MOTOR BANDIT HUNT

Southland Times, Issue 19293, 11 July 1924, Page 11

MOTOR BANDIT HUNT

DARING LONDON ROBBERY, £BOOO NECKLACE STOLEN, WEST END SENSATION. Motor bandits! An £BOOO jewel theft from a Bond Street shop! An exciting chase by police in a taxi-cab and private motorists! Escape of the thieves in the crowd, after they had abandoned the car: These exciting incidents gave the West End the most exciting five minutes it has had for many a long day, says’ the London Daily Chronicle. Events happened so swiftly, so dramatically, and so unexpectedly that some people who were passing by the raided shop at the moment stood interested and silent on the pavement, believing that they were watching a scene in a film play. Ten o’clock had just struck when a sixseater Ford motor-car drove slowly up Bond Street from Piccadilly. It stopped outside the premises of Messrs Harman and Co., Ltd., jewellers. The driver remained at the wheel and a man who was with him jumped out, knocked a piece of glass out of the shop window, helped himself to a diamond necklace worth £BOOO, and took his seat again in the car. The car was then immediately driven at a furious speed toward Oxford street. All this happened in less than one minute, and by the time the alarm had been given the car was well on its way. But before it turned to the left, making for Dover street by way of Grafton street, police-constables were following in a taxicab. Then the real excitement began. Although it was still early, Bond street was fairly full, and the chasing police shouted and blew their whistles continuously, to clear a way through the traffic. Several private motorists joined in the pursuit, and the pavements were crowded with people who gathered from all directions to assist in the hunt for the fugitive car. The thieves reached Dover street, but outside the Tube station they must have realised that further flight by motor was impossible. The policeman on point duty had blocked the exist into Piccadilly with traffic, so that it was impossible for them to make further progress without capture. The two men decided to abandon the car and, alighting, they made a wild dash for freedom on foot. In the crowded streets they were quickly lost to view. It is believed that one of them actually escaped into Dover street Tube station hurrying into the first train wihout risking the delay of buying a ticket. ALL OVER IN A MOMENT. The first act in this extraordinary drama was watched by James Hooper, a newspaper seller in Bond street, whose stand is almost opposite Messrs Harman’s shop. “The car approached the shop from Piccadilly,” he said. “It was just after 10 o’clock. It slowed up as it came near the shop, but I do not believe it actually stopped. The man with the driver jumped out and made a hole in the circular window near the shop door with what appeared to be a muffled hammer. It was a very soft blow. I heard the smashing of glass, and a second later the man was back in the car, which tore up Bond street at a great speed. • “This happened so quickly that no one could realise that thieves were at work until it was all over. I have never seen anything happen more suddenly. People who were passing by at the time did not know of the theft until they saw the hole in the glass and the assistants rushing out for help. By that time the car was almost out of sight. The police followed at once, rushing after the car in taxi-cabs, and everyone in Bond street seemed to be tearing after the car as well. They were too late, however, to do anything, for so quickly had the thieves done their work that they had vanished before the asistants in the shop were able to get out.” On the Piccadilly side of Messrs Harman’s is the shop of Messrs Savory, cigarette manufacturers, and on the other side of the premises of Cartiers, jewellers. At neither establishment was anything known of the robbery until the penetrating call of police whistles was heard. An assistant in Messrs Savory’s shop stated that he did not know that anything unusual had happened until he heard the whistles. A porter afterwards found a hammer which the thief had dropped in his hurry. It is small enough to be put inside a woman’s handbag. SPYING OUT THE LAND. It is believed that the thieves have been in Bond street on several occasions making notes of its possibilities for criminal purposes. One of the commissionaries employed by Messrs Laclocbe Freres, jewellers, whose shop is on the opposite aide of the street, recognises the Ford car as one which he saw in Bond street the previous day. He noticed the occupants, whom he thinks are the men responsible for the burglary at Messrs Harman’s. At the time of the theft a large quantity of valuable jewellery and plate filled the windows of Messrs Harman’s shop, and it was probably the intention of the thief to take much more than was actually taken. The whole was sufficiently large to admit of a man’s arm. A £lOOO reward was offered on behalf of Lloyd’s underwriters for the arrest of the thieves and the recovery of the stolen necklace. The necklace consisted of 43 diamonds with silver mount and “cut down” settings. The centre diamond and pendant diamond each weigh about 11 carats. The other diamonds are graduated from the centre and weigh from seven to 60 carats. The total approximate weight of the necklace, which is valued at about £BOOO, is 120 carats.