AUCKLAND HOLD-UP

Hokitika Guardian, 29 November 1928, Page 7

AUCKLAND HOLD-UP

FUimiKK PARTICULAUS. PAS'SENGERS HID MONEY UNDER SKAT. AUCKLAND, Nov. 27. “Take :iil wo’vo not, but for tli* Lord’s sake don’t shoot us. We’ve got til roc kiddies at homo. I‘lea so don’t shoot.” This was the excited exclamation of Mrs Henderson when the hold up men jumped on (to the running boards ol the car and presented revolvers. Teiling her story this morning, Mrs Henderson .said that she was dozing in the back of the car when two men appeared.' ”1 didn’t quite know what it was all about as everything happened so suddenly.” she said. ‘‘After a lew seconds I, was wide awake, and when I saw the revolvers I was afraid we were going to be killed. George Holland (a jockey) was sitting in front ol the ear, next to my husband, Sant. We were bowling along towards Auckland at a comfortable speed, and Lett Mattson wits fast asleep. Erie Mattson and myself were dozing. Wc were all fired after a good day at tint To Kuiti races. I felt the car stop, and opened my eyes to see what was the .trouble, ( aml the first thing I Haw was the face of a masked man, framed in the open window by my husband’s elbow. The man stuck the muzzle of a flat, short revolver into my husband’s side just below the armpit. Another man, also masked, jumped on to the running bottl'd of the ear, stuck a icvolvcr through the half-open window and placed the barrel against Holland’s bead. It was then that I asked them not to shoot. The men ordered us out of the car along the road to a gateway. “We got out, all except Lett Manson, who was asleep, and the two men made my husband and Holland take off their coats and waistcoats, which were thrown into the ear. I had to throw my handbag, containing about thirty shillings into the car. We were lined up along behind the car, and as the men kept their revolvers pointed in our direction till the time I thought we were all going to bo shot. “Then the men discovered Lett Manson in the hack of the car, and made hint get out, too. Lon didn’t like it at all. and said to one of the hold-up men who was talking like ait American : ‘You big Yankee mug.’ T would know that man’s voice, anywhere. Doth men spoke in very tense tones. \ftor Manson joined us on the road belli ltd the car the two men jumped in and drove off at a high sneed. As they wore getting in we asked them what (hey were going to do with the ear. and they said that they would leave it about a couple of miles down the road. Of course, we didn’t believe them.” Mrs Henderson, in concluding her narrative, said that the whole party was left in the road watching the dismpearirg tail light of the car. A few minutes the roar of a powerful uiofor-ey'le was heard oti the road behind them, and in the glare of a brilliant headlight Henderson and Holland signalled to the rider to stop. Percy Fletcher, of Matai Road, Ellersfic, was riding the cycle, and It is brother. Henry Fletcher, was on the carrier behind. Tn the side-chair was Douglas S. Wallace, of Railway Street, Newmarket. The jockeys held up carried well over fIOO. Holland managed to put bis under the cushion of the front seat, while E. Mattson, in the rear, did likewise. Holland aftd Henderson were ordered to divest themselves of their coats and vests, which were thrown into the ear, Henderson’s garments containing at least £lO. L. Manson also held a fair amount of money, which was not demanded from him. The money secreted was recovered, and also that belonging to Henderson, when the party regained possession ol the ear near Penrose, so that Hie cash haul was not very considerable. PURSUIT OF THE BANDITS. PLUC K Y -A IOTOII -CYCLISTS. CYCLE FIRED AT AND DISABLED. AUCKLAND, Nov. 27. A thrilling story of the plucky pursuit of motor bandits by three men on a .motor-cycle is told »>y .Douglas S. Wallace, of Newmarket, who was a passenger in the side-chair. He, with the Fletcher brothers, came on the scene just as the bandits were disappearing up the road in a stolen car. Quickly and excitedly the victims of the hold-up told their story, and implored the trio of newcomers to give chase. “For it minute or two we could scarcely believe that the people in the roadway were tolling us the truth, said Mr Douglas Wallace, in recounting the story this morning. “There w;ts an obstruction in the roadway, however, and as some of the men were minus iltoir coats and the whole party were very excited we realised that something was doing, and without wasting time three of us cleared o(T after the car.” “Did von know the men were armed’” asked the interviewer. “No. T don’t think we did, not then. Put it wouldn’t have made any dtfterenco. anyhow. We went for our lives and chased the ear to the top of Penrose Hill. Then we saw there were two cars on the roadway ahead. One was stationary and the other, which carried no lights, was moving slowly towards town. As our big headlamp Ha«hed on to the ears we saw a man jump from the stationary ear on to the running hoard of the moving ear.

Just then wc saw what we took to be hits of glass strewn all over the roadway behind the stationary ear, which was pulled /into the side of the concrete. Later we discovered that the* road had been liberally sprinkled with big tacks, about three-quarters of an inch in size, nasty things for tyres to run over. Although J was in the sidechair tho motor-cycle and chair belong to me. Percy Fletcher was driving, to give me a spell. 1 told him not to mind the stuff on the road, and we shot forward.

‘‘As soon ns we passed tlic stationary car I could sec we wore on the right track. The fugitives’ car was ahead of us by about 150 yards, travelling at top speed. We tore along, hoping to get our brilliant headlight on to their number plate. We were about fifty yards behind the speeding car by now, and all of us were straining our eyes to get the figures on the registration plate, when he saw a man on the running hoard, dressed in dark clothes. Me was not wearing a mask, but liis head was covered with a dark cap. The man clung to the car with one hand, and with the other lie noin ted a revolver at us. “We kept right on,” continued Mr Wallace. “Then he let fly. We saw a (Isush as the flame spurted from the gun and heard a report. Whether or not he hit the wheel of the side-chair I won’t say. All f know is that the tyre and tube were punctured immediately. Of course it may have been a tack of it may have boon a bullet. The tyre and tube are so cut about that T can’t say definitely. As wo were now running on the rim we had to slacken speed, and we felt pretty sick when we saw the ear draw away from us. “When the ear got to Penrose bridge I hey switched their lights on. We saw the stop light on the hack glow red, and though they were going to pull up, hut no such luck. They cleared the bridge and raced away along the flat concrete stretch towards the Groat South Hoad tram terminus. The car was travelling at fifty miles an hour or more. We lost sight of it. hut I believed it turned off sharply to the right and doubled hack down to Pan mu re.” Their exciting chase thus abruptly terminated, the plucky trio made the lr>st speed they could to the homo of pie teller Pros.. Mllerslio, where they telephoned to the police. The tyre and tube of the side-chair were cut to ribbons, part of the rubber having wound itself around the axle. As a result of the long run on the rim Mr Wallace, who is a labourer without a. job at the moment, says it will cost from £2 to £3 to repair the side-chair wheel.