STORY OF SENSATIONAL HOLD-UP AT WESTFIELD TOLD IN POLICE COURT

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6805, 8 January 1929, Page 7

STORY OF SENSATIONAL HOLD-UP AT WESTFIELD TOLD IN POLICE COURT

Many Charges Read ALLOWED EARLIER MOTORS TO PASS NO INTENTION TO SHOOT. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, Last Night. Robbery under arms was alleged against David Mackenzie Stewart, aged 27, and Roy Patrick Kitching, aged 20, who wero committed to the Supreme court for trial after the preliminary hearing of evidence in tho Police court ,when tho accused were charged on several counts arising out of tho sensational armed hold-up at A\ cstficld in the early hours of the morning of November' 27. Joint charges of having robbed Samuel Henderson, his wife Grace A< Henderson, and (Jteorge A. Holland, wero preferred against accused, while they were also charged with having assaulted Leonard M. Manson and Robert E. Manson, with intent to rob. A further charge alleged the discharging of a revolver with intent to dc grievous bodily harm to Henry BFletcher and his brother, Percy and to Douglas S. Wallace. Accused were also jointly charged with obtaining front George R. Walsh, manager of Hutchinson Bros., general merchants, of Newmarket, £5 by means of a valueless cheque in November. Stewart was charged with obtaining £6 11s credit by fraud from Smccton’s Ltd., general providers, and £l2 11s credit by fraud from Hutchinson Bros. A further charge against Stewart was of obtaining £23 7s Cd from Miss Winnie Turner, clerk of the City hotel, with a valueless cheque. Pleas of not guilty to all charges were made by each of the accused. According to the evidence a party of jockeys was returning to Ellerslie from the Te Kuiti races and early in the morning,' their car was held up at the revolver point by men, who robbed them and drove away in the victims’ cut. While pursuing the men, Fletcher and Wallace, who had rode up a few minutes later on a motor cycle, .were startled by a revolver shot from the car containing two men, whom they had set out to catch. The car and cycle were travelling at high speeds, but owing to the puncture which immediately followed the firing of the gun, the speed of the cycle was reduced and the men in tho car got away. In a statement, Stewart said he was an American, having left his country for Australia about a year ago. At the end of -October last, ho left Melbourne, accompanied by Kitching, for Auckland, with £IOO. He boarded at tho City hotel for four days and then they both rented a house in Epson. Stewart stated the overdrawing of his bank ac-‘ count caused them to decide upon a hold-up as a means of getting more money.

“So we went out to the Great South road on Sunday and selected a suitable place for a hold-up,” he said. Continuing his statement, he said that armed, with two guns and carrying two masks, which they had made out of black stockings, they drove in a car which they hired from a city garage, to Westfield on Monday night. After describing how they put obstructions on the road near the deviation, Stewart said: “We waited there ior some time and cars came along, and stopped at the barricade. When the cars' stopped at the obstruction, neither of us had the courage to accost the drivers. Finally, however, a car came along containing five people and we decided we might bo able to cope with them. I climbed on one running board and Hitching got on thp other and we made them drive up the road a bit and stop at a stone crusher, where wc ordered them out and got them to remove their coats and vests, which were put in the back of the car. Wc then drove away, after telling them that' wo would leave their car v a short distance up the road.” When they had driven along the road, Stewart continued, he left Hendorson’s car and got the hired one, while Hitching searched the clothing left in- tho other. Then they saw a motor cycle coming, whereupon they hurried away. Hitching told Stewart his revolver -went off accidentally when the motor cycle was approaching and he did not mean to shoot. A statcriient made by Hitching laid tho blame fpr the hold-up on Stewart. Both accused pleaded not guilty and were committed to the Supreme Court for trial.