"DON'T SHOOT US!"

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 281, 27 November 1928, Page 8

"DON'T SHOOT US!"

MRS. HENDERSON'S APPEAL. HER TORSION OF HOLD-UP. SLEEPING MAN AROUSED. "Bake all we've got, but for the Lord's sake don't shoot us! We've got three kiddies at home—please don't shoot!" was the excited exclamation of Mrs. Henderson, when the hold-up men jumped onto the running board 3 of the car and presented revolvers. Telling her siory this morning, Mrs. Henderson said she was dozing in the hack of the car When the two men appeared. "I didn't quite know what it was all about, as everything happened so suddenly. After a few seconds I was wide- awake, and, when I saw the revolvers, I was afraid we were going to be killed. , m "Mr. Holland was sitting in the front of the car, next to my husband, Sam. We were bowling along towards Auckland at a comfortable speed, and Mr. Len Manson was fast asleep. Mr. Eric Manson' and myself were dozing—we were all tired after a good day at the Te Kuiti races. I felt the car stop, and ( opened my eyes to see what was the trouble, and the first/thing I saw was the face of a masked man framed in the open window by my husband's elbow.

'The man stuck the muzzle of a flat, short revolver into my husband's side, Just below the armpit. Another man, also masked, jumped onto the running board on the car, stuck a revolver through the ' half-open window and {laced the barrel against Mr. Holland's ead. It was then.that I asked them not' to shoot us. Take all we've got,' I said to the men, T>ut for the Lord's sake don't shoot us! We've got three kiddles at homel* '.. "Didn't Want our Money." The men ordered us out of the car, telling iu ■ that they didn't want our money. It's the car we want,' they told us. Before - making us get out, they made my husband drive the car past the obstruction, a little distance along the toad, to a gateway. "We got- out—all except Len Manson, Who was asleej*—and the two men made my husband and Mr. Holland take off their coats and waistcoats, which were thrown into the car. I had to throw my handbag, containing about thirty shillings into the ear. We were lined up along behind the ear, and as the men kept their tevolvers pointed in our direction all the time I thought we were all going to be shot. "Then the men discovered Len Manson in the back of the car, and r.iaMc him get out, too. Len didn't like it at all, and said to one of the hold-up men, who was talking like an American—'You big Yankee mug!' I would know that man's voice anywhere. Both men spoke in very tense tones. "After Manson joined us on the road behind the car, the two men jumped in and drove off at high speed. As they were getting in we asked them what they were going to do with our car, and they said they would leave it about a couple of miles down the road. Of course, we didn't believe them." Assistance Arrives. Mrs. Henderson, winding up her narrative, said the whole party was left in the road, watching the disappearing tail light of the car. A few minutes later the roar of a powerful motor cycle was hard on the road behind them, and in the glare of a brilliant headlight Messrs. Henderson and Holland signalled to the rider to stop. Mr. Percy Fletcher, of 2, Matai Road, Ellerslie, was Tiding the cycle, and his brother, Mr. Henry Fletcher, was on the carrier behind. In a side-chair was Mr. Douglas S. Wallace, of 2, Railway Street, Newmarket. Quickly and excitedly the victims of the hold-up told their story, and implored the trio of newcomers to give chase. A Thrilling Chase. "For a minute or two we could scarcely believe that the people in the roadway jwe telling us the truth," said Mr. fiSgi]** Wallace, in recounting the story f, ''m&SS^ m ' Thw «» ™» «« obstruc- ■ V**?**. w»d 'as

some or tlie men were minus their coats,! and the whole party very excited, we' realised that something was doing, and without wasting time the three of us cleared off after the car." "Did you know the men were armed?" asked the interviewer. I don't think we did. Not then. But it wouldn't have made any difference. Anyhow, we went for our lives, and chased the car to the top of the Penrose Hill. Then we saw there were two cars on the roadway ahead. One was stationary, and the other, which carried no lights, was moving slowly towards town. As our big headlamp flashed on to the cars we saw a man jump from the stationary car on to the running board of the moving car. Big Tacks Sprinkled on Road. "Just then we saw what we took to be bits of glass* strewn all over the roadway, behind the stationary car, which was pulled into the side of the concrete. Later, we discovered that the road had been liberally sprinkled with big tacks, about 1-inch in size. Nasty things for tyres to run over. Although I was in the side chair, the motor cycle and chair belong to me. Percy Fletcher was driving to give me a spell. I told him not to mind the Btuff on the road, and we shot forward. As soon as we passed the stationary car, I could see we were on the right track. The fugitives' car was ahead of us by about 150 yards, travelling at top speed. We tore along, hoping to get our brilliant headlight onto their number plate. Revolver Shot Fired at Car. "We were about 50 yards behind the speeding car by now, and all of us straining our eyes to get the figures on the registration plate, when we saw a man on the running board, dressed in dark clothes. He was not wearing a mask, but his head was covered with a dark cap. The man clung to the car with one hand, and with the 6ther he pointed a revolver at üb.

"We kept right on," continued Mr. Wallace. "Then he let fly. We saw the flash as flame spurted from the gun. and heard the report. Whether or not he hit the wheel of,the side-chair, I won't say. All I know is that the tyre and tube were punctured immediately. Of course, it may have been a tack— or it may have been a bullet. The tyre and tube are so cut about that I can't say definitely. "As we were now running on the rim, we had to slacken speed, and Ave felt pretty sick when we saw the car drawin away from us." "You had a nerve to chase them when you realised that they were armed," suggested the interviewer. "Oh, I don't know," replied Mr. Wallace. "I look at it this way. Those two chaps had stolen a car. I own a motor cycle, and if anyone stole it I'd like to catch him and get even. So I was quite keen to help anyone who had been victimised. As it was my bike, I could have driven a bit faster, understanding it better than Percy, who did very.well in the circumstances, especially as the bike had to carry three. Doubled Back to Panmure. "When the car got to the Penrose Bridge they switched their lights on. We saw the stop-light on the back glow red, and thought they were going to pull up, but no such luck. They cleared the bridge and raced away along the flat concrete stretch towards the Great bouth Road tram terminus. The car was travelling at 50 miles an hour, or more We lost sight of it, but I believe it turned off sharply to the right, and doubled back down to Panmure." Their exciting chase thus abruptly terminated, the plucky triumvirate made the best speed they could to the home of the Fletcher brothers, Ellerslic, where they telephoned the police. The tyre and tube of the side-chair were cut to ribbons, part of the rubber having wound itself around the axle, as the result of the long run on the rim. Mr. Wallace, who is a labourer without a job at the moment, says it will cost from £2 to £3 to repair the side-chair wheel. Honey Concealed in Car. Great difficulty was experienced by Mr. and Mrs. Henderson in calling the police. According to Mrs. Henderson's story, she and her husband vaulted a stone wall after the motor cycle left in pursuit of the car. The pair made their way to the office of the Westfield Freezing Works, where a telephone was placed at their disposal. Several small police stations were called, but Mr. Henderson found it difficult to make the position clear. Eventually he got

through to the city office and a carload of detectives was reported to be on its way. Mrs. Henderson says that Mr. Holland and Mr. Eric Manson were able to slip some rolls of banknotes under the seat of the car before the hold-up men made them alight. This money was found in the abandoned car near Penrose, together with Mrs. Henderson's bag, which had not been rifled. There was over £100 involved, but not a penny was obtained by the bandits, who were evidently disturbed by the pursuing motor cyclists before they had time to collect the booty from Mr. Henderson's car. The two men were slight of build and of medium height, Mrs. Henderson says. They were dressed in dark clothes, and, though she could not be sure, Mrs. Henderson thought both men were wearing black shirts. The black masks covered the whole of their faces, and only their eyes could be seen glinting throiigh big slits in the material. Mrs. Henderson is sure she could recognise the voices of the men if heard again. Car No. 24-579. The police are anxious to receive information concerning a Morris-Cowley ealoon car, No. 24-579, painted blue. This car was taken from the garage of Mr. W. Whittaker, Wheturangi Road, Green Lane, about eight o'clock last evening, and from information given by those held up at Westfield, the police feel that the thieves who took the car were the same as those who held up the party at one o'clock this morning. Scene of Hold-up. The spot where the hold-up took place is ideal for the purpose. Just after crossing the railway line which connects the two big buildings of the Westfield Freezing Works the road narrows and takes a swan neck curve, and at the same time there is a break in the stretch or concrete road. The curve, the narrowing of the road, and the rough surface, all conduce to cause motorists to slow down, and in addition just a few yards beyond the bridge, a lamp is attached to a telegraph pole. The bridge itself is an overhead one, with plenty of space beneath, and at one oclock in the morning it would be dark and ideally suitable to anyone lying in wait. The fact that this spot was selected suggests that the hold-up was. not decided upon impromptu.

Whether any particular car or party had beeii singled out by the thieves is a matter of opinion. The two men wore black masks covering the whole face and chin, and just opposite to where they had taken up their position is a sort of email lumber yard, where pieces of timber of lying about. It seems to be quite clear that the thieves secured a length of scantling, and with the aid of two petrol tins, placed this across at the roadway, at the same- time removing the lamp from the telegraph pole and placing it upon the piece of scantling. This made a barricade. Frustrated by Motor Cyclist. That the thieves did- not get any money was not their fault, is the opinion of the police. They knew the money was there, but the appearance of the motor cycle, and side-car with Messrs. Fletcher and Wallace, and the setting out in pursuit did not give the hold-up men any time to ransack the car. When the hold-up took place the two masked men ordered Mr. Henderson and his party to drive about 300 yards further up the road to where there is a stone crusher. Mr. Henderson was then ordered to stop and get out. This was done at the point of the revolver, and immediately the party alighted the two thieves got in the car and drove on to a spot about a mile further along the road towards the city. Here they had their own, or a stolen ear, waiting, and no doubt they would have ransacked Mr. Henderson's car had not Mr. Wallace and the Messrs. Fletcher heard what had occurred and given chase. The approach of the motor cycle, there can be no doubt, caused the thieves to abandon any search and confine their attention to escaping, which they succeeded in doing.