BANK HOLD-UP

Hokitika Guardian, 17 July 1929, Page 7

BANK HOLD-UP

DARING ADELAIDE CRIME MANAGER LOCKED UP. EXCITING CHASE OF CAR. SYDNEY, July 5 Outstanding in Australian < i i'ne this week was the daring hold-en of the South Australian State Sav.ngs Bank, North Adelaide, in broad daylight on Wednesday, when between £SOO and £6OO was stolen. Th. re have been, however, several other duiing thefts in various of the Spates, and altogether the week has been responsible for sensational criminal iloings. The North Adelaide ease was one which succeeded because of the absolute sangfroid of the man who earned it off. Soon after noon he drove up to the front of the bank in O’Conneil Street, in a high-powered car, accompanied by a woman. Leaving her in the car, with the engine running all Die time, he entered the banking chamber, and, while hundreds of * persons passed the front door, held up the manager and his assistant at revolver point, ordered them into the strongroom, locked the door behind them and made his haul ait his leisure. There was between £SOO and £6OO in notes on the manager’s desk av the time, and a small sum in silver in the cashier’s till, He took the Jot, walkod out of the hank, nodded to a policeman on duty a few yards away, jumped into the car and drove off without arousing the slightest suspicion. It was some fifteen minutes later that a man entered the bank, could find no one on duty, and then heard muffled knocking on the door ;>1 the strongroom. He called the policeman, who listened ,at the door, and they could hear faint voices asking to be released. FIRED AT A CONSTABLE. As soon as the manager and his assistant had told their story police telephones were busy, and all station.within 100 miles of Adelaide knew the facts within ten Vninutes. Two hours later a mounted constable saw the cat attempting to cross in the punt cvei the Murray River at Melliug;on When lie approached, the ca*' backe. and turned. The constable leapt oi. the running board, 'but the urmn produced a revolver and a.-cel-iimet at the same time, so that the constable fell off as the car moved. As he lay there the bandit fired a shot at him, and the policeman replied with a fusillade. None of the .shots were effective, and the car disappeared in a cloud of dust. By 5 p.m. the car was reported to have passed through Palmer, a township on the Murray River flats. Then, the driver bought full petrol •upp.tes and some food, and drove away with the woman a few minutes before the police reached the garage, K;s car was too fast for them, and they lost his tracks. ’But later still the same night tin police at Swan Reach arresLei iln man and woman, after a struggle, and recovered £473 in notes. GREAT CROWD AT COURT. On Thursday, such was the sensation created by the crime, a huge crowd awaited the arrival of the man and woman for appearance before the City Court. True to type, the prisoner made another desperate bid for freedom as he was within 100 yards of the court, forcing the door catch with his knee, and only being forced back alter a long and determined struggle with his captors. Later, Aubrey Loftus George and Lorraine Delantly were changed w th robbery under arms. Pail was lefused the man, but the g’.H was leleased on £lO sureties. George is of small build, about oC years of age, "and is believed to have been a- chauffeur to Sir Archibald Weigall, a former South Australian Governor. Police believe that the motor car m which the couple were travelling was stolen from Prahran. /