A DECK PROWLER

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9794, 18 October 1917, Page 5

A DECK PROWLER

INCIDENT ON THE MAORI

EXCITING CAPTURE BY TWO PASSENGERS. An exciting incident early on Tuesday morning broke the calm of the ferry steamer Maori’s passage from Wellington to Lyttelton. Passengers who wore sleeping quietly were aroused by noises of conflict. Hurrying out of their cabins, they found a number of men endeavouring to pin down an early-morning prowler whose actions had been suspicious. Robberies on ferry steamers (says tho Christchurch “Sun”) have been reported from time to time, and so any furtive prowler about the decks lays himself open to very strong suspicions if ho happens to be seen. Still, when a man wandered down into the engine-room of tho Maori very early this morning, ho was taken to be only a sleepless passenger smitten with a desire to see how the machinery worked. Ho was politely requested to leave, but he had to bo almost literally chased away. Incidentally, ho nearly became entangled in some of the machinery. A little later the same roan was seen on deck. When two of tho passengers—Messrs Sanderson ano T. Brown (the latter a returned soldier) —noticed him throwing jewellery overboard, they remembered stories of ferry-boat robberies, and recalled tho fact that between tho hours of 1 and 3 a.m. it is not particularly difficult for a man to go in and out of some of tho cabins. So they decided upon notion. Brown took up a strategic position behind tho curtain behind tho doorway of one of the cabins, and when the prowler got near enough tripped him up in the curtain. Then began a violent struggle. Tho chief officer, a couple of sailors, tho steamer’s nightwatchmian, and four or five sailors reached the scene of strife in a hurry, and piled themselves on tho lonodianded struggler against odds. After a sharp contest, they got the man pinned down. Handcuffed and ironed, he was then placed in the stewards’ lavatory for safe keeping. However, the struggle on deck had not taken all the light out of him. Ironed as lie was, he managed to smash everything breakable in his place of confinement, including the glass-pared door, and to wrench off the brass fittings in the place. When the Maori got inside Godley Head Captain Manning signalled tor the police. Nearing the wharf, the vessel wa s hovc-to, with an anchor down, a short distance from tho wharf, to await the Arrival ol the police officers. Senior-Sergeant Jackson and Constable D. Lloyd went off to the vessel, and after another struggle they got the man ashore and up to the Lyttelton Police Station. He was a steerage passenger, but he refused to give his name or to answer any questions. However, after looking up some police records and photographs, Detective Quartermain Identified him as Victor Fanning Fraser. Ho is a man of about sft lOin in height, strongly built, and apparently between 27 and 30 years of ago. Some jewellery and other identified articles, said to belong to seven or eight different people, were found in his possession. In consequence of the developments, a search was made in the engine-room of the Maori, and some more jewellery was found hidden there. So far as can bo gathered, about six saloon cabins and an equal number' of steerage cabins had been visited lyInquiries by the police have not been completed yet, and the total value of the missing jewellery Is not ascertainable at present. Later in the morning, Fraser, who was in a very dishevelled state, appeared before Captain Hatch well, J.P., in tho Police Court at Lyttelton. He was charged with theft of a gold bangle, a gold chain and charm, and a gold brooch, of a total value of £9, the property of Mary Hune. He was remanded until Thursday. Other charges probably will ho preferred against him. THE ROBBER CONVICTED. Press Association, CHRISTCHURCH, October 17. At the Lyttelton Police Court to-day Victor Stanning Fraser, , who wa s arrested on tho ferry steamer Maori yesterday morning, m exciting circumstances, appeared to answer several charges of theft of jewellery, etc., belonging to passengers of tho Maori. The police stated that Fraser had been JDomvScted of assault at Wellington, and had been granted probation. Mr Donnelly, for The defence, stated that Fraser wa s a returned soldier, having been discharged from active service ow-ing to sunstroke. Ho was of opinion, in view of the miscellaneous articles stolen, that Fraser was still suffering from’ the effects of sunstroke. , , . Fraser wa s convicted and sentenced to three months’ hard labour in eaclT case, th;S sentences to be concurrent.