DESPERATE DUAL

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 81, 26 November 1931, Page 7

DESPERATE DUAL

GARAGE PROPRIETOR DISTURBS BURGLAR AT WORK. A TRE ACHEROU S SHOT. SYDNEY, Saturday. A dramatie gun and revolver duel was fought out between a burglar and ,a garage proprietor1 at Maroubra early to-day. Mi\ Albert Edward Clarke, J.P., owner of the Manor Mount Garage, Maroubra Bay Road, armed with a .22 rifle, fired at, and wounded the intruder, who, in turn, twice fired at Clarke at point-blank range, with what is thought to be a ,32-calibre reyolver. The burglar escaped in the globm chased by several residents. Clarke, who sleeps on a balcony at the rear of his gr.rage, was awakened by a tapping noise coming from the vicinity of li'.s office. He grabbed his gun, tip-toed downstairs in his pyjamas, and, going down a lane at the side of the garage,. found the front roll-shutter door open about three feet. Telling the story of what followed, Clarke said: "I could hear someone trying to force open the till in the office. I shodted, 'Who's in there? Come out at once!' "He came out, and I said, Tut your hands up.' . , "The burglar walked about five -yards towards the bowser, but, instead of putting up his hands, he pulled out a revolver. and fired pointblank at me. The bullet whizzed past my ear. "Oh, I'm Hit!" "He again pointed the revolver at me as if to fire a second time, but I raised my gun to my shoulder and let drive at him. He yelled out, "Oh! Oh! I'm hit!" "He appeared to vstagger back and collapse on to a box placed near the petrol pumps. "He sprawled across this, moaning and saying again and again, 'You've shot me!' "I moved forward to see if he was shot, but as I advanced the treacherous dog rolled oVer and fired at me while lying on his_ back. "The bullet missed me, but entered a paling fence of a cottage adjoinirig, splintering it. "I then let him have another bullet, which I think must have hit him, though the light was had. "He then got up and ran, staggering down the road, and disappeared in the darkness. "In the excitement I may have fired another shot at him, but I forget. If my English sheep dog, 'Paddy,' had been in his usual spot — sleeping in the garage — he would hever have entered, but 'Paddy' was off the chain last night."