Pickpockets On A Racecourse

Horowhenua Chronicle, 16 August 1916, Page 3

Pickpockets On A Racecourse

JilG HAUL iii THIEVES. In the dense crush ot people tlirougu the narrow out..nice- to the Kiigar th .Railway .Station (.New South Wales) after the Mooielicld races yesterday afternoon pickpockets commenced operations. arid amid --creams of -'My Jurse has gone," and ''.My money has been stolen," men ami women were robbed right- am*.! left. The entrance to the station is narrow and funnel-shaped, aid runs along a oin'ia nk meirt with a fence on either side. A rush was made by the homeward-bound racegoers, aud thousand.-; of people were jamined in this avenue. The crush was so bad

that many women were screaming,

Gaivjp of pickpockets who regularly attend the race meetings, and know just when and where a haul can be made, started to grow ric-h. Their harvest was a gre <t one. Women were screaming, "My bracelet!" "My purse!" "My bag gone!" and a 'ireat number of persmp were robbed who did not realize it until after they had, reached the train.

A well-dressed woman, wearing valuable jewellery, saw a numbc of men surge towards her. and roali/.m? that, they intended to rob her she called for help, and about a dozen men literally fought their way to the spo<t and siir-roiindio-l her like a bodyguard. When this party reached the train the woman was found to have all Tier jewellery aud monoy intact, but the, bodyguard itself had been plundered! Pocket-books, watches, money, in fact anything of value was stolen.

Tile gang nt work must have been a very largo one, and the police protection apparently deficient.— Sun.