BESIEGED IN SHED

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 528, 4 December 1928, Page 7

BESIEGED IN SHED

BOY FIRES ON MASTERS DISLODGED BY FUMES (Special to THE SUNJ NEW PLYMOUTH, Monday. A 14-year-old boy, a boarder at the New Plymouth Boys’ High School, armed with an air rifle and an oid sports revolver, kept at bay his school fellows and masters and two policemen on Saturday evening, until driven from his hidingplace by ammonia fumes. Twc shots only were fired, both fortunately going wide. The air rifle belonged to one of the ooys at the school and was removed n Sa.urday morning. It was later discovered that the revolver and a quantity of ammunition, belonging to -he school, was also missing. A fellowboarder saw the boy with the weapons and threatened to inform the principal. Evidently afraid of the consequences, the boy hid in the wirc-less shed His hiding place was discovered by a prefect, who tried to induce the boy to come out. The latter, however, threatened to shoot, end when the eadmaster, Mr. W. H. Moyes. came on the scene, actually fired a shot. Constables O’Neill and Palmer were then summoned. The fumes of a bottle of ammonia thrown through the window soon brought the boy out of the shed, bui not before he had fired another shot, as harmless as the first. He was taken into custody, and will be examined medically. Although net entirely normal, the boy had never given the school authorities any anxiety previously.