THE SLASHERS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXIII, Issue 10093, 4 September 1925, Page 3

THE SLASHERS

UNDERWORLD GANG FIGHT

WITH. RAZORS

FIERCE STREET BATTLE.

LONDON’S TRAFFIC HELD UP ON WATERLOO BRIDGE ROAD.

Traffic in Waterloo Bridge-Toad, London, was held iip for half an hour on Monday by a battle between two race-gangs. When the vanquished roughs took shelter in a barber’s shop their rivals smashed in the doors, and attacked them with razors.

These gangs have become a recognised feature of London's underworld, their members blackmailing all manner of likely victims under pain of personal violence. LONDON, Aug. 25. A pitched battle between two rival race gangs, each 20 strong, fought m the presence of an enormous crowd, in Waterloo Bridge-road, he'd up traffic for half an hour, and resulted in the wrecking of a hairdresser’s shop, in wlrch members of the routed gang sought sanctuary. The attackers smashed the doors and windows with crowbars, and rushed inside, attacking the defenders with razors. . . The customers, inckid ng a shrieking. half shingled woman, fled, pan.cstrekeri.

Only one arrest has been made. The gangs stared fighting on the top of an omnibus in Wcoclford-road. The conductor was thrown to the. road and rendered uneonsious. The “Morning Post” says: “Th ngs have con e to a pretty pass when half a hundred men, armed with razors, can oceuny the middle of a main thoroughfare in London, and cut and slash each other, while the traffic is held up to give them a clear field.”

DRASTIC ACTION PROMISED. The Home Secretary, Sir Win. Joyu-son-Hicks, will introduce a bill in the House of Commons, wh'clt will enable increased penalties, inelud'ng floggings, to be imposed on members of race gangs. It is proposed also to eliminate the necessity of evidence being given by independent witnesses, who frequently are terrorised.

Scotland Yard is compiling a “black list” of notorious racecourse crooks and pests, to enable the police to recognise them on sight, and is examining hundreds of letters which have been written, threatening witnesses.

DETECTIVE THREATEN ED Thomas Bcnneworth, printer, a lespeetahly dressed man, was remanded to-day on a charge of break'ng a window, and causing £4 10s worth ol damage. Suhl, a hairdresser, who was the complainant, gave evdence that ho was shingl ng a woman’s ha'r, when a man rushed in and slammed the door, breaking the glass. ‘ The prisoner was not the intruder.

The Magistrate: Then why charge him? Suhl: I don’t know.

A detective gave evidence that Bounowovth pursued a man from the roadway, flourish ng a a too', with wh'cli lie smashed the window and door of the hairdresser’s shun, in wh'cli the pursued man had taken refuge. Bon noworth threatened wh h* gu ng to the police station, that a race gang would murder witness.

“PAY, OR BE PAID” The ‘Daily Mail” points out that these gangs are never idle. Each has h's alloted task, blackmailing stay-at-home bookmakers, swell crooks, _ drug-dealers, or the rich habitues of night clubs. The victims, who constantly are being maimed, never give the police the names of theis assailants. Friends carried off the injured from the Waterloo Bridge affray before the arrival of the police.