ALLEGED BANDIT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22225, 27 September 1935, Page 11

ALLEGED BANDIT

YOUTHFUL LABOUBEE CHARGES IN SYDNEY SERIES OF HOLD-UPS By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received September 26. 5.25 p.m.) SYDNEY, Sept. 26 A labourer, Frank Howard John Carpenter Jones, aged 20, appeared to-day before a magistrate in the Police Court at Burwood, a suburb of Sydney, with his head swathed in bandages, to answer eight charges. These included shootiug at and wounding Allen Clarke and shooting at Arthur Jay at North Strathfield on June 30 with intent to murder him. Accused was also charged tliafc being armed with a revolver he robbed George Gray at Strathfield and that ho attempted to rob Emetrius Mylonas at Burwood on June 14. Other charges related to breaking, entering and theft.

A police-sergeant said that on July 28, hearing a call for help, he went down the municipal quarry at Concord and found accused about 90 yards from a burning shed. Accused was very badly injured. A detective-sergeant tendered statements alleged to have been made by accused in which Jones described how he had fc?!d up the stationmaster at North Strathfield. He was alleged to have stated that he had no intention of shooting Jay as the revolver accidentally went off. The shot which struck Clarke had been intended to go into the floor. The alleged statements also described hold-ups on June 24.

The police tendered no evidence and Jones made no statement regarding his accident at the quarry., when, in addition to two revolvers, a complete burglar's equipment was found near the scene of his rescue.

Accused was committed, for trial at the Criminal Court on November 18.

Presenting two revolvers, and wearing a head-piece similar to that worn by the Ku Klux Klan of America, a bandit held up two occupants of shops in the western suburbs of Sydney on June 24. In the first instance he secured £4 10s, but in the second only a few pence. Several persons who saw the robber leave the second shop gave chase, but he eluded them. An armed man wearing a mask held up the stationmaster, Arthur Jay. at North Strathfield, a suburban railway station, at midnight on June SO and demanded the booking office takings. Jay told the intruder lie had no money and no keys, whereupon a shot was fired in his direction. The report attracted two porters.' one of _ whom. Allen Clarke, defied the bandit and was shot in the abdomen. After the outrage the bandit escaped. On July 28 it was announced that detectives were investigating a mysterious explosion at a powder magazine on the bank of a municipal quarrv at Concord, and the presence of a man .terribly injured in the quarrv. When the man was being rescued the police found a loaded revolver, also an unloaded revolver, not far from the victim, whose face and body were severely injured and burned. Even his clothes were smouldering. The injured man told the police he had attempted to enter a shed containing explosives in order to sleep there when he was blown into the quarrv, which is SO feet deep and full of rocks.