DESPERADOES IN A MOTOR CAR.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3398, 31 January 1920, Page 3

DESPERADOES IN A MOTOR CAR.

WILD SCENES OF ROAD BATTLES.

one Of the 11i0St amazing Crime stories of the war comes up before an ..=\merican Cdllrt—marl.ial at Brest Wink "in the next few days. It recalls nothing so much as the exploits of the Australian bushran-gers.

During the early part of" this yea}. a set of desperate criminals known as the Dearborn-O’M.ally gang were reeklessly robbing and terrorising a large part" of E'astel'n France. They stole several hundreds of cars belonging to the American Army, drove them into Luxemburg, and there handed them -over to a party of v German crooks, Who sold them in Germany. With the proceeds Of their robberies fitlu.-y luxuriantly furnished a lonely house in the forest north of TOlll, which the gang‘ vm':—ldQ their headquarters. They invariably worked wearing the uniform of American military police, and this secured them from interference. _

When the Amel'iua.n police first got -on to the track of some of the‘ stolen motor ears, two police oificers caught up four of. the gang driving ‘it powerful army automobile. They got nemenough to wound one of the gang by 21 revolver shot, but the thieves made good iheir escape. The trail was picked up again from a Y.;\I.C.A. man, and thence.t‘or’rh the stol‘y"”reads like a cinema plot. '[‘he Y.M.C‘,.A. man said that he was driving in his Ford car with’ an injured negro, when four men dressed as Ainericem military police asked for a. lifr. He allowed them to enter the ear. Wherenpon they immediately seized him, and, throwing him out, drove ofi’? witli the injured negro. The police imrnediately took up the chase in another motor car. The Griminals were twe miles ahead, making for Toni. But at Bar-de-Due Lieut. Foster, in the police car, learnt he was only seven miles behind.’

French people on the road told him they had met four disguised bandits driving furiously. At one point they were seen to shoot the negro, whom they carried -off. and threw his body into -3. e.-anal. At another place on the road :1 Frenchman tried. to stop‘ the :-:11", and was shot‘ dead. At last an obstruction in the tl'a.ffic held up the gang’s Ford at Lingy. The police drove up and made arrests covering the four men with their pistols. "Each of them was found to ho carrying th"ce revolvers.

They were locked in the local Frcnch gaol, but escaped by knocking the gaolcrs sexmseloss and :Ippl-opl-i----ating the-keys.

They then ‘boldly searched the town until they found the place where the Ford car had been gm-aged. At the point of the re‘\-’Ol\-’(‘.‘_‘ they gained ])OSsession of it. and resumed their flight to Toul. but were captured in a police ambush after more revolver shooting. lieanvvhile ‘(hp four who had escaped fr.rm; prison at Livgy were srill at }arg'-3. They swore to avenge themselves on Lieut. Forter, thg em:l'getic police ofiicnr who had arrested their companions. They boldly returned to (Tnahms to look for him.

There another police officcr in disguise gamed confidence and offered to shovr them :1 warellouso where they (‘uni-7. .~?va] :1 large quantity of cigarvHo.~. He }vrltlwnl into the ware.hou.<u and '.ll£.'l._ml'ning as if to (51080 the door. silppcd ‘quickly out and locknl then: in. A strong force of police \\'hi(:h had lyeonxvaiting near by then <':?.lno in Et‘:i(l :n'rn.~,’rod them.