The capture of Weiberg, the gold robber: “I give up, I give up”. [Martin Wiberg]

Martin Wiberg had stolen gold coins on the Avoca. 

On the 3rd August 1877, the Oriental Bank of Sydney sent six boxes of Sydney-5,000 minted gold wreath sovereigns to Galle, Ceylon via the R.M.S.S Avoca and S.S China. On arrival in Galle where it was found the coins had been stolen. Martin had been employed as the Avoca’s ships carpenter and had been asked to repair the lock on the bullion room door. 

On Friday, 16th May 1879 Detective Edelston and Mounted-Constable Taylor after sixteen days searching in the wilderness came across footprints in the sand near Eagles Nest. Believing that they were onto Wiberg, they hid in the shrubs and waited for someone to appear. At approximately 4pm that afternoon Wiberg appeared, unsuspecting of the waiting officers. His eye caught Taylor crouched down, and off Wiberg bolted. Wiberg ran along the shore line and jumped fourteen feet from the cliff onto the sand below. Edelston and Taylor were aware that Wiberg was a strong swimmer who frequently swam across Anderson’s Inlet, therefore with working revolvers they fired three shots, one narrowly missing Wibergs head. With that, Wiberg stopped running and put his hands up declaring “I give up”, and he was duly arrested.