KIDNAPPING OF A BOOKMAKER

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21941, 16 November 1936, Page 9

KIDNAPPING OF A BOOKMAKER

THREE MEN CHASED BY POLICE

INCIDENT NEAR MELBOURNE RACECOURSE (united pkess association—copyright.) (Received November 15, 11.5 p.m.) MELBOURNE, November 14. Amazing incidents —by turn dramatic and ludicrous—followed an audacious attempt by three bandits to kidnap a man from a crowd of 500 bettors and starting-price bookmakers on an unoccupied allotment known as “Little Flemington,” outside the Williamstown racecourse, on Saturday afternoon. During a thrilling hour of intense excitement 300 men chased the bandits’ car as it moved from the scene of the hold-up. A shot was fired from the car at policemen as they chased the car on a motor-cycle. Boulders were rolled on the pursuers as they climbed the face of a quarry. Two of the bandits induced the driver of an ice-waggon to drive them towards open country on the pretext that they were chasing robbers. They had abandoned their own car after it had stalled. They were captured after a high-speed police chase. The third bandit, who had swum across the Maribyrnong river, was captured as he emerged from the water and later escaped again. The incident began when two men, saying they were gaming police, seized a bookmaker and led him to the car, and began to drive away. They were pursued by the infuriated crowd, and police assistance was called. After the capture of two men the police later arrested the third. The police believe the arrested men arc concerned in several recent hold-ups.

AMERICAN FARM SCHEME

STATE HELP FOR SHARECROPPERS (Received November 15, 11.15 p.m.) WASHINGTON, November 14. Professor R. G. Tugwell (Undersecretary for Agriculture) is preparing for submission to Congress a proposal for an annual expenditure of 50,000,000 dollars for 10 years for financing the transition from tenancy to farm ownership of the socalled share-croppers, who are allowed 40 years to for their farms. The aim is to aid the large group of submarginal agriculturists, who are becoming a national problem.