BANK ROBBERY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 31 July 1924, Page 5

BANK ROBBERY

THIEF SECURES £SOO MANAGER DECOYED FROM BUILDING THE TELLER WOUNDED (B.v Electric 'A. • raph.— Copyright.) (Australian and IN’.Z. Cable Association.; MELBOURNE, July 30. By a clever ruse the Canterbury branch of the Commercial Bank was robbed of £SOO in single and five pound notes. When ho arrived in the morning the manager, Mr Morgan, found the telephone out of order, and a few minutes later a, neighbouring shopkeeper told him he was wanted by the head olliee on the shop telephone. ’ When Mr Morgan left to go to the ’phone the teller, Mr \V. Chittick, entered the bank and was confronted by an armed man, who told him not to move or lie would ho shot. The, intruder then snatched the bank revolver from the wall and grablied a handful of notes from the drawer. Mr Chittick rushed for another revolver in the manager’s room, and as he secured it Hie robber closed with him. Mr Chittick fired a shot, but missed, and the man replied with two shots, wounding Mr Chittick in the foot and hand. Tho thief tiien escaped through the bank door.

The robbery was evidently carefully planned ns the bank telephone wires were cut and the manager found when He went to the shop that he was rot. wanted, a telephone accomplice having apparently rung him to decoy him from tho hank, while the other must have obtained, entrance to the hank in the early hours of the morning.

A DESPERATE STRUGGLE

BETWEEN TELLER. AND ROBBER

MELBOURNE, This Day

The bank robber secured £56Ei.

Tito, telephone wires had been cut inside the hank, apparently bv someone with intimate knowledge of the premises.

After Mr Chittick tired the first, shot tho intruder closed with him and a desperate struggle followed. The furniture was upset and smashed. Eventually the revolver was wrenched from the teller’s hand and the man fired two shots, wounding Mr Chittick in the left hand and the left foot, compelling him to release his hold. The robber then rushed to the counter, secured the notes, and escaped over a fence. He dropped twenty-eight £1 notes which were found later.

The. manager, who had gone out to try to get into telephone touch wiLh the head office, returned after the struggle was over and found Mr Chittick wounded.

The police were called quickly to the scene but failed to discover any clue. Mr Chittick, who is a. returned soldier, was conveyed to hospital. His wounds are not serious.

Neighbouring shopkeepers heard the shots but thought the bank employees were indulging in a little practice.

It is evident from the manner in which the telephone wires were cut and the alacrity with which the robber seized the teller’s revolvers that he had knowledge of the banking premises. An interesting fact is that the Commercial Bank is in the neighbouring suburb of Glenferrie, where Manager Berriman was killed in somewhat similar circumstances last year The scene of the robbery is in the centre of the business premises of Canterbury.