Western Star and Roma
Advertiser (Toowoomba),
Wednesday 14 April 1886, page 2
Post Office Robberies
in Roma
We take the following from the Courier, being report of the Police Court
proceedings in Brisbane on Monday last:
Samuel R. Pope, a youth 17 years of age, who had been engaged as a letter carrier at the General Pest Office at Roma, was charged with having, in July last, stolen £20 from a registered letter, the property of the Postmaster-General. Inspector Lewis prosecuted.
Detective Grimshaw, deposed, that in consequence of something he heard
went in search of the accused on Sunday, whom he found in Mr. Smith's house,
Wellington street, off Petrie-terrace; he said to the accused that he was
suspected of stealing two £10 notes of the Commercial Bank of Sydney out of a
registered letter in the Post Office at Roma, in the month of July last, the
money of the Postmaster-General; the accused replied that he knew nothing about
it; witness then asked the accused if he had a purse or money on him, and he
replied that he had got a purse ; the accused then pulled a purse out of his
pocket and handed it to witness, and in reply to witness said the purse and its
contents were his; witness found in the purse two £10 notes of the Commercial
Bank of Sydney; from the way the notes were folded, witness would say that they
had been in the purse for some considerable time, and were folded to fit the
compartment of the purse in which he found them; in answer to witness's
question as to how he came by the money, the accused replied, "I know
nothing about it; it was not in my purse this morning"; the number of the notes
corresponded to the number of the notes said to have been stolen at Roma;
witness then arrested the accused on the above charge. At this stage the accused
was remanded until the 15th instant.
