Page 7 Advertisements Column 4

Hokitika Guardian, 1 November 1928, Page 7

DRUGGED. During a convivial evening Mr X’s pockets were picked. He was made unconscious through drink or drugs or both, driven home, and eventually left outside his own door by the gang who had by examining the papers taken from his pockets discovered his address. A few days later Donovan called at his address, saying that he had come on an unpleasant errand, and asked Mr X to see him privately. A charge was made and £lO demanded, which Mr X unfortunately paid. Thereafter he went on paying £lO whenever demanded, which was about once a month, until the gang was broken up by the arrests on a murder charge. Mr X was only one of many victims on whom the gang made regular demands. “ "We’ll lie in wait for you and ‘hash’ you if you don’s pay up,” was the usual threat, and it was actually carried out in many eases in addition to the one which ended fatally. Perhaps the strangest fact which emerges is that atlhough the police knew .the names of many of the victims and promised that their names would not lie disclosed if they would give evidence they ono and all refused. The gang had picked their victims with care ; they were all men easily terrorise, by the dread of personal exposure or violence.

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