AFFRAY IN BANK

Taranaki Daily News, 22 November 1930, Page 7

AFFRAY IN BANK

WOULD-BE ROBBER SHOT CLERK SERIOUSLY WOUNDED INTRUDERS BRAVELY MET i ONE SHOT WHEN BOLTING BODY HURLED FROM A TAXI By Telegraph—Press Assn— Copyright. Rec. 8.15 p.m. Sydney," Nov. 21 A sensational shooting affray culminating in the. death of a would-be bank robber occurred at the Alexandria branch of the English, Scottish and Australian Bank just before mid-day today. Henry Hodgkinson, the bank tellwas also shot in the face and is in a serious condition.

Hodgkinson, aged 24, was alone in the bank when a man entered and asked to be directed to a certain street. Simultaneously the telephone bell ijnng. Hodgkinson turned round to answer it when a second man entered the bank and covered him with a revolver. Hodgkinson dived his hand into his pocket" for his revolver when ho was shot at point blank, the bullet entering the chin, Undaunted, he spiartly drew his own revolver and fired on his adversary as he was rushing out of the bank. The bullet apparently found its mark, as the victim, shot through the head, was later found dead. There were eye-witnesses of the hold-up and the men’s escape from the hank. Three are believed to have been concerned, including the man who asked about the street. They rushed to a waiting taxi-cab, one bleeding profusely from his head wound. His confederates helped him into the vehicle. A police detective with surprising celerity was hot in pursuit. He traced the taxi-cab to the suburb of ,Maronbra, headed it off and commanded the driver to surrender, which he did. The driver ..was arrested. The oody of the gunman had been hurled from the taxi during the police pursuit. Two confederates left the taxi in the suburb of Maroubra, scaled the fences and eluded capture, despite the fact that the police were near enough to shoot, them. Their revolvers, however, failed to act. ■/ The taxi-ca-b driver informed the pol-

ice that he was ignorant of the atvtpmpt to hold pp tlje bank. The' throe men engaged him without disclosing their mission. He heard shots at the bank and then the three men rushed into his cab and told him to ‘‘drive like hell.” When soqie distance. ( away lieheard a voice inside the cab say: “Ho is dead; we had better dump him. It was apparently referring to the shot companion. The body was thrown into a lane in South kandwick. Later when the driver saw the police overtaking him he stopped the car, making the excuse to the men inside that his petrol was exhausted. ' A later message say£ the (lead wn has been identified as Edward Coghlan, aged 2'B, a native of Ireland ami a I° T " mer driver of a Yellow taxi. He resided at the Forest Lodge suburb. His jugular vein was severed by the bullet. “ ’ ‘ '

Hodgkinson is reported to be making a good recovery.