BRUTAL ASSAULT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 183, 4 August 1936, Page 9

BRUTAL ASSAULT.

SENSATION IN N.S.W. STATION OFFICER INJURED. ALARM PLTJCKILY GIVEN. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, July 31. Last Sunday night or early on Monday morning Charles Atkins, night officer at Ingleburn railway station, was the victim of a brutal and cowardly attack. Ingleburn is a small station to the south of Liverpool, about 27 miles from Sydney on the southern line. It is a solitary little place, and the station is badly lighted. There is an electric light about 20 yards away, but on the station itself there are only two small kerosene lamps in the office and signal-box, which are combined in one. Atkins was attending to his duties in the signal-box, about 3 a.m.. when he heard footsteps on the platform. He opened the door to investigate and caught only a fleeting glimpse of two young men wearing handkerchiefs as masks over their faces.

I Telephoned for Police. j Before he could move Mr. Atkins was | struck on the head with some heavy | weapon —a tyre lever or a large piece :of wood. Covered with blood, he fell on j the floor, and though barely conscious, i he felt the men take his keys from his ' | pocket, and saw them opening the safe. , By the time he had recovered his senses : fullv and staggered out on the platform. ■ the men had rifled the safe of its con--1 tents —between £7 and £B—and were ■: already running away. Atkins found : his way back into the office, reached for I the telephone, rang control, and asked 'for police and a doctor. Then, still i dazed and bleeding freely, he went out i a'Min on to tile" platform and gave the ' alarm to Mr. Comiell. the statiouiuaster, [•who lives alongside the line.

Mr. Connell did all that he could for I Atkins, but the poor fellow was in a ( very bad way, and when the ambulance j arrived he was taken off to Liverpool j Hospital in a very critical condition. The stationmaster is loud in his praise of Atkins, who. he says, is one of the most efficient and popular officials in the service. Ingleburn is on the main southern railway, which carries a •iieat deal of night traffic and, said Mr. Connell, "if he hadn't had the presence of mind to report the occurrence immediately by telephone, there might have been chaos on the line." I Splendid Example of Courage. Atkins certainly gave a splendid illus- J tratioli of that 'self-sacrificing courage which puts duty before sutterina and danger, and it is to be hoped that when he recovers his pluck and his conscientiousness will find their reward. Meantime, Mr. Lloyd Ross, as secretary nf, the Australian Railways Lnion, has protested strongly to the Department. insisting that at isolated station*, no official should be permitted to go on duty alone, and that, if and wlw" |t is found impossible to comply with thin con dition. the night watchman and other officials similarly enaaaed should be permitted to, carry firearms. Tt is regarded as unfair that any man should be exposed single-handed to the risk of such murderous brutality without the means to defend himself; and whether the thugs in this case are caught or not. Atkins' terrible experience is quite sufficient to justify prompt Government action.