HIGHWAY ROBBERY

Patea Mail, Volume XLIX, 30 November 1928, Page 2

HIGHWAY ROBBERY

SENBATiON AT WESTFIELD. MOT O BIN G TATTY HELD FT. AItXIED .BANDITS.’ pUTKAGE. A sensational hold-up at the point of the revolver and a thrilling effort at pursuit, foiled by the Jiring of two shots from a revolver, one of which punctured a tyre of a pursuing motorcycle and sidecar, took place on the Great South Toad, near West held at one o’clock on Tuesday morning. S. Henderson L. Xlanson, Erie -Mansen and Xfrs. Henderson, who were in a motor ear returning from Te Kuiti races, were stopped by three men, two of whom had revolvers and threatened to shoot. At the point of tin 1 revolvers, money, watches, and other valuables were handed over. Still under the cover of revolvers the throe men dashed into the motor ear belonging to the victims and sped away. Within a minute or two Percy Fletcher, of Ellerslie, and D. Wallace, of Newmarket, arrived in a motor cede and sidecar on the way from Ngnmawahia to Auckland. When near Westfield they found trees and wood blocking the road. They managed to gel through and, a few yards further on, reached the three men and a woman who had been robbed. Fletcher and Wallace set off at top speed. They had gone only three or four hundred yards when they saw two ears in front. One was wrecked and as they approached the other they saw a man leap on to the running board and the car dashed away at a great pace with the lights switched off. , , PURSUING CYCLE CPIPPBED. Fletcher ml Wallace had given chase for .100 yards when the man on the running board fired two shots with a resolver. One punctured a wheel of the sidecar. Thus crippled. further

chase was impossible. Fletcher and Wallace hastened to a nearby house and sent word through to the police only a-quarter of nu hour after the hold-up. Shortly before two o’clock a party of detectives arrived on the scone.

Henderson said that when his car was approaching a bridge near Westfield the .ights showed a barricade across the read. They pulled up and two men got on the running board. Each hud a revolver. The robbers ordered the party to get out of the car, telling the men to take off their coats and waistcoats and place them in the car. “We. were powerless to resist,” said Henderson. “I could not do anything because one man stuck a revolver into :nv chest. The men forced the party to walk some distance back, then jumped into the car and drove away.” Henderson said that the Mansous had a fair amount of money on them, and had the presence of mind to put it under the back seat of the car as soon, as the party was held up.

L’OAD ,stim:\vx with tacks. The car was eventually found abandoned at Penrose. The police believe chat the robbers then got into their own ear. On the south side, where Henderson’s car was found, there was a wide carpet of tacks on the road. In the car were coats and waistcoats with the pockets open, and showing other signs of having been rifled. The money hidden by the two Munsons was recovered intact from under the back seat.

Mrs. Henderson says: “We were howling along at a comfortable speed when I felt the car stop, and saw theface of a masked man in the opon window at my husband’s elbow. The man stuck the muzzle of a revolver in my husband’s side. Another masked man placed the barrel of a revolver against Mr. Henderson. ‘Take all we’ve got but for Lord’s sake don’t shoot us. We’ve got three kiddies. Don’t shoot.” I cried.

‘ ‘ Thu meu ordered us out of tlic car, saying they didn’t want our money. ‘lt’s the ear we want,’ they told us. Wc wore all lined up behind the car while the robbers kept their revolvers pointed in our direction. They said they would leave the car about a couple o■: miles down the road. We did not believe them. The whole party was left in the road watching the disap pearing tail lights of the car.”

ROBBERS RETURN PAPERS. NO ARRESTS YET EFFECTED. A package containing personal papers stolen from him by the armed robbers was returned to Mr. S. Henderson in the post on Tuesday. The papers were made into a parcel and wore posted in Auckland. The wrapping of the parcel is in the hands of the police. Only one word was written in the address on the package, the remainder being typed. So far no arrests have been effected.