A RAND SENSATION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10963, 4 May 1907, Page 1 (Supplement)

A RAND SENSATION.

ATTEMPT TO HOLD UP A BANK.

DISTURBED AT LUNCHEON.

Apropos of a cablegram which appealed on 20th March of an attempt to h >Id up the National .Bank m Johannesburg, the following ' graphic description from an African paper will.be of interest:— Shortly after, l o'clock a desperate attempt was made to hold up the branch of the National Bank, at the corner of Harrison and Kerk strets. .One o'clock had gone by, "and the luncheon cars, to Braamfontein had passed, and the street was rather quiet, when suddenly shot after shot rang. out, and' people m the houses close by rushed, terrified, to the doors. The shots were soon located, and the crowd gathered dismayed around tbe doors of the unpretentious building which serves the purpose of a bank. Not since the attempt to hold up the branch of the A.B.C. -Bank, m Commissioner' street; has such a crime been perpetrated, and, indeed, Johannesburg has been remarkably free from those daring criminal exploits, which were, rather frequent before and immediately after the war. '.-.'"..•; ' -V.

It appears that the Detective Department had been warned of the contemplated robbery, as Inspector Vachell, Detectives Shearer, Nolan, Hill, and Probationer Macphersbn had the bank under observation. They commanded the front and back doors. As the minutes sped by, the detectives began to doubt the accuracy of their information, but, at twenty minutes past one o'clock they noticed two men walking up* the passage to ihe back door of the* bank. The inspector at once made his ' dispositions tg prevent escape .through any mother entrance. The two men walked into bank, ana Detective Hill led the officers through the back door. ... The robbers, at the noise .of the opening of the door .behind them-, turnecT sharplyT • round, and recognised that they were trapped, and, m a flash, one of them, whose 'name has been ascertained to be Newriian, whipped, out his revolver, and fired point blank, at Hiil Tfife bullet, wbich was a .45, fired out of a large Webley, went throughvthe right shoulder, fracturing :it badly. ! Theposition had become critical, as both burglars had their out. • Inspector Vachell, whose soje weapon, waß an ordinary walkirig-cane, rushed at Newmari. Three or foiir shots Vwere fired, .and Newman turned and. demanded the baak teller, Mr M'Millan, to "hands up," at the same time pointing! his revolver : at him. . M'Millan, who was on. the alert, raised his-., revolver and fired,! a buliet, which entered Newmans, jaw, passing out of the back of the. head. M'Millan probably saved his life by, his promptness. The other robber, who gave the name of George Brown, , ceased., firing when he saw his comrade .wounded. His weapon was a small Webley, and had three. , cartridges ; discharged. Brown was handcuffed, and taken at once to Marshall square station.! Detective Hill arid Newman we^e sent without delay to the hospital. Detective Shearer, although armed with \ revolver, did rot draw it. He picked np a piece of wood, arid hit the robbers on the arms, making the bullets miscarry., -It w&s n desperate situation for a few moments, and the detectives acted with great codl-nessf.-.v ;,'

Lat^r accounts state, that the bank where the attempt . took place is at the corner of Harrison and Kerk streets, the public eritrarice being at the angle facing the cross roads. The building- runs parallel with Harrison-street, and the main entrance gives access to the pubic counter and tells' boxes, which occupy the whole width of the building. At lbs end^ opposite the main, entrance, are tv;u doors, both givirig access; to the manager's room, one being accessible to the public, and one. only to the officials of the bank. ,- Beyond the manager's _obm are two. sleeping apartments, used by the officials \of the bank, and one of f.hese doors Opens out to n --arrow pass.iqe, which runs the whole lengoh of iv.* fcnilding, and opens out into Kerk street On the other side of the- pas .*ge, n[)posite to the entrance l<, tlie sleeping roa*>r.& mci tioned^ is a small 6'ut-house, m which the detectives were concealed. It ap. pears that the robbers tried the door of this place before they attempted to eater the bank, and, finding it fastened, entered the first sleeping room. .The detectives followed the two men, and it was at the door of the second sleeping room that one of the robbers turned and sho. Detective Hill, because, after firing ihe shot, he closed the door, separating himself and his companion from the officers, and proceeded on through the- manager's roorii, with the evident intention of t.t ttirig into the bank and holding up thf officials. He had, however, got no fcr ther than a couple of steps into .the manager's room when ' Mr , M'Millan's shot dropped him just by the side of A.i* Ferguson's desk. The detectives; by thi*--time, were close upon the bu_glars, and the second man was^arrested' close to the entrance to the public part of the battK premises. The mahager, Mr Ferguson, was sitting at his desk, reading some papers, when the intruders arrived, and some of the bullets which were flying about went unpleasantly near his seat Two shots, at least, were fired at Mr M'Millan, for the door between the manager's room and the bank bear the marks' of two .bullets, and Mr M'Millan fired at least three shots. - There are two bullet marks m the .wall a little' to tho right of the manager s office, and one cut away a portion Of the .'door 'lintel. Pre sumably, neither of these shots took effect on .the intruders. At the time the attempt took place there were six officials of the bank.' on the premises. ' On enquiry at the hospital, it was ascertained that DetectiveT Hill was shor through the upper part of the right arm. causing a compound .fracture. Newman was shot through the jaw,' and his condition is not sO. critical as was at fist concluded from the fact that when he was taken from the bank he was bleeding profusely.