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GOLD ROBBERIES AT THE MOUNT
MORGAN MINE.
eight persons arrested.
Great commotion was caused in Rock-
himpton on Saturday morning by the
arrest of G. ft. Percy, of William-street,
and one of the principal employes at the
Mount Morgan gold mine named Reuben
Mangm, on a charge of stealing gold
from the mine. Although the local resi
dents were quite unprepared for this
denouement, in well-informed circles there
has been a suspicion that robberies of
this nature have been carried on for some
time. So strong were the suspicions of
the directors that they employed a mem
ber of the Brisbane detective force to
investigate, but he was unsuccessful in
making any discovery. Then a com
plete stranger, in the person of a Sydney
detective, was engaged, and it is reported
that he has completely won his way into
uue cunuuence oc ujioaG alleged to 06 con-
nected with the robbery, and so was
enabled to put the local police on the track
of those implicated. In erder that there
should, be no failure the Rockhampton
force was strengthened by 10 police, sent
specially from Brisbane to aid in the
arr. sts and to make them simultaneously.
Suspicion chiefly centered on Reuben
ill an din wtn wno --.»!» 1 1 1
Morgan, accompanied by tho detective,
who he thought was his confederate.
Mangin was arrested on a warrant charg
ing him with stealing 5oz of gold ore on
(116 lifUl U1 SJOpuciAAUGA. A XSAOJ BUVAVtjr
afterwards left his house and went to the
shop, whore he was arrested on a warrant
charging him with receiving on the 16th
September the 5oz of gold knowing it to
be stolen. The police were exceptionally
reticent, but it gradually leaked out that
ten members of the Brisbane force, and
one of the Rockhampton men had proceeded
at an early hour to the mine with the
intention of effecting a number of other
arrests. Whila further particulars from
the mine were being awaited rumors were
freoly circulated that the directoro be
lieved that there wore several receivers of
gold alleged to be Btolen from Mount
Morgan in the town, and that other
arresis were likely to follow. It seemed
that tho directors' impression was
that for about Uve years past fniQl
had been stolen from the mine, j
Directly these two stepped out of the train I
they were shadowed by the plainclothes I
men, who had had previous information
of tlie £roj ected j ourney. Mangin ab once
proceeded to the house of a man named
G. E. Percy, who carried on business as
a jeweller, and Mangin gave or
sold him a small piece of gold j
amalgam. On leaving the house,
information in that direction was first
supplied them by Inspector Meldrum,
who informed them that Mount Morgan
gold was being offered for sale at Charters I
Towers. Inquiries then, however, led to
the sudden disappearance of the person
' suspected.
4s already mentioned, suspicions that
thievim? had been eoins on recently have
been confirmed by the successful efforts of 1
the Sydney detective. It transpired later
in the day that in all ten informations
had been sworn against eight persons, |
including Percy and Mangin, while in
addition three search warrants have been
granted against two persons believed to
be implicated, and against a third person
who is not yet charged. Six of the war
rants were for the arrest of three
men named Duncan McGregor, Donald
M'Queen, and David M'Queen, who
live at Crow's Nest, about five miles
from Mount Morgan. One was for the J
arrest of Frank Roger, who lives at Mount
Victoria, and two for tho arrest of Frank 1
Rowley and Duncan Milne, an hotel- 1
keeper, of Mount Morgan. TheBe arrests
were all made during the day by the Bris
bane police. Milne was charged with re
ceiving 60oz of gold on August 24th from
some person unknown, knowing it to be
stolen. Rogers was charged with assisting
and maintaining Milne, well knowimg him
to have committed a felony and receiving
the stolen gold. Rowley was charged
with having stolen, on August 17th, 41oz
8dwt of gold ore, M'Gregor with having
received it, and the M'Queens with having
feloniously assisted M'Gregor to receive
the gold from Rowley. A search warrant
issued against a man named William Goy
was also executed, and he was detained by
the polieo in consequence of what was dis
covered in his house. The three men from
Crow's Nest arrived in town early in the
afternoon, and, with Mangin and Percy,
were brought up before Mr Ranking,
P.M., on Saturday evening, whon the
caso was remanded till Saturday next,
bail being refused. The other men ar
rived late last night, and will bo brought
before the police magistrate on Monday.
Donald M'Queen, when arrested, ex
claimed, " You are too late, old man. I
t V. iyitt lionrla /if f.Viaf. loner affA
nave auj a»aa««
Who has got this warrant against me 1
In Milne's house a safe, with a quantity
of gold, was ' discovered and some mine
crucibles were found when other searches
were made. It is stated that tho practice
has been to alloy gold with other metals
to prevent detection as to its quality.
Mount Morgan gold is so bright that it
would he at once detected by those who
dealt in the metal.-
Argus."
Butter. — The, second shipment of this
season's butter, amounting to 103 tons,
was despatched by the Agricultural depart
ment by the mail steamer Valetta, which
lift Hobson's Bay on Saturday for
London.
$