring for the latch, which was about four feet from the ground. With her second jump she succeeded in tripping the latch, and the wind blew the door open. As they had always chased out the cat before shutting the door, the men were thus able to account for the many openings of the door. Again shutting the door with the cat on the inside, they were able to enjoy a night's sleep, undisturbed by any more ghostly visitors. Thus was another ghost laid by the heels. —"Argus"

A Novel Bathing Costume (1935, December 19). Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), p. 14. Retrieved November 16, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92332870