CHICAGO IN LONDON

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 November 1930, Page 10

CHICAGO IN LONDON

RAIDS BY GUNMEN. Sensational revolver outrages in: different parts of London "have supplied the citizens of that great ci.y with some idea of what is happening in Chicago nearly every day of the Three gunmen, formidably armed, recently raided the booking-office of the Barking railway station after midnight, gagged two clerks on uuty, bound them back to back, and got away with a sum of about £lOO. Barely had Scotland Yard de.ectives begun a search in force for the desperadoes thdn an outrage in peculiarly similar circumstances was ieported from Bow. Th** proprietor of a business dealing in accident and compensation claims looked up from his desk to find stranger holding a pistol within two inches of his head. The stranger threatened to shoot if any attempt to raise an alarm was made. Meanwhile, another man, also armed with a revolver, went round the office collecting al! the currency notes and cash he could find. Then the robbers, still covering the proprietor with their weapons, backed through the door, which they locked on the outside and carried away the key. > Except for a motor-car abandoned on a by-pass road the police have no clue to the identity of the three men responsible for the amazing outrage at the Barking Station, says the “News of the World.” The last tram was-due at 12.30 a.m., and the booking clerks, Archibald Skipper and Ernest Howard, had made up the money when there was a knock at the door. “One of the booking clerks opened it/’ the stationmaster stated, “anti was confronted by two men about 25 years of age. The men edged tae.i wav into the office, and before the c'orks knew what had happened they found themselves menaced with, revolvers. "Ono of the men exclaimed: We are desperate men. We have got to have tho money, so don’t make any trouble.’ To emphasise his meaning ho jabbed his revolver in the wrist of one of the clerks and told him to hold up his hand a bit higher. “While one of the young men covered the two clerks, the other took a chair and stepped up to one of the windows. He drew a knife and cut away the window cord. With this cord and other rope in possession of the robbers, the two clerks were bound to chairs, back to back, in the office and gagged. A handkerchief and a bag used for coppers were employed as gags. “The two men were joined by third, who, it seems, was about 30 years of age, and they rapidly cleared up all the money in the office—about £lOO. As silently as they had come they- disappeared, and the only thing that the clerks heard was the starting of a car.” Ten minutes later one of the clerks, Ernest Howard, managed to work loose from his bonds, gave the alarm and helped to release Skipper. Both men were suffering from bruises and shock, but had received no other injury. Police officers hurried to the station, and two men were sent on a motorcycle combination to scour the roads in search of the car. It was discovered a mile and a-half away. This is Howard’s story of events after the strangers had forced their way into tho booking-office and had produced their revolvers.

“Skipper called out: ‘What’s the game? Put those things down and you’ll see what we can do.’ The men told us not to play the fool. They were desperate and threatened they would shoot us and shoot themselves if necessary. According to them, there were six bandits in all, with four outside guarding the entrances. “While they were talking a third man, somewhat z okler than the others, entered the office, also carrying a revolver, and, in addition, a short stick with a loose brass knob on the end. Shall we cosh them?’ he asked, but tho others disagreed. *We don’t want to harm them if we can help it,’ one man said.

“FIVE MINUTES TO GET AWAY.”

“Skipper and I tried to keep the men arguing until someone should overhear and arrive. 1 think we must have talked hard for ten minutes, but it is no use arguing with a man behind a gun. They pulled down and cut cord from the windows, and bound us to chairs. I did not worry because I knew that the minute they left the room I could wriggle free. As they slipped out of the door the older man turned and remarked, ‘lt’s only five minutes we want to get away.’ “Tile minute the door had closed I was hard at work with my gag and bonds. Within two minutes I was free and dashed over to the ticket window to call to the collector, who was standing just round the corner and could not see the office door. “When ho came he attended to Skipper and I telephoned to the police. Now it all seems like a terrible nightmare. When I saw the men room first I thought I was dreaming—it was for all the world like one of those old cowboy pictures.” The robbers, it is believed, carried the money away in .one of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company’s leather bags. “if you try to call anybody you'll he shot where you are.” Mr Bernard Davis, seated in his office in Mile End Road, Bow, looked up from his desk as these words were uttered, and found himself staring at a revolver held by a strange young man. On the other side of the room a second inan, similarly armed, was collecting Treasury notes and cash. Unable to find anything more of value, 'the men moved out of the office backward, keeping Mr Davis covered as they, went.- Then they locked the door upon him and took the key away.

The office occupied by Mr Davis is at the side of a house standing in its own ground opposite Mile End Railway {Station. Mr Davis has been there only -a month, and prior to that the. place was used for some years as a doctors surgery. Miss Slattery, owner of the house, stated that when .‘■fro returned, from shopping about 11 a.m. she was astonished to see a crowd and to find the police using her telephone. “I saw Mr Davis, who seemed to be very agitated.” she related. “He told me that as he was sitting in his’ office two well-dressed young men, about 30 years of age, entered. One. ashed, 'You take all claims here?’ and

Mr Davis replied, ‘Yes. What is your claim?’’ Mr Davis, Miss Slattery explained, carried on business as the Accident and Compensation Claims Agency. “As soon as Mr Davis replied,” Miss Slattery added, “one of the men, who had been holding a revolver, cried, ‘Our claim is money!’ “Mr Davis told him, 'I have not got any,’ whereupon the second man replied, ‘We/ will see about that.’ He then caught hold of Mr Davis’ arms while the other man searched hfe pockets and the room. They took away £B/10/- altogether, and then went off, presumably in a motor-car.” Late the same night two men in a grey-coloured car drove up to the premises of Messrs Walker and Cd., jewellers, in City Road. While the engine was kept running, one man alighted and, rushing at the plateglass window, smashed it with a hammer, thrust his hand through the window, and succeeded in getting hold of a diamond rinfc valued at £7O. The noise of the smashing of the glass attracted the attention of passers-by, and the raider immediately dashed back to the car, which was driven off in the direction of the City. Some time later the car was found abandoned near Shoreditch.