NEWS BY MAIL.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 November 1927, Page 3

NEWS BY MAIL.

A POLICE EIGHT'. BERLIN, Sept. 7. Ihe Cassel police laid a desperate allmgiil iignt yesterday in the neighbouring village ol .Nleder-.Mollrich with a pai lien.arly quarrelsome young man ol Hi. Heinrich Clauss, an agricultural v.orker "ho "as for many years a policeman, had a violent altercation with his stepmother which attracted the neighbours and ultimately the local policeman, who attempted to restore peace.

This vexed the excited Clauss so much that he tetclied a rev -Ivei iiom his house ami fired point-blank at the policeman, who tell dead, shot ri_ln through the heart. T lie villagers threatened to lynch the murderer, hut lie escaped into his house a nit barricaded the doors and windows and threatened to shoot anyone "ho came too near. T he burgomaster and his ser.ant, accompanied by several other men, attempted to enter the house to aiiest Clauss, hut the. latter first fired all the bullets from his revolver and then appeared at a window with a rillo in his hand.

The proceedings had begun in the afternoon, and when it was seen that nothing could he done the burgomaster telephoned I’.r help from Cassel. Jon policemen hurried to the scene in motor cars, hut Clauss kept them all at bay with his rifle.

The police then began to fire at the windows, hut Clauss had barricaded himself in very thoroughly, leaving only loopholes for him to fire through, and no harm was done. THE ARAIOURED CAR.

By this time it was one o’clock in fimorning and the. tight- had lasted six hours. Then the police telephoned to Cossols for an armoured car and furl her help. In the meantime foresters and others who possessed rides kept op a continuous fire, hilt they only succeeded in breaking all the glass of the win dows.

At half-past two ail armoured cai arrived in which there were three machine guns. Tho captain in command placetl the car as near as p ssible to the house and called on Clauss to surrender. The latter replied with bullets frem his ride and revolver. The machine guns were trained on tho windows, and at last the fire from inside ceased. The police imagined that Clnvss had taken refuge in tho cellar, hut as they tried to force the front door they were again met with bullets, and the captain himself would have been shot had he not rushed liehind the car. The captain ordered a renewal of the onslaught with the machine guns, and also with hand grenades. Unfortunately. one of the latter was badly thrown and exploded in tho wrong place, injuring the chief of the police and six of his men. Finally, the police took up their courage and went so close to the house that they could fling hand grenades through the windows. The result was terrifying, The house took fire, hut the police managed to enter. They found Clauss blown to fragments !y the grenades. It was then seven o’clock in the morning.

COAITC INDIAN HOAX. BOArBAA'. September 7. A report, of a shower of pearls in a field 14 miles from Secundei'ibnd created great- excitement among the people of Secunderabad and Hyderati'd. the capital of the Nizam’s dominions. Rumour had it that after a heavy shower of rain beuntiful pearls, ranging in size from that of a peanut to a mustard seed, were discovered thickly strewn over parts of the field. Thousands of people flocked to the scene in motor-cars, on bicycles, and

on foot to gather the pearls and the police authorities sent a force to investigate. It is not known who was responsible for the hoax. The pearls turned out to he the eggs of some species of insect or reptile, very much resembling pearls in appearance but bursting on the slightest pressure. People who rushed to the spot ta enrich themselves brought away handful* of the eggs, and many lire still retaining them, refusing to believe that they are not pearls.