FATAL DUEL IN BANK

Taranaki Daily News, 4 December 1930, Page 6

FATAL DUEL IN BANK

BANDIT SHOT BY TELLER - - • AMERICAN CRIME METHODS. 'EXCHANGE OF REVOLVER SHOTS. Sydney,.Nov. 24. According to , all ■ accounts purely American methods were used by the three bandits who raided the Alexandria branch of the English, Scottish- and Australian Bank on Friday last. That they failed to make a big haul of the thousands that were in the bank for pay day in this big industrial suburb, was due to the bravery of the young teller, Mr. H C. Hodgkinson. • In true Chicago style Patrick Coughlan, the bandit who received fatal injuries, did not give the usual .order for “Hands Up” before he fired at the teller. Three men went to the bank shortly after 11 o’clock in a taxi-cab. .The taxi remained some distance from- the . entrance to the bank and the men alighted. Coughlan was the only man to.enter the bank. The teller at the time, was countin" the cash and- there was no one else behind the counter. Just after Goughlan made his appearance the telephone rang. The teller turned to answe'r. it, and”as he did so Coughlan fired the shot from a small revolver. ‘ The teller received a serious wound in the jaw and blood began to pour down his Clothes. He ; grasped the counter-and although he was suffering terrible pain his hand . went quickly to his hip pocket and he drew a revolver. With a sudden movo that seemed to surprise the bandit he raised the revolver: and fir.ed- pointblank at the intruder, inflicting a fatal wound. BANDIT. STAGGERS TO THE TAXI. Coughlan then '.staggered out- of the building and was taken in charge by his two comrades Who were, waiting, not for.' this, but for the money which they expected to bo the reward of .Cougnlan's daring. The teller’s aim had been sure, for as he reached his comrades Coughlan collapsed, and had to be carried along. He was taken ,to the taxi-cab. ‘'His head was sagging,” said an eye-wttneSs of this' portion of the occurrence. “He had a nickel revolver in his hand, and . I thought he was going to fall at .toy moment.. When he reached the taxi lie fell forward as he tried to enter. The other men then helped him in. and tne car was driven away at a great pace.’’’ Despite his severe injuries Mr. Hodgkinson insisted on iriforining the ' head office of his bank before he would ibave the premises. He «said he- was ‘ determined to see another man in charge before he/would go' to /hospital. -However, he was bleeding profusely arid, rt was realised that he would., not live long unless he . received- immediate, treat.uent. So the. police took , charge of the bank. In the meantime word of the-“hold-up” had been sent to the police’headquarters, and the-police patrols were-'sopn on the. scene,., -. Then followed an intense search for tho taxi-cab, the number of which' had 'been noted. By-streets in all the suburbs were searched without result. .Then,/an, hour and. a-half after the “hold-up ’'rhe car*was.sighted.'.by the-police alongside' some . scrub in /the outer suburb of Maroubra.- ; Close by Coughlan was found dead.' By that; time the taxi .had dis-: appeared and the frantic search for it was cqn ti nu?d. ' ■-. ~ MISHAP TO POLICEMAN'S REVOLVER The '•'patrols- moved along every' .street and filially, ; iri another suburb, /Sergeaai Frost sa\v the wanted car pulled up X>n the side--of; a. road. . What followed: >vas even more amazing than what had pre-< ceded. YAs soon-ri"s he appeared on the' scene Sergeant Frost saw two .men hurriedly leave the car. . Calling on the other police who were with him he gave chase, The men were fleet of foot, and after they had gone 100 yards or so the sergeant called on the men to stop, failing which he' would tire. _ 1 , Both meu then swung round wjfh revolvers levelled. For. some reason they did not . fire. Sergeant-Frost, however, -,pulled the trigger of his revolver, but the .weapon jammed. Sergeant Frost, caiinot understand why the. men'lie was chasing did not fire, and.he thinks .thiit something must have happened to their revolvers, too. “I would have got them both if ray pistol had been in .order,'- fie said later. “But. 1 am sure they would have got me-if they could have fired.” The chase -after the men continued for some time, but without success. The police say that they know at least one of the bandits. They .have been considerably hampered in their inquiries by the. fact that Coughlan was lot known to them, as a criminal. His body has remained . unclaimed at the city morgue-'ever/since the tragedy,-and today he 'was buried by the.’,Btate as a pauper. His? haunts were not known, and although the police have combed the under.wpr-ld they, ri°t been sucCbsst ful in discovering anyone who.knew Mu. The taller ; :of the two desperadoes was seen on Saturday ■ afternoon and 40.-de-tectives and : police were engaged m a chase which - led them through an. old city 1- junk yard, where 'the fugitive had evidently been in hiding. The man’s amazing agility, however, permitted him to escape.... ~ •' •• ( ■'. J/.'.:..' / DETECTIVES’ FRUITLESS SEABtH. ;

It.was during the progressjp’f i ain mtensjve, search the,t several detectives became aware that . one of the elusive criminals was in hiding iq the junk yard They-rushed the place and found themselves confronted with all sorts .of obstacles. The man had' certainly chosen his,hiding place carefully. At theu'ront there 'was a . high- concrete wall, Whose only ’aperture?— a.do'yble door, a small door, and two windows—are' amply I i'utc ted against intruders. Inside there is a remarkable collection of rubbish. Al--though the- place was surrounded the man .made good his escape and has not since .been seen. . : 1.." -'- , The . second bandit, who .’is still at large, is a short, nuggety fellow and he ha? been “in smoke”' since the the ‘ffiold-up,” - The detectives say /that they .arft'.bound to find the tall man -in the course of a'' few days, They are well armed, for they know tfie nature of thp.mari they re seeking and. over, the.ir, revolvers have b?en carefully eamroihed'and' pronounced to be ;in good order. ; . MR. HODGKINSON COMMENDED. Mr. Hodgkinsop, the bank teller,, whose age is 24, ig progressing, favourably in a private hospital. .His bravery and devotion to duty ip £iyh‘g the alarm, although he was badly, injured, n ere commended'by the Commissioner of Police, Mr. . Childs,- who congratulated the manager, of the. bank on having, such an officer on his staff. ’ • .■■■■ , ... “Although?.it, was apparent, that .. hq robber-intended to kill, hi in iwjthdutqqar--ter, the teller made no attempt-, to avoid him,’* -said Mr. : Childs. “His bravery in intercepting his armed attacker, in spite of his .wounds, set an example to all men In' - , similar positions. -Even when he-had driven thf robbers a why. he telephoned the police and his office first, without’.thinkihg of'his,'severe wound'.”