DARING HOLD-UP.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 2, 3 January 1931, Page 3 (Supplement)

DARING HOLD-UP.

PAY-ROLL THEFT.

BUENOS AYRES ROBBERY.

In spite o£ martial law and the severity of President Uriburu's edict threatening execution to criminals caught redhanded in the perpetration of crime, Buenos Ayres was thrilled last month by the audacious attack of a gang of motor bandits on a Government paymaster, whose handbag containing a sum equal to over £20,0UU was stolen to the accompaniment of a rain of bullets, one of which caused the death of the paymaster's assistant. It was not expected that the delinquents, who specialised in big assaults, would venture forth from their lair while the threat of execution lay over them, leaving them no chance in the event of the failure of their plans. Encouraged, no doubt, by a series of recent successful assaults throughout the city before the fall of President Irigoyen, under ;whom the Chief of the Criminal Investigations Department was known to have been also the chief of the criminals, a band of gunmen made a daring attack on the paymaster of the National Sanitary Works in Palermo, a suburb of Buenos Ayres, and made their complete getaway with £20,725, after having killed one man and gravely wounded three others. A concise report of the affair was furnished by the police account, which ran as follows:—"At 7.5 a.m., in the Avenida' Los Viveros, various unknown individuals who occupied an automobile deliberately provoked a collision with the automobile in which were riding the paymaster of the National Sanitary Works, Marcoa Zorrilla, his assistant, Enrique Talamona, a labourer, Fuentes, and the chauffeur, Americo d'Erico. The unknown, persons fired several shots, killing Talamona and gravely wounding the other three. "The assailants then helped themselves to a handbag containing 286,000 Argentine dollars (£20,725), and boarding another automobile which was waiting close by, drove off at full speed in a westerly direction."

Premeditated Assault. It was quite evident that the robbers had premeditated the assault and had carefully studied, to the minutest detail, the movements of that particular paymaster for several months past, otherwise they could never have known the day and hour at which he was to pay the employees of the waterworks establishment in Palermo, as well as all the other details of the transfer of the money from the central offices. When the car occupied by the paymaster and his companions arrived at a certain spot opposite the Federal shooting range, another motor advanced from the opposite direction and suddenly veered towards the centre of the road, causing a collision. From a third car which followed, a stream of shots was directed on the officials, with the result already mentioned. As soon as the gunmen had gained possession of the bag with the money, the driver of the other wrecked car abandoned the vehicle and joined his fellow-robbers, all hands boarding the car, which was immediately driven at a great speed towards the western portion of the city. The luckless officials, seriously wounded as they were, tried to repel the attack with their firearms, and it was thought that some of the assailants were badly wounded, for bloodstains were found in the car, which the police later discovered abandoned. It had previously been stolen from a busy street, where the owner had left it temporarily. The body of the vehicle was by a bullet and it showed numerous dark, significant blotches in the interior, from which the police arrived at the conclusion that some of the gunmen were wounded by the shots fired from the paymaster's car. The handbag and some plans and pay-sheets of the sanitary works were also found in the car, and in addition the police were gratified by the discovery of several empty revolver cartridges of calibre .42. When the gunmen made the attack the reports of the firearms drew the attention o£ a corporal and various conscript soldiers, who dashed to the assistance of the attacked men, but as they had no weapons other than their bayonets they could do nothing to prevent the robbers from getting away with their haul. Besides there was no automobile at hand in which to give pursuit, the two vehicles involved in the collision being considerably damaged. The police, on thoroughly searching the abandoned car, found the finger-prints of several hands, a circumstance which was considered of first rate importance since it would enable the officers to identify at least some members of the band. One of the first measures undertaken was to prevent reporters and citizens from approaching the car. lest they might efface the valuable evidence of the finger-prints on its doors. Photographs of these were taken later in the day by experts from local Crime Investigation Bureau.

Storiet of Eye-witnesses. , Some -witnesses of the assault declared that the gunmen numbered five, and it was the opinion of the police that the band was headed by the famous Giovanni, a daring criminal and a terrorist in Buenos Ayres of long standing, and who was known to have been concerned in many other cases of assault and robbery of offices and of the placing of bombs in foreign Consulates. The Chief of Police gave out a resolution threatening to apply the rigour of martial law to those who had knowledge of any fact concerned with the robbery and murder and had failed to report it to the police. It was discovered that a body had been thrown out of an expensive car outside Buenos Ayres, and it was straightway presumed that it was that of the gunman believed to have been wounded in the assault, and who must have subsequentlydied from his injuries. The body showed a bullet wound and the clothes were stained with blood. This was one of the best clues that could have been afforded the police in fne hunt for the identity and place of concealment of the gang. In connection with the assault an Argentinian named Isidoro Palacios was arrested on the day of the attack on suspicion. He was about to obtain change for two notes of 1000 pesos in bills of a smaller denomination. When he was questioned by the authorities, Palacios managed to involve himself in several distinct contradictions. The police also later arrested an anarchist called Lozano, who was believed to have taken part in the affray.