DESPERATE CRIME

Hokitika Guardian, 3 November 1932, Page 8

DESPERATE CRIME

ROBBERY, IN' SYDNEY STREET

LARGE 'SUM ' 1 STOLEN.

SYDNEY, October 29. On Thursday moih.hg .Sydijby:' wAs startled 1 By* tbe- news that a Vio.ent anil successful highway v rob ijdry 1 Hid 'been pci'peti'ated in bile of the busiest parts of' ilie city. '•" ; ; v .

| Mr F/VS. Seckold is postmaster of William Ftf-fc- Office/ VVooLoomoo;loo, And'a' 1 little Aftfeif 9' a.m. lie' feft his' office with ‘His' assistiilht, Alfred Johnson.' They were carrying about B‘soo which was to be paid but to’a number' dr old age pemiuii'ers- and invalids' at St. Peter’S' Hall" in ■ Forbes'' Street, not far' aiVayV Johnson was aimed ' ■and 'oeckold had the money in~ a sWia‘ll bag: About a hundred yards from the Po : t' Office'two meh} #essed in 1 oteradk like painters; were' scraping 1 the tiles of an apartment hoiise, and = as' the postal' officials' came up * the'pretended \ ork-‘ hied made their attack. Frtiin" a 'biifcket which orte of ’ them carried," ammonia wks dashed into Johnso'i’s face. Blinded' by the fumes, he reeled about/ unable to See of draw 'his :teyolver, :'and '.■.id ruffians then' tote, the satchel from* Seckold and dashed' a'w'ay. “* One bf ihi'm* himself 1 hni'.f-’blinded by the pungent fumes, collided iv'ith a passing' cat and narrowly escaped destruction 1 / -Butlie- recovered himself, - crossed 11 ' WHham bVreit, and 1 followed b.s' accomplice thrbugh- the opeit door of a residential flat, -down 'd fire escape and Over a wall to’a 1 waiting-motor-Car; arid they 1 werespdedily beyond phtsuit. :

.>. r . - CAREFULLY PLANNED,

Of the two victims of this outrage Johnson was much more severely hand- - if' first aid liad fiof beettpromptly rendered by a- chemist 'close-' at ‘hand,, he might hdve'-loet'- hris sight' entire y. -Seckold was not soW seriously affected r and was able'after h time to Kuril ‘to hts' office,' to be' interviewed ‘ by- the police. But the attack ' had been so sudden, and the ’ affects of the ammonia so overwhelming tor’ the tirnf' that neither Johnson nor •-Seckold had any very clear idea of what' hud happened, ' and the robbers' got - away sir quickly that the bystanders could • not recognise or identify them. Evidently the whole affair had been carefully planned beforehand down: to the - last; detail, and, the “getaway” 'was so effectively managed that- :the ‘footpadsmay well h'ave congratulated themSefves on their success. - ;

However, the flagrant nature of the outrage and the widespread" publicity at’once given to it put the police.-on-tiheii mettle and ■ they proceeded to' “comb out” all the most notorious criminal haunts in that locality. All they had to go upon was a vague description of one off'the “wanted men’’ as “a -big, strong. ■ fellow, dark, looks like an Italian.” But they missed no chances| l and I by the fearly'' afternoon they had arrested three men and -taken them to Darlinghurst'Police'StatibHCto' be interrogated,’ and later they captured twfi other suspects, a woman and a' man; ' .' . } ••■;; ■.

ATTACKED PREVIOUSLY,

Naturally, such a- crime, perpetrated so openK ; in a main street - crowded with : pedestrians; lorries and taxis/ has' caused a great sensation. But one of the most remark&hle features oh this outrage is that it duplicates almost precisely the attack made by three ruffians' upc-i these same unfortunate officials, Reckold 'and Johnson in Premier Lane, off/Wiliiam Street, Darlinghurst, nearly ten .months "ago. 'On December 10, 1931; the' postmaster and his '.assistant had;, left the-Post .Office, t aki n g the pens ion money and other funds —nearly £9oo' in all'—when they were suddenly attacked by three, men who disabled .them by throwing! pepper in tiieir eyes. • The officials were- rendered quite helpless, and the robbers speedily made off with the’ cash.

It is a curious and painful coincidence thht a crime .of the same ..character tehOuld have been '“brought 'off” uccessfully at the expense of the same two officials under almost the same cirtumstances, and nearly at the same spot. 1 But this singular accident ik not by any means the most important feature of this' sensational ep : sode. It i= intolerable that in a city like Sydney, in brOad daylight, and in a crowded street, civilians going about their own peaceful business are not adequately protected from violent assaults. .

carelessness OF PEOPLE

Of course, as. some of the detectives said to-day when interviewed, the carelessness and stupidity of many business firms 1 are very largely responsible - for the prevalence and the successful commission of such, crimes. In hundreds of cases, we are told, big firms send ’representatives with large sums of money to the hanks without either •arms or escort; and' girls who frequently perform the duty “have been known to open their bags, 'exposing the money to view, while they casually powder theiir faces.” No doubt such recklessness is an incentive to those who are impelled' to prey on others. But it cannot exonerate 1 the detectives land the' po'ice' if [they fail to give adequate protection to the' general public, or, when such crimes liatie actually been perpetrated, they fail to TUri-. the offenders to earth.