He was a short , spare man , wore a dark moustache , had a sallow complexion and dark , piercing eyes .sx He appeared to be a foreigner .sx He sported a heavy overcoat and a soft , " trilby " hat .sx The coat was buttoned closely and pulled well up above his neck , his hat being drawn down over his forehead .sx He was evidently making some effort at concealment .sx He was noticed to be taking great interest in the house where Mr. Sagouni lodged .sx As the day dwindled and the evening advanced he stationed himself almost directly opposite this particular house and scarcely moved from the spot .sx Ever and anon he cast rapid and furtive glances up and down the road .sx Two boys , playing in the road , had seen him and were wondering what he was " up to .sx " It eventually became quite dark , the rain ceased and a thin mist crept ghost-like about the houses in Nunhead Grove .sx But the vigilant stranger never moved from the one spot nor relaxed his interest in the house opposite .sx Presently and at long last the figure of a man could be seen approaching through the mist from the direction of the main road .sx The watcher caught sight of it , peered eagerly at it and suddenly became animated .sx Nearer and nearer came the figure , making toward the house opposite .sx It was that of Mr. Sagouni , who was returning from a committee meeting which had been held at the house facing Peckham .sx Rye Pond .sx Immediately the stranger had satisfied himself as to who the approaching man was , he thrust his hand into his overcoat pocket , seemed to grasp something , and then walked across the road to intercept Mr. Sagouni .sx When the latter had reached the gate of the house apparently he had not yet noticed the stranger , being deep in thought the other man whipped out a revolver and fired twice in rapid succession into the back of the Armenian revolutionary !sx Sagouni reeled round , caught sight of his assailant and doubtless recognised him as the mysterious passenger on the boat .sx Before he had time , however , to utter a word , the desperate man with the revolver fired three more shots at him .sx Mr. Sagouni then fell to the ground , and died soon after .sx The assassin cast his revolver into an adjoining garden , and as the cry of " Murder !sx " was raised , he dashed off along the road towards Nunhead Cemetery , leaving his " trilby " hat behind him on the ground .sx Bareheaded , he sped along at a breakneck pace until he reached the narrow lane which runs between the cemetery and the reservoir , through which he disappeared in the direction of Catford .sx Thus he effectually made good his escape .sx No doubt he had taken due note of his surroundings and arranged for this " get " .sx In the meantime the police had arrived on the scene of the murder .sx The dead man was conveyed to the Camberwell mortuary .sx Both the revolver and the hat left behind by the mysterious assassin were found to bear an American .sx maker's name , where there was in fact a branch of the Armenian Revolutionary Society .sx Inquiries were made and transpired that there were two rival branches of this Society , named respectively the " Hentchaks " and the " Alfarists" , and that the members of one had accused the members of the other of the misappropriation of revolutionary funds .sx This supposed corruption was being exposed by the Peckham branch in a paper of theirs known as The Hentchak , which in English means the Alarm Bell .sx It was also ascertained that the assassin was known as " Yorgie " , but this was believed to be an assumed name .sx The clues were vague and no arrest was made .sx It caused a good deal of excitement in the locality , as indeed it did throughout London .sx As may well be imagined , the revolutionaries at Peckham were in a constant state of apprehension , for the desperate assassin had escaped , and they knew only too well that if he got the chance he would " get " other members of their body .sx As a precaution therefore they arranged never to go out alone , and not to go out at all more than they could help .sx The house facing the pond became a house of dread .sx Their fears were not long in being fulfilled .sx On a certain day there was to be a general committee-meeting , at which important business was to be transacted .sx Before attending this they arranged to go out for an " airing" .sx Eight of them went out together , had their walk , and were on their way back to the house when tragedy descended in their midst .sx They were proceeding in the following order :sx Two , three and three .sx These detached groups had become somewhat widely separated by the time they had arrived within a few yards of the house .sx The middle group of the three consisted of Aram Gregorian , Tigram Izmiriam and Roupen Karapetian , all delegates from Russian Armenia .sx It was still broad daylight , in the middle of the after-noon in fact , and the three men had to pass a sort of yard , which was used by a small coal dealer .sx It almost faced the pond .sx Leaning on the side of a fence in this yard , and quite hidden from the view of the advancing revolutionaries , was a short , spare man , of swarthy complexion , who appeared to passers-by to be absorbed in the reading of some posters on an adjoining hoarding .sx Before the three men had had time to discover his presence , he had quietly taken out a revolver and fired several shots into their midst .sx So good had been his aim that all three simultaneously fell to the ground .sx This terrible assassin then walked up to two of them as they lay on the ground and fired again and straight at their heads , killing both instantly .sx One of them , however Karapetian was able to regain his feet and make off , thus escaping with his life .sx Shortly after he returned to the scene of the tragedy and fell weeping upon the bodies of his murdered comrades .sx " Yorgie Yannie " had once more appeared .sx The assassin , having so far accomplished his object , endeavoured to escape , but this time he was not so lucky .sx He was chased , and finding .sx escape impossible he turned his weapon upon him-self ; and committed suicide .sx He did it too in a most deliberate manner .sx In running he slipped and fell , dropping his revolver as he did so .sx He then calmly sat up , drew another weapon from his pocket and shot himself .sx His pursuers stood aghast !sx All three bodies lay on the ground not far from one another .sx It is safe to say that never before had Peckham been so disturbed and taken aback !sx This put an end to the Armenian revolutionary war so far as this country was concerned , for shortly after the survivors quitted the house at Peckham , and no more was seen or heard of them .sx All three bodies were buried in the picturesque little cemetery situated at the top of Peckham Rye , and known as Forest Hill Cemetery .sx This caused some dissatisfaction among the inhabitants , who objected to the assassin at least being interred in " consecrated " .sx But as we do not now bury at the crossroads with a stake , the bodies had to be deposited in an appropriate place and buried they were , where they will probably remain till the crack of doom .sx Now about the " Flying " , as it is called .sx There is an erroneous impression current to the effect that this body of men are engaged on one particular form of crime and nothing else .sx They are popularly supposed to be experts in running to earth crooks of the road , as it were , and that they occasionally perform feats similar to those which one sees depicted on the films in Wild West Dramas .sx This is quite wrong .sx As a .sx matter of fact they are employed to deal with all kinds of crime , just as other members of the C.I.D. are .sx The fact that they occasionally go about in high-speed cars , which are fitted with wireless , is a mere detail , an up-to-date detail if you will .sx At their head is a Chief Inspector , just as there is at the head of an inquiry into any criminal case of importance .sx The police have long since realised that one of the most important factors in the business of catching criminals is that of time .sx Just as the criminal also realises its importance in making his " get-away" .sx And , as I have already pointed out , it is the criminal who invariably " makes the pace " for the police .sx When the crook began to make use of motor cars the police had to follow suit .sx At one time the crook used to rely upon his legs to get him away from the scene of a crime .sx Occasionally he made use of a horse and cart .sx Once more we are called upon to recall the redoubtable Charles Peace , whose custom it was , it will be remembered , to make use of a trap and a fast-trotting mare .sx Both these methods of making a retreat have been superseded by the motor car , and fast ones at that .sx It would obviously be futile for the police to attempt to cope with such forms of crime as the " smash-and-grab " thefts , for instance , without their being equipped with cars .sx What earthly chance would they stand otherwise ?sx Even then they occasionally fail to make a capture .sx A rather amusing incident occurred in .sx connection with one of these " smash-and-grab " robberies which is worth recalling .sx A jeweller's shop had been broken into in this manner , and a large quantity of jewellery carried off .sx The window had been smashed in the usual way and the crooks had fled in a motor-car .sx They were not taken .sx The thieves in their haste had left behind some valuable diamond rings , which they had dropped and apparently had deemed it wise not to attempt to retrieve them .sx The proprietor of the shop , who evidently had a keen sense of humour , displayed these articles in the window afterwards exultantly , as it were , accompanied with a label which was inscribed , " Some of the things they did not take !sx " This must have got to the knowledge of the crooks concerned , who also must have been endowed with a pretty daring sense of humour , for they shortly after again visited the shop and took the other articles !sx " He laughs longest who laughs last !sx " It will be noticed how there are " runs " on this class of crime .sx Some time ago there was a perfect epidemic of " grab " robberies at sub-post offices .sx These have now waned , being succeeded by the kind just described .sx Then came a series of ladies' bag " grabbing " thefts , which are also already on the wane .sx Directly the police get a " grip " on them they dwindle and die out , giving place to something else .sx It is the swift movements of bodies of men like the group called the " Special Branch " which can alone effectively deal with such forms of thefts .sx One way in which the " Special " , with its speed equipment , can most effectively be employed is in dealing with contemplated burglaries some distance away .sx Acting on " information received " they can " anticipate " the cracks-men and make things very difficult for them .sx They are also able to follow suspects in motor cars and deal rapidly with thefts of motor cars themselves .sx Sometimes this becomes a contest of speed without any " limit" , when things become very exciting and the nearest approach to that Wild West chase so beloved of the film fan .sx But I am afraid even then it falls far short of the pictured and imagined version .sx It is merely an up-to-date version of the old-time chase when the cry was " Stop thief !sx " and everybody concerned " footed " .sx Now nobody would be so foolish as to run after a thief in a motor car , but are content to leave it to the police in another motor car .sx The latest development in connection with the general speeding up of police work in London is the erection of a number of police boxes all round the metropolis , which are fitted with telephones and from which communication can be made at once with either headquarters or to local stations .sx