"I'll Surrender, Mister," He Said

NZ Truth, Issue 1208, 24 January 1929, Page 5

"I'll Surrender, Mister," He Said

HPHEjSE a'r'fe the ultra-sensational in--1 gredients of an extraordinary , night adventure at Newmarket., revealed m evidence, at the police court when William Alexander Higson, :l : seventeen-year-old youth, was cttarged and remanded on counts ot unlawful assault, terrifying a, girl,. and attempting to murder a' police-officer. Higson's arrest followed on reports which indicated a. modern reign of terror by night m Newmarket — Enoggera, district — reports of a prowling man, armed, menacing, and lying m wait for girls who, unescorted, might be finding their way home m the darkness. Higson sat m the dock, a youthful figure clad m grey. There was nothing of the desperado about his appearance. He looked like any well-behaved boy m his 'teens. The proceedings did not make him nervous; they seemed to bore him. In the court sat his mother anxious 1 and dim-eyed. She had known sorrow before when one of her boys was m camp at Enoggera about three years ago, and had been dashed to death when the horse he was riding bolted. And now; fre&h sorrow -was her lot. Her boy was arraigned on three charges involving his liberty. One charge was that he had attempted to kill Constable Morris, another that; he had gone armed m such a way as to cause terror to Esther Charlotte Nicholls, and a third that he had unlawfully assaulted Enid Maud Heal.' All eyes were turned on the dark, attractive, self-posse3sed and well-, spoken girl, Esther Nicholls; when she. took the witness- staiid. to tell her story of adventure by night m Bank Street. Sixteen , years of age, she gave her evidence With commendable poise,, telling how, when walking along the street, she heard the ominous footfall of a running man behind, her. She lodked around and, seeing a figure m the gloom .fast overtaking her, stepped aside to let him pass. But the pursuer ; was not intent on passing. When he drew level he threw his arm

GRABBED THREE Girls Allegedly Terrified by Youth At Night REVOLVER DUEL IN DARK

(From ' ' N.Z. Truth s Brisbane Representative.)

A girl's terrified screams for. help, a rush, dogs barking. A car races to a police station, and a posse searches through the bush. A quarry is sighted, there is a spurt, a revolver glistens and barks. A bullet nips the roadway at a constable's teet. More running and a man leaps into a ditch. Then a police torch flashes and, with arms raised, the hunted one says, "I'll .surrender, Mister." '

around her neck, pressed his hand over her. mouth, and, levelling a revolver at her temple, issued a cold command: "Come on! Down here you come, or I'll fire!*' Miss Nicholls related that m terror she struggled and fell to her knees, thus displacing his hold on her neck, arid releasing her rnolith • f rom °his hand. \ ...... . Plelp! Help!! Itelp!{! She screamed. Then, with a sob "of thankfulness, she. heard a man running towards her and she noted that dogs had begun to bark. v , ; ; . ■■.'■;'.•' Her assailant then, so she said, seized her by the waist and endeavored to drag her through a barbed wire

fence. But her calls had been heard, and a man came rushing up. Her attacker let her go, and rushed into the Undergrowth of a paddock. On to. the scene came John Daniel Heal, who helped the distressed girl to his house where his wife, and daughter ministered to her, while Heal got into hi.s car and went to the Newmarket police station^. There hfe promptly enlisted the help of Constable Morris and two other officers. Heal drove to the scene of • the hold-up described by. the girl, and they set to work to scour the bush. . .-, ■ The night was pitch dark, but; on the description of the wanted man obtained from the . girl, they soujyht i one m a "white shirt. The \ car was j driven over broken, bushy country,]

without result. ; The "headlights were on and a keen lookout kept, but not a trace was found, v. When the search was on the ■ verge of being abandoned a sudden mqvefnerit attracted attention. ■> The searching gleam turned on to a figure crouching m the bush»s some distance away. The man' rose and made off. Constable Morris and the others daßhed after him; • : \ ■■!■ These events were . related to the court by Constable Morris, m evidence, who went on to tell how he was graining ground on his quarry when the latter partly turned towards him arid a spurt of flame stabbed the night. A' report echoed and a bullet hit the gravel between the constable's feet, How he fired over the head of the fugitive, who still ran on; was then described, by Morris, who said that the runaway made three more pauses, levelling a weapon and making as if to shoot. . ■ No bullets emerged, and it was not until later that some flight was shed on the matter., . ; Continuing his evidence, Constable Morris told of slowly overtaking the fugitive, who stumbled and fell into a broken gully. Before he could properly recover himself, the constable was standing on the brink with revolver and torch, steadily covering him. j Into, the air went the man's hands as he gasped: "I'll surrender, Mister." . / Deftly Mbrris kicked away the revolver on the ground near him,' and slipped -handcuffs on the wrists of William Alexander Higsbri, son of re-; I epectable parents,, and recognized m I the locality as ■& decent lad. . • ■•• ■• ■ t Then Morris; told the court of a conversation with his prisoner. "What did you try to shoot me for? 1 * he asked. ' . "For grabbing- the girl to-night m Bank. Street." - Morris said that he asked Higson how many girls he had grabbed m Bank Street, and the latter replied, "Thras to be exaoi."