Was Doncaster to be the scene of the hold up and murder of a bank manager on February 29th- 1916? A descendant of Mr de Mole, manager of the E.S and A bank in Doncaster Road, while doing a family history, came upon details of a planned crime involving her ancestor.
A book written by Hugh Anderson and contemporary newspaper reports reveal a strange story.
In February 1916, a hire car company in inner Melbourne received a request for a hire car and driver to transport two men northwards to Eltham. The driver, a man named Bill Haines was to collect his fare, a Mr LStrange from an apartment building in East Melbourne. However having driven his Unic tourer toward the meeting place, was accosted by two men who said they were the people he was meant to drive, and to proceed to Doncaster.
In Richmond, the car was hailed by another man who handed the occupants a suitcase. The route taken was through Kew and Balwyn. Later, when questioned by police, several passers by in High Street Kew said that they had noticed the vehicle and its passengers.
They described the trio as a young driver and two men in the back of the car, one a tall man sitting next to a smaller man. It must be remembered that in those days, motorcars were a relative rarity on the roads, especially in more outlying areas and would be more readily noticed than they would be today.
In Doncaster Road, near Bulleen, the open car passed a four-wheeled milk wagon. The wagon driver on the side of the road carrying a basket or suitcase. They were walking back toward Kew and the city.
Further along Bulleen Road, the driver saw the abandoned Unic by the roadside near the Bulleen Road and Thompson Road corner.
A neighbour also saw the car approach from Kew, slow down and stop at the intersection. At that time, at the corner of Bulleen and Thompson Roads was a patch of quite thick scrub, which screened the turnoff at Thompson’s Road. She heard voices and a gunshot report. Soon after, Eva Williamson standing at the Doncaster Road comer saw two men run up the hill. Sometime later, a van driver, who had lost his way, saw the tourer and thinking that he could ask directions to Whittlesea, approached the car. Joined by a Mr Greenwood, they both saw bloodstains inside the car. Investigating, they pulled aside a rug to reveal the body of the driver Bill Haines.
The police were called to the scene and investigations were put in train.
After examination of the body, the Government Pathologist, Dr Mollison said that someone sitting in the back seat had shot the dead man at close range with a powerful revolver.
The detective in charge established that no Mr L'Strange ever existed and it was clear that the journey to Bulleen Road had a criminal intent.
Source: 2004-03 DTHS Newsletter
No crime in Doncaster had been reported, so it appeared none had been committed. Perhaps the driver had refused to continue, as he may have suspected a crime was envisaged and had been killed as a result.
Investigating detectives searching for possible clues continued along Doncaster Road and called at the Doncaster branch of the ES&A Bank and learned that a branch had been opened at Templestowe. The manager of the Doncaster branch, Mr Hubert de Mole, rode his bicycle from Doncaster to the Templestowe branch of the bank every Tuesday and Thursday to deliver a payroll for the exchange business, and as the fruit season was very busy, large sums of money were involved.
That morning 29th of February 1916, Mr de Mole had 400 pounds in his bag. So the police felt it was obvious what was intended.
Detectives following the route of the men on foot heading to Melbourne found a suitcase, masks, false moustache, and white dustcoats thrown into a ditch by the road.
Later in the investigations the police found a possible grave at Clayton and in a reconstruction of the crime formed the theory that the bank manager was to have been bailed up by masked gunmen in Templestowe and killed. Haines the driver, was to then drive them to Clayton to the hidden grave. If Haines refused, he would be murdered too.
An unsubstantiated newspaper report at the time, said that a clerk working at the ES&A bank failed to appear at work the day after the murder. It was suggested that this clerk might have been responsible for passing on information about Mr de Mole’s routine carrying the Templestowe payroll.
The descriptions given to the police of the men in the car, seemed to the detectives to fit two notorious criminals of the period, Squizzy Taylor and John Wilbranse.
These men were promptly arrested, but of course denied any knowledge of William Haines’ murder.
A trial in April 1916 was inconclusive. The witnesses were no longer able to be positive in their identifications.
Also predictably both men produced cast iron alibis for the appropriate day. Again, rather suspiciously, acquaintances and girl friends in billiard halls bars and hotels in Melbourne’s inner city gave these alibis.
Squizzy Taylor’s counsel, Mr George Maxwell KC said that no positive identification was produced and no guilt was proved. And a jury decided there was not enough evidence to convict the accused so they were found “Not Guilty” and released.
Source: 2004-05 DTHS Newsletter
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