BANDITS ATTACK SOVIET COURIERS

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 3265, 8 February 1926, Page 7

BANDITS ATTACK SOVIET COURIERS

Amazing Battle in Russian Train

BLOOD FLOWS FREELY IN SLEEPING CAR

[By Electric Cable —Copyright.] [Aust. and N.Z. Cable Association.] (Received Sunday, 6.30 p.m.) LONDON. Feb. 6.

An amazing story of a revolver battle In a sleeping car and corridor of a train travelling from Moscow to Riga, in whicn two Soviet Couriers and bandits are concerned, is told by the “Dally Express’ ” Riga correspondent. Couriers named Theodore Nette and Maclunanutaiil appear to have been attacked in their berths. Both behaved bravely. They opened fire, but Nette was shot where he lay. Maohmanstahl, though shot in the stomach and arm, followed the bandits to th 0 corridor, wounding them so badly that they were unable to escape. Both wer e found dead. The sleep! ng x car presented an alarming sight on arrival at Riga. Th 0 steps, doors and corridors were covered with Mood. Nette was lying dead on the floor of one compartment and Machmanstahl was outside, half conscious, defending a pile of diplomatic papers. The fierceness of the fight is shown by the fact that Machnmnstahl’s revolver was emptied and in Notte’s there were three discharged cartridges. Th e policy in another compartment found two l-andits dead together, one had evidently expired from wounds inflicted by someone else, while the other had blown out his own brains. Machmanstahl affirms there were four bandits and the police ar Q searching for the missing two. The Soviet Legation at Riga believes the attack had the political purpose of, securing Important papers the Couriers wore harrying, but Latvian authorities declare the bandits were ordinary robbers who expected to obtain valuables which the Couriers wore reported to bo carrying abroad. Jacob Massel. an American, occupying tho next compartment, states ho heard a man groaning.in the corridor. He opened the door and looked into the muzzle of a revolver. Ho slammed the. door, locked it and lay down. He counted more than twenty shots. When the train stopped tho police found all the passengers barricading their doors and hiding papers.