GIRLS GRIP OF RUGBY

Hokitika Guardian, 25 January 1930, Page 3

GIRLS GRIP OF RUGBY

13ht THIEF BROUGHT DOWN

LONDON 1 , Dec. 4. Miss Margaret Oliver, an athletic young woman of 23, who chased three thieves, caught'one and threw him down by a Rugby .tackle round the knees, was warmly congratulated by Mr B. Harland, the chairman of the. Croydon Bench yesterday. “It was a vory plucky and courageous thing to do,” he said. One of the men in the dock remarked that Mi'S Oliver was very plucky to go after him. “It wa.s dark and I thought it was a man,” he said. The accused were; Eli Edward Walker, aged 40, labourer, of Adding--.ton-road, Croydon; William E, Scutt, aged 28, and Randolph S. C. Bradstock, aged 22, both of Old Town, Croydon. They wore charged ' with stealing eight fowls from Bagbie House, Haling P*.rk road, South Croydon.

Mi ! ss Oliver said that on Saturday night she saw three men in the chicken run at the house and when she called for help one of them tliiew something,soft in her face and pushed her aside.'

HIT AND KICKED. They rah away leaving eight dead fowls behind them. She continued:. I followed them over a wall and chased them across a field. I overtook one of them and tackled him round the legs and brought him to the ground. There we struggled and he kicked me on the shin and struck me; on the head with his fist. I continued to hold him until my brotliei and father came. Th.c men wefe each fined £3.

'There was a'further charge against Walker assaulting Miss Oliver but the chairman said it would be dismissed as the assault took place during Walker’s efforts to get away. NOT FAIR. TO PUNISH HIM.

Some surprise was expressed at the action of the magistrates in dismissing the assault charge. Miss Oliver however, said to a “Daily Mail” reporter afterwards that she had no desire to press that charge. “I was rather disgusted,” she said, “that the man’s, two companions did not return when I tackled him. I did not think it fair that the one ‘I caught should be punished more-, heavilv than the other two, il therefore indicated to the magistrate that I thought that the,man.hit me quite accidentally in struggling to get away.” Miss Oliver’s father ,said: “I am proud to have such a plucky daughter. Walker was a 13st man, and it must have been a beautiful tackle by means of which my daughter brought him down. Fortunately her .cry for help was heard by my younger daughter, who is only 16. Nevertheless she, went over the wall after her sister and the man and got there before I did. Mr Hartland, thq. chairman, said afterwards:—Miss Oliver told us that shethought it was an accident, and, in the circumstances and seeing that she was not seriously hurt, we dismissed the charge.