Gangland Robbers by James Morton Read Free Book Online Page A

in the trial of the Mount Rennie rape case, when a number of youths were convicted and hangedin a case in which consent was alleged, and in the trial of George Dean, charged with the murder of his wife, but also for his part in forcing the resignation of the chief justice in 1886.
    An attack not dissimilar to the one on Quong Tart took place in Melbourne in June 1907, when sometime between 4.30 p.m. and 5 p.m., Bernard Bauer, one of the most expert diamond merchants and pearl dealers in Australia, was robbed and killed in his sixth-floor office in what was the Modern Chambers at 317 Collins Street. The robber stole around £2000 worth of diamonds from Bauer’s safe and his wristwatch but left behind a one-carat diamond on a weighing scale. He then ran down the stairs and escaped. Coming out of the lift at the time was Bauer’s friend Wolfe, who heard a cry and went to Bauer’s room to find him on the floor, his head battered. The doctor who conducted the autopsy thought that he had been struck six or seven times with a small but heavy weapon, possibly with a corner on it, initially from behind. Some of the blows could have been struck when Bauer was on the floor.
    It was not thought to have been a crime of opportunity. Bauer always took precautions, carrying a loaded revolver and sitting facing the door, so he could not be taken by surprise. There was evidence that a man who gave his name as William Anderson had called on another diamond merchant, William Cutler, the day before the murder, saying he wanted to buy diamonds. When Cutler gave him Bauer’s name, Anderson particularly wanted to know his address. He was then thought to have called on Bauer, asking if he could sell him a one-carat stone. Bauer had said he did not have any but would obtain some the next day. Cutler gave a detailed description of the man—about forty-five, with grey eyes, had a light brown moustache, was about 5 feet 10 inches tall and had a slight stoop.
    There was one promising lead. As the man had run down the stairs to the first floor, he bumped into a secretary, Mrs Parker, and pushed her aside, knocking her to the floor. She also was able to give a detailed description, and when she was later taken to a restaurant where the man was dining, she identified him. There were, however, problems with this. She was living in the same lodgings as Cutler and it was thought, although they denied this, that they might have unintentionally influenced each other. Worse, the fearful Mrs Parker also refused to swear an information for assault against the man, which would havegiven the police the chance to arrest and question him. In October 1907 a £1000 reward was offered, but at the end of November, the coroner recorded a verdict of wilful murder by a person or persons unknown.
    There was some excitement at the end of February 1908, when Adelaide police arrested a William Anderson over the shooting of a young woman in Lansdowne Terrace in the city. A photograph of him was sent to Melbourne, where Cutler told the police it resembled the Anderson he had seen but that this man looked much younger. The inquiry came to nothing. This Anderson was found to be insane and was sent to an asylum, from which he made a short-lived escape in 1913.
    Of course, over the years, there were all sorts of theories, one of which was that this was an amateur theft. The reasoning behind this was that a professional would not kill anyone, given the possibility he would hang. Other theories included that a Sydney criminal had been hired; that the man was known to, and trusted by, Bauer; that the killer had immediately sailed for Europe to sell the diamonds in Amsterdam—but that would surely be the mark of a professional. There was also a theory that the man might have been a member of a gang who, five years earlier, had tied up the 71-year-old father of Melbourne jeweller Alfred Kiss as he was leaving his shop. Another theory was that it could have been the