BANK HOLD-UP

Hokitika Guardian, 22 November 1930, Page 5

BANK HOLD-UP

ROBBER KILLED

WOUNDED, TELLER SHOOTS STRAIGHT.

(Australian Press Association.)

SYDNEY, November '2l

A sensational shooting affray, culminating in the death of a would-be bank robber, occurred at the Alexandria Branch of the English. Scottish and Australian Bank just before midday to-day. Henry Hodgkinson, bank teller, was also shot in the face, and he is in a serious condition.

Hodgkinson, aged 24, was alone in the bank when a man entered, and asked to be directed to a certain street. Simultaneously, the telephone bell rang. Hodgkinson turned round to answer it, when a second man entered the bank, and covered him with a revolver. Hodgkinson dived his hand into his own pocket for a revolver, when he was shot point blank, the. bullet entering, his chin. Undaunted, he smartly drew his own revolver, and fired on his adversary as he was rushing out of the bank. The bullet, apparently, found its mark, as the victim, shot through the head, was later found dead in a taxicab wherein he and two confederates had escaped, There were several eyewitnesses to the hold-up, and the men’s escape from the bank.

Three ave believed to he concerned, including the man who asked about the street. They rushed to a waiting taxicab, one of them bleeding profusely from a head wound. His confederates had to help him into the vehicle.

Police detectives, with surprising celerity, set up a hot pursuit. They traced the taxicab to the suburb of Maroubrn. They then headed it off, nnd commanded the driver to surrender, which lie did. The driver was arrested. The dead gunman was found on the hack seat. His two companions were missing.

BODY DUMPED FROM CAR

Later details reveal that the wouldbe robber’s body was not found in the taxicab. It was, in fact, burled from the taxicab during tlie police pursuit. The two confederates left the taxi in the suburb of Alaroubra. They then scaled some fences and eluded capture. This they did despite the fact that the police were near enough to shoot them. Their revolvers however, failed to act.

The taxicab driver informed the police that he was quite ignorant of the attempt to hold lip the bank. • Three men had engaged him without disclosing their mission. He had heard ■shots at the bank, and then the three men had rushed into his cab, and had told him to drive like hell. When he was some distance away, he heard a voice inside the cab say : (< Ho 18 dead! We had better dump him,” apparently referring to their shot companion. The body was thrown into a lane in South Randwick, Later, when the driver saw the police overtaking him, he stopped the car, making the excuse to the men inside that liis petrol was exhausted.

THE VICTIM

SYDNEY. November 22,

The victim of the bnnk shooting was identified ns Fdward Cocrhlnn, 28. a native of Ireland and former driver of a yellow taxicab. He resided at Forest; Lodge, a suburb His jugular vein was severed by a bullet. Hodgkinson is reported to be makin a good recovery.