Crying Girls £l000 Haul

Hokitika Guardian, 17 November 1928, Page 6

Crying Girls £looo Haul

CARD PLAYERS HELD UP

AND ROBBED

Shortly before dawn, eight men, including one policeman just off duty, sat quietly playing poker in the basement of a house on Coney Island. Chips clicked gaily on the table, and a haze of cigar smoke hung heavily in the room. Suddenly a woman was heard sobbing in the hall outside —they were loud, broken-hearted sobs. The players stopped their game, and one of their number crossed the room and threw open the door. "What’s the matter?” he said. But he was only greeted with the curt rejoinder of “Stick ’em up!” as two men with levelled pistols pushed him aside and faced a room of startled men. A dark and pretty girl followed, hut her tears had now changed to laughter. A sharp order brought the card players to their feet with their hands up, and while the laughing girl held a pistol in the calmest hand in the room the two bandits began a systematic search oi the pockets of the party and proceeded to divest the players of their wallets. Altogether the raiders made a haul of £IOOO in cash and jewellery. The two hold-up men afterwards went out. leaving the girl still holding the revolver. The attractive bandit then ordered the men to divest themselves of their belts and, having thus delayed the pursuit, slammed the door and disappeared. There was a roar of a motor starting up outside and the three visitors were gone.