ARMED THIEVES

Hokitika Guardian, 19 August 1929, Page 7

ARMED THIEVES

AUSTRALIAN EPIDEMIC,

REMARKABLE CRIME WAVE.

SYDNEY, August 8,

The operations or armed thieves continue to a remarkable degree in Sydney and Meiouurne. iliese armed robberies began in Melbourne, and such is the psychology of the criminal, that it was not long before they spread to Sydney. Australia’s criminal history is a record of crime that lias come in waves. One poisoning case lias invanaoiy led to a series of similar cases. One assault on a girl i s invariably followed by a number of such assaults, and so on right through the criminal calendar. So detectives were not surprised at the turn of events, but the pub.ic are perturbed at their inability o make a capture. The detectives say that when they do make a capture this class of crime will cease. Anyhow, the public'would like to see at least one capture in order to- be satisiied that tiie position has not got out of hand. Again, tiie detectives assert that it is not a gang that is operating. They say that tins class of criminal prefers to worit alone, for the chances of capture are not so great. The public would like to be convinced on this point also, rt is of lit do satisfaction to know that the Australian criminal is- not of the murderous type -known to Chicago, they do not shoot to kill, according to the police, but a man who has a revolver pressed into his ribs, or held up before him, will not take any risks. So it cannot be said that the pjlice statements of the situation are very satisfying.

Sydney had at least two cases of armed hold-ups during the week-end. in one instance three masked men entered the home of a prominent bookmaker, and forced him to hand over all he had in the -house—about £72— and tney were probably' disappointed that his return for the day should have been so small... The police were quickly' on the scene, but they have not made any arrests. Then on Monday night, in the same' locality, another man was held up at the point of the revolver, and made to hand over all he had. Again the police made no arrest, and it was probably' because they were so disgusted with themselves that they withheld from the Press particulars of this crime.

Within an hour on Saturday night a man with a revolver held up. six persons at Moonee Ponds and Ascot Vale, suburbs of Melbourne. Other cases of street robberies occurred at South Melbourne and in St. Kilda road, Melbourne. On two occasions the thief fired shots into the air after he had threatened to shoot the persons whom lie had held up. One woman with great courage refused to- give up her money and struck uie man with her umbrella but a man to whom she appealed for help refused to have anything to do with the affair, and slammed,the-door of his house in her face, ; He did not want to be the hero of any shooting episode. Every available member of the Melbourne police torce was engaged on the cases, and in accordance with the policy adopted no information was given to the Press.

The ivoman who showed such courage was Miss Kate Raymond, of Ascot Vale. Refusing point-blank to give the man her handbag, she struck him on the head. The man pressed a revolver against her chest and said:, “Hand over the money. I want it without any trouble.” Miss Raymond noticed that his hand was not steady-. “I will not give j'ou any money,” she said, and at. the same time she brought her umbrella down on his head. As he staggered back she screamed for help, and she opened the gate of a house with the intention of entering. The man threatened that if she did not stop screaming he would shoot her, but Miss Raymond disregarded the warning. The man then fired two shots in the air, over her head, and ran aivay. Miss Raymond w'ent to the door of the house, and the occupier said: “I do not u r ant to have anything, to do with this case,” and slammed the door in her face, fcshe then rang up the police who were quickly on the scene. But the}' all w'ent back’ to the station with the armed man still at large. Four of the other victims during the night were women, and in at least one other case the thief got nothing for his trouble, but fired a bullet into the air as soon as he encountered the slightest opposition. It would seem that these Melbourne robbers are' not very brave nor very clever, and it is amazing that they should escape detection for so long .when the whole police force is put after them, aided by wireless and by motor cars. . It is a bad .advertisement for the force.

Confidence in the police in Sydney was restored to some extent at least when arrests followed the latest holdup by armed men on Tuesday night. However the success of the police in this instance was due to the bravery of the old man who was chosen for the robbery, and to the bravery of his neighbours, particularly a woman. The two mashed bandits displayed amazing addacity when they entered. the butcher’s shop Michoal Briggs, of Redfern. After Mr Briggs had completed his various tasks in the shop he went upstairs to his room, and as he sat down to his tea he heard strange noises in another room. On making an investigation, with the aid of a match he very soon found himself look--171 or into the barrel of a revolver. “Sorry, old man,” said one of the intruders, “hut we want your money and we want it quick.” With that they seized their elderly victim and soon bound him tightly. “Now, where is the cash?” they asked, when they had made him helpless, and he replied that the only money

lie had wa sin the cash box, to which he pointed, so obligingly. The men helped themselves to the silver,' but tney were far from satisfied, and demanded to Know where the notes were. They knew that the inan had not banked that day, because it had been a -bank holiday, but they did not 'know that he had on his person more than £l5O in notes, which he had hidden away, some in his socks and some in the lining of his coat as soon as he was aware that there were strangers in the house.

At this stage Airs Jackson, who lived next door, heard the angry voices, and as she knew that Briggs lived by him : self, she commenced to make investigations. She slowTy raised a blind and peered into the premises that adjoined hers. She at once realised what I was happening. Of course, she was able to inform the police at once, and the rapidity with which the police reached the scene was one of the features of the case. Very soon the whole neighbourhood was aroused, and it was not long before the bandits realised that their .presence had been ■ discovered. Although the men made their escape from the shop, it was not. long before, they were arrested after two exciting encounters with the police. Both men are labourers—meaning that they do nothing in particular, for most pf the idlers who are arrested call themselves labourers—and they are described by the police as birds of passage.