HANDS UP! WHOSE THERE?

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2134, 28 April 1914, Page 5

HANDS UP! WHOSE THERE?

MASKED MAN WITH A REVOLVER

(By Teleerapu.-Press Auckland, April 27. . "Hands up—Who's there?", was the somewhat disconcerting greeting that Annie Elizabeth Godfrey, a resident on Hobson Street, got at the head of tlio stairs in her house about 6.30 p.m. on Saturday from a masked man who carried a revolver in his hand. Mrs. Godfrey's nerves, however, were proot against such trifling surprises, for recognising tho masked one as a man who rented a room in the house, she.lust pushed past him and went to tho Kitchen again. When she went to the- door to emoty tho teapot the man, with the revolver came behind her and stood over her but said nothing tho while.. When she returned to the kitchen tho masked face and hand clasping the revolver were thrust round the side ot the door. A silent rcconnaisance- ot the kitchen scene was mado by the masked man, but Mr. Godfrey serenely refused to transfer his interest from the evening paper -for any little interruption like that, and Mrs. Godfrey calmly proceeded with her preparation for the evening meal, so the masked menace withdrew, while Mr. and Mrs. Godfrey had tea and went out for .tho. evening. They returned home about eleven o'clock to find their lodger, Herbert Anderson, fast asleep on tho kitchen floor, with the revolver, loaded in two chambers, Iving beside him and a loose cartridge beside-the revolver. "We took the matter seriously then, explained Mrs. Godfrey to Mr. Cutteli, SM., to-day, when Anderson was charged with having been drunk and with having assaulted his landlady by pointing a revolver at her. Anderson is a stalwart young waterside worker. He got drunk on Saturday, he said, and remembered getting home to his room, but ho had no recollection at all of what happened afterwards. His Worship convicted Anderson and cautioned him to loave the drink alone altogether since it played such tracts with him. ,„,.,■ it Inspector M'Grath: "I think we had better keep tho revolver for the pre--sCHi's Worship: "Yes, you had better keep it altogether."