BATTLE WITH BANDITS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 5, 31 December 1912, Page 8

BATTLE WITH BANDITS.

ROBBERS IN POSSESSION OF 20,000 CIGARS.

After a fierce fight with revolvers a band of armed motor-car robbers have been laid by the heels in the little French village of Charably, Seine-et-Oise. Late at night five mysterious individuals drove up, in a fine motor-car, to the door of the solitary hotel. As it was known that large quantities of cigars and, tobacco had been stolen in the district recently by men in a grey motor-car, the proprietor notified the police. In the small hours a formidable l>ody of policemen entered the little hotel, revolvers in hand; but the strangers were already on the alert. There was a noise of windows being thrown up, and in a moment the five suspects were in the street. Revolvers on ■ both sides began to .peak, and soon the whole village was in an uproar. Arming themselves with whatever weapon was nearest to their hands, the villagers joined the police in the pursuit of the fugitives, four of whom were finally arrested after a fierce struggle. The fifth escaped.

In the back seat of the car were four overcoats, from the pockets of which the police extracted revolveis loaded with doft-nosed bullets, poignarda, and bags of pepper. Beneath the overcoats, and concealed by them, were bucklers in sheet metal, such as have" been suggested for the use of the police against bandits. It appears that the bandits have themselves adopted this form of defence. On lifting up the seat of the car the police found that the space beneath was completely filled with stacked boxes of cigars, the total weight of which was close on 3001 b. It is uncertain if these 20,000 cigars represent stolen or smuggled goods. If the latter, the duty would have amounted to close cn £SOO. To all questions put to them, the men opposed a stubborn silence. Latei in the day, heavily manacled and under a strong escort of police, they were transferred by motor-cars to the police station at Neuilly-en-Thelle.