WOMAN DEFIES BURGLAR.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2407, 21 March 1922, Page 4

WOMAN DEFIES BURGLAR.

FACES GUN AND DAGGER. AGED MOTHEIt A SPECTATOR. Terrifying experiences that had almost a comical sequel befell Mrs Jones aged 80, and her daughter, Mrs Jenkins, wife of a Great Western engine driver, recently. Sitting together at their home in St. Edward’s Avenue, Newport, Wales, on a Sunday night, no other member of the family being home, the aged mother knitting, and her daughter reading, they heard noises in the kitchen. !

Mrs Jenkins' was assuring her mother that it could only be the cat when to -their surprise and alarm they saw the handle of the door turned, and there walked into the room a masked man heavily, armed. In his right hand he carried a revolver and in his left a .shining dagger. Keeping her presence of mind,. Mrs Jenkins demanded angrily: <r What do you want?” “I want money. I’m a desperate man,” the intruder replied. Mrs Jenkins calmly replied: “Well you will get none here. That is all the : iibhey I have,’’ pointing to 4d lying on the table. She, added :“My husband has gone out, and that is all he has left; you know what men are.”

“The intruder continued to ask for money,” said Mrs Jenkins, describing the incident later, “but by that time I was getting over the shock, and when I told hint it was no use, and that we had no money he put the dagger into his side pockety ppened the front door, and wetit down the street as fast as he could.”

Mrs J*nes, her mother, said it was enough to frighten anyone, because the fellow was waving the dagger about. “We did not know ■whether the revolver was loaded,” she said. “He was like one of those desperadoes, and talked as if lie would shoot us in a minute.” “He levelled the revolver at each of us in turn. He seemed to have terrible piercing eyes, and looked through you. He had dark hair, but we could not see his face .because of the mask.” “He had no money from us,” she said triumphantly. “Fourpenee was no good to him, and if my daughter’s husband^had been home, it would have been a poor look-out for him.” Police, having been told this story visited a restaurant, where they arrested a youth in whose possession they found a number of articles believed to be proceeds of previous burglaries.. He also had a revolver in his pocket. At the Police Court, which was cleared, the' arrested “man” was brought up later changed with house breaking. He then proved to be a youth of only 15 years and 10 months, named George Randall Gibson, a native of Mountain Ash. On account of his. age, he had to be tried in the Juvenile Court. He was Jfeavy in build and looked years ° l3er - v-,