There have been few cases of murder tragedies which have apparently been the outcome of attempts at robbery under arms, since sentence was passed on the assailant of Mr. Thomas, the barber of Toorak village in Melbourne, An incident likely to act as a de-torrent to this class of crime is the arrest, after a year's search, of the second man concerned in the murder of Almeidd, the young bank clerk, who put up such a gallant fight to protect the monies of the Commercial Bank of Austra-la at Hampton in November 1923. One man, Perkins, was caught, identified and received sentence. "The other "man has been arrested in Sydney during the hol lays, after a 12 months' search reaching to India, and over New Zealand. The suspect, Douglas Robertson, has been brought Melbourne Metropolitan Goal and fas confronted by the witness who identified Perkins, and from whose description the second man has been traced. This man is being held at the gaol wi "dence and an early development pected.
'A. more curious cold-blooded one, w motive beyond the tality occurred at a cafe in King Street, Melbourne. Two young men having finished their repast sat talking at a table in the cafe, one lit a cigarette as they com ed. A man sitting at an adjoining table roughly requested that the cigarette be put out, and referred in insulting tone tothe American, accent of the smoker. The com-anion of the smoker, an Australian seaman of 23 years called Williams, was annoyed at the treatment of his friend but not wishing to cause a disturbance in the restaurant waited for the objector outside in the street. When this strange individual came out of the cafe, Williams asked him to apologize for "his strange behaviour and in-suking remarks. The man, Wal-Ince, refused to comply with Williams' request and on further remonstration pulled a gun and shot Williams through the heart. A constable on his way to duty saw, the Australian, Willion: s, fall with the report, and promptly made to deter the assailant from—ca cape with the result he was at the Russel Street Batracks and charged with the murder of Willisme within a few minutes of the dreadful deed, and almost before the people in the cafe had realized what had happened.
'A Callous Deed Another ease of cool murder was perpetrated at St. Hilda, the seaside pleasure suburb a short tram ride from Melbourne city. The proprietress of a boarding house was Preparing. for bed, when a man with whom she had been acquainted in business transactions rang her door-bell. Sha answered the ring as her husband was already in bed. Some argument took place between the woman and the visitor, which resulted. in the husband getting up and advising the man to call again in the morning. The husband apparently left them thinking the man would go away. A minute afterwards shots rang out, and the woman cried out she was wounded, Another shot was heard, and she was found by her bedroom door dying. The husband rushed to telephone a doctor and the police from the next door neighbour's. In the meantime the murderer, a man named Tacke, of middle age, walked quietly down the street and continued his way to his lodgings where he went to bed- Several people saw'him, but did not think to identity him with the shooting. The husband meanwhile obtained medical aid for his wife, but she was beyond all human skill. He, poor man, collapsed and had to be conveyed to a hospital for medical care when he realized nothing could be done for his wife, Tacke, it would appear from his landlady's evidence, slept in his room, had a light morning meal and left early in the day, as she thought to go away, for the Xmas holidays. 'The police could find not a trace of him, and all his actions seemed to have' been done in such ordinary every day fashion that no one had noticed him. Lack of food, however, proved undoing, and he came to light at Sorrento, a seaside resort down Port Phillip Bay, where the proprietor of a tea-shop—recorenized him from a photograph published the daily papers. He is now in custody awaiting trial,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.