WOMAN BANDIT

Hokitika Guardian, 4 September 1931, Page 6

WOMAN BANDIT

SHOOTING AT WANGANUI. , ORDERED PARTNER TO FIRE. WANGANUI, August 31. A dramatic story of liow he was held up by masked intruders was told by Clifford Thomas Organ in the Wanganui Police Court to-day, when Florence Cooper, alias Mrs Winstone, pleaded guilty to a -charge of robbing and wounding. Accused was committed to the Supreme Court at Wellington for sentence. During the hearing of evidence, which lasted, /some two hours, she exhibited no signs or discomposure, and smiled quietly, appearing bored towards the end. E. J. Reid, a service car driver, said that accused had travelled from Wellington to Wanganui by service car as Mrs Winstone, and was met at Wanganui by a man whom she described as her husband. Tliey went into the Rutland Hotel, where A. A. Coutts, the porter, stated that they registered as Air and Airs .Winstone. Both witnesses saw accused’s companion get into the service car going to New Plymouth the the next morning. The following, da.v accused booked to New Plymouth as Airs Winstone on th e early morning car, and was picked up at the depot. Evidence was given by Clifford Thomas Organ, a wood contractor, living on St. John’s Hill, who said that since February and until the* week before he was shot lie had employed a man named Morton-, who* was succeeded by Richard Bourke, who on the night of the shooting was sleeping in a neighbouring tent. Masked Intruder’s Threats. Organ said that on the night he was shot he was awakened in the early hours of the morning after being struck several severe blows. He saw a masked person standing at the head of his bed holding a torch and dressed in man’s clothes. The person said: “Wake up, and stop that noise, and give us your money ~pr we will shoot you. Wo know where’you keep it. It is in a wallet and tin under your mattress.”

Organ replied that he had not any. “There were two persons in the tent,” said Organ, “one standing at the head of the bed holding what appeared to be a revolver, and tbe other at the tent’s entrance with a rifle. The one at the bed’s head said: “Are you going to hand over your money? When Organ refused the intruder said, “Fire a shot to let him know the gun is loaded.” Then the other fired a shot into the ground.* “Before the shot was fired,” sam Organ, “I called out to Bourke, ‘There are two men trying to rob me and they have got guns.’ He answered from his tent. After the shot was fired the person at the head of tbe bed attempted to lift the mattress,,but could not find anything, and L snatched at- the mask, pulling it down over the attacker’s mouth, but was not able to identify him; neither could I recognise the second man. After this the person at the head of the bed pulled tbe blankets off the hunk and said ‘Give him a bullet.’ The other intruder fired, and the pullet passed through the calf of my left leg. I was then asked 'if I would give up the money. I replied that I had only 30 shillings, which T handed over.’’ Awakened by voices coming from Organ’s tent, Richard Bourke did noe get out of bed until he heard the shot fired. He then went to Organ’s tent and found him wounded.

/" Detective’s -Discovery

After a careful examination of the tents Detective Walsh said he iound a spent soft-nosed bullet in the bedclothes of Organ’s bed and ait empty cartridge case on the floor near it. He obtained a pea-rifle and cartridges from John Bourke, and among tbe cartridges there was one similar to the one found in Organ’s bunk. He interviewed accused 'at New Plymouth. She wrote a statment admitting having committed the offence, saying that she was alone. Sergeant McGregor, of New Plymouth, said that; in company with Detective Meiklejohn he interviewed accused at an hotel. She had a man named John or George Morton with her, but they had booked into the hotel as Mr and Mrs Winstone. Accused gave her name as Florence Winstone, and said she had recently come from Australia and had arrived at New Plymouth two days previously. The sergeant took her to a room at tlie hotel, aaid in the presence of Morton searched it, finding a five-chamber-ed revolver under the pillow and a high-powered air pistol in the wardrobe. Also a suitcase were a .32 calibre. revolver cartridges and two boxes of slugs. The cartridges and slugs would fit the revolvers. Strips of black and brown, velvet, including a strip or black cloth, were also found. There was also a pair of old grey trousers. Interviewed at the police station, uo cused admitted that her name w. .*

Florence Cooper, a lid, that she was at Wanganui on tlie night Organ was shot. She came to New Plymouth the next day. Asked if she knew anything of the shooting and robbing of Organ, she said: “You’re not trying to put that oil to us,” and later that she would tell nothing about it, exc:ps that “Jack” could not be charged with it. She said that she had already said too much about the Wellington holdups.

“Rather Take the Blame.” Interviewed later Winstone said she would not say anything, preferring to ! wait and see what the evidence was j like. She said that Organ was not shot i with a revolver, and “Jack” was at j

New Plymouth when it happened. When it was said that there were two present at the affair, slie replied: “Well if there was I . would rather take the whole'blame than give anyone away.”

She volunteered an account of her movements at Wanganui, saying that she was picked up bv a commercial traveller and taken to Fordell, where she stayed the night in the car, returning to Wanganui in the morning, where she joined the service car for New Plymouth. When escorted to Wellington or cased joked about how she had tried to knock Organ out, and how she had made hjm “sit up.”

.Morton, it was stated, was seen at New Plymouth on the night of the shooting at Wanganui.