CHASE OVER ROOFS

Shannon News, 21 September 1926, Page 4

CHASE OVER ROOFS

POLICE AND BOYS After a thrilling and perilous chase over roof-tops two boys were arrested at. Surry Hills, Sydney, and charged with stealing. The chase was witnessed by a number of people, who were provided with many thrills. Several times a constable was about, to lay hands on! the lads, bub they dodged clear, Eventually they were cornered, and. seeing police waiting on the ground for them, decided it was useless to jump for freedom, and surrendered. For a long time past lead has been stolen from the. reefs of houses and factories in the Surry Hills district It is estimated that tons of the metaJ has been ripped from, house-tops, but for a long time no trace of the thieve* could be found. The' lead robbers paid particular attention to the factory occupied by Adams, cuk: manufacturer, in Oliver Street. /Boys were blamed for the thefts and they became so daring in the end that they stole lead while men wore working in the factory and carried it away in bags. . The other afternoon Constables McEntee, Campbell, and Lawless d:?covered three >oys climbing over the roof of Adams’ factory. Lawless', assisted by his ' mates, quickly climbed on top oi the and creeping toward the lads almost got up to them before they were aware of their danger. The boya saw the constable when he was a few feet away and made a wild scramble for safety over a sloping portion of ‘ the roof. Lawless set after them, and the roof shook dangerously. Exhibiting the agility of cats, the lads kept clear of Lawless for some time, and the constable risked a dangerous tall in his efforts to arrt-st them. After a- tiring chase he succeeded in running them to a corner of the roof, from .which they bad no chance of eluding him. One of them was on the point of making a risky leap to the ground when he saw idcEntee and Campbell below. The two lads surrendered to Lawless.

They found no way of reaching the ground from the postion they were in, and eventually a lorry had to be backed against the wail of tie factory, and they were lowered on to the hood. The boys were charged at the Darlinghurst Police Station.