Daring Hold-Up In Grandview!

I was researching something this morning and came across the following story from “The Vancouver Daily World” of 10th January 1910 which illustrates what parts of Grandview and Vancouver were like at that time:

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“A daring attempted holdup was made on a laundry driver Saturday night at 6 o’clock, when three men pointed three revolvers at S. Robinson and ordered him to hold up his hands. The driver’s presence of mind stood him in good stead, and whipping his horse, drove off at a furious gait amid a fusilade of revolver shots.

The driver was accosted by three masked men as he was proceeding along Third Avenue, Grandview. Robinson had been delivering parcels in the 1900 block when he saw two men approach the rig while another stood on the sidewalk about 10 feet away, also flourishing a gun. As soon as he found out the nature of the visit, Robinson drew his whip and applied it stealthily to his horse with good effect. A secfond command to stop was given which was also unheeded. Then the three opened fire on the wagon and its single occupant. Two bullet holes, one below the driver’s seat and the other in the side of the cover, remain to show what a close call the driver had and the desperate characters implicatedair.in the affair.

At the time of the attempted holdup Robinson had $87 on his person, much of it in silver. It is evident that the would-be highwaymen had been following the movements of the rig and its driver for some time, as at this particular point most of his parcels had been delivered and consequently he carried more money. The point of the hold up is at a dark place on Third Avenue, and is frequented by pedestrians but very little.

Owing to the darkness and in his hurry to escape, the driver was unable to learn much regarding the description of the men. He states that the three men are of medium height and build, while one of the men wore a brown slouch hat. Later on in the evening as Robinson was finishing delivering his load of laundry on Park [Commercial] Drive he saw three men who looked very much like those implicated in the attempted holdup get into a buggy and dfrive rapidly down Park Drive towards Venables Street.  Owing to the snow, which was falling thickly at the time, Robinson was unable to state whether the rig turned east or west when reaching Venables.

Within twenty minutes the police were at the scene of the holdup, and although they searched the neighbourhood thoroughly, no trace of the men could be found … The theory advanced by the police is that a band of desperate characters are camping in the vicinity of the city in Hastings making nightly visits to the city while they spend the day in seclusion in the fastness of the forest somewhere in Hastings townsite.

This is the fourth occurence of this nature within the city within the past three weeks.Two were unsuccessful, while $8.75 were taken from a young man on Victoria Drive under a street light last month, and more recently two masked men succeeded in robbing a street car conductor at the point of revolvers at the terminus of the Powell Street line last week.”