HOLD-UP ROBBERIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20335, 16 August 1929, Page 8

HOLD-UP ROBBERIES.

AUSTRALIAN EPIDEMIC. BRAVE SYDNEY WOMAN* UMBRELLA VERSUS PISTOL. [FROM OUIt OWN CORRESPONDENT.] SYDNEY. Aug. 8. Tho operations of armed thieves con. tinuo to a remarkable degree in. Sydney and Melbourne. These robberies began in Melbourne, and such is the psychology of the criminal that it was not long before they spread to Sydney. Australia's criminal history is a record of crime that has como in waves. Ono poisoning caso has invariably led to a series of similar cases. Ono assault on a girl is invariably followed by a number of such assaults, and so on right through the criminal calendar. So detective? *ere not surprised at the turn of event*, but tho public are perturbed at their inability to mako a capture. Tho detectives say . that when they do mako a capture this class of crime will cease. Anyhow, the public would like to see at least one capture in order to lie satisfied that the position has not got out of hand Again, the detectives assert that it is not a gang that is operating. They say that this class of criminal prefers to work alone, for tho chances, of capture arc not so great. The public would like to be convinced on this point also. It is little satisfaction to know that the Australian criminal is not of tho murderous type known to Chicago. They do not shoot to kill, according to the police, but a man who has a revolver pressed into his ribs or held up befora him will not lake any risks. So it cannot be said that the police statements on tho situation arc very satisfying. Sydney had at least two cases of r.rrncd hold-ups during tlje week-end. In ono instance three masked men entered the home of a prominent bookmaker, and forced him to hand over all he had in tho house —about £72 —and they were probably disappointed that his return for tho day should havo been so small. The police were quickly on tho scene, but they have not made any arrest. Then on Monday night, in the same locality, another man was held up at tho point o! tho revolver, and made to hand over all ho had. Again tho police made no arrest, and it was probably because they; were so disgusted with themselves that they withheld from the press particulars of this crime. Shots Tired in Air. Within an hour on Saturday night a man with a revolver held up six persons at Moonce Ponds and Ascot Vale, suburbs of Melbourne. Other cases of street robberies occurred at South Melbourne and in St. Kilda Itoad, Melbourne. On two occasions the thief fired shots into the air after ho had threatened to shoot the persons whom he held up. One woman with great courage refused to give up her money and struck tho man with hef umbrella, but a man to whom she ap* pealed for help refused to have anything to do with the affair, and slammed the door of his house in her fac<?. He did not want to be the hero of any shooting episode. Every available member of the Melbourne police force was engaged on the cases, and, in accordance with the policy adopted, no information was given to the press. The woman who showed such courage was Miss Kate Raymond., of Ascot Vale., Refusing point-blank to give the man her handbag, she struck him on the head. The man pressed a revolver against her chest and said: " Hand over the money. I want it without any trouble," Miss Raymond noticed that his hand was not steady. " I will not give J*ou any money," she said, and at the same' time she brought hip. umbrella down on his head. As he staggered back she screamed for help, and opened the gato of a house with the intention of entering The man threatened that if she did not stop screaming ho would shoot her, but Miss Raymond disregarded the warning. The man then fired two shots in the air, over her head, and ran away. '' Miss Raymond went to the door 01 the house and tho occupier said: "I do not want to have anything to do with this case," and slammed the door in her face. She then rang tip the police, who were quickly on the scene. But they all went back to the station with tho armed man still at large. Thieves Tie Up Victim. Four of tho other victims during the night were women, and in at least one other caso the thief got nothing for his trouble, but fired a bullet into the air as soon as lie encountered the slightest opposition. It would seem that these Melbourne robbers are not very brave or very clever, and it is amazing that they should escape detecticm for so long when tho whole force of police is out after them, aided by wireless and by motor:.'patrols. It is a bad advertisement for the force. Confidence in the police in Sydney was restored to some extent at least when arrests followed the latest hold-np by armed men on Tuesday night. However, their success in this instance was due to the bravery of tho old man who was chosen for the robbery, and to tho bravery of his neighbours, particularly a woman. • Tho two masked bandits displayed amazing audacity when they entered the butcher's shop of Michael Briggs, of Redfern. After Mr. Briggs had completed his various tasks in tho shop he went upstairs to his room, and as he sat doivn to his tea ho heard strango in another room On making an investigation with tho aid of a match ho very soon found himself looking into the barrel of a revolver. "Sorry, old man," said one of the intruders, "but wo want your money and wo want it. quick." Willi that they seized their elderly victim and soon bound him tightly. Woman Saves Situation. "Now, where is tho cash ?" they asked, when they had made him helpless, and he replied that tho only money he had was in tho cashbox, to which he pointed obligingly. The men helped themselves to tho silver, but they were far from satisfied, and demanded to know where the notes were. They knew that the man had not banked that day, becauso it had been a bank holiday, but they did not know that ho had on his person more than £l5O in notes, which ho had hidden awa ; v, somo in his socks and some in the lining of his coat, as soon as he was aware that thero were strangers in the house At this stage Mrs. Jackson, who lived next door, heard tho angry voices, and as she knew that Briggs lived by himself, she commenced to make investigations. Sho slowly raised a blind and peered into the premises. She at once rea« lised what was happening. Of course she was able to inloim the police at once, and the rapidity with which the police reached the sceno was one of the features of tho case. Very soon the whole neighbourhood was aroused, and it was not long before the bandits realised that their presence had been discovered. Although the men made their escape from the shop, it was .not long before they were arrested after two exciting encounters. Both men are labourers—meaning that they do nothing particular, for most of the idlers who are arrested call themselves labourers—and they are described by the police as birds of passage.