FIVE HOURS "SIEGE" ON. A ROOF

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3152, 2 August 1917, Page 7

FIVE HOURS "SIEGE" ON. A ROOF

ALLEGED ABSENTEE'S FIGHT WITH THE POLICE. A soldier who is said to have served two years in France, but is now allegedto be an absentee, withstood a five hours' "siege" on tho roof of a London house recently, and was only arrested after the local fire brigade had tuxn.ul two powerful jets if « - ater on him. During the tho police surroumding the house were bombarded with slates' and pieces, of a chimney pot, which the soldier smashed with a chopper. Early in the morning a police sergeant and several constables went to tho man's house to arrest him, but he ran to a disused bakery at the rear and .started to climb the chimney. Tho sergeant attempted to follow him, but was struck on the hand with the chopper, lor a while the soldier remained wedged m tho chimney, but eventually made Ins way to the roof, still carrying the chopper With this he proceeded to smash a chimney top, and with the pieces as well as slates torn from the roof pelted, the police surrounding the house -and the crowd which had by this time had gath"it 'was then decided to n-slc the nssist•rncp of the firo brigade, who came shortly after with their motor fire-eujpe. Ouicklv two strong lets ot water from different points drenched the soldier, and after a while Police-Sergeant Acott and other policemen, under the water uiir- „!,"' 'climbed to the roof [-ike he tuLv thev also wero drenched, but the SW and taken to the police Son strapped to an ambulance.