WOMAN KEEPS 20 POLICE AT BAY.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3531, 20 July 1920, Page 6

WOMAN KEEPS 20 POLICE AT BAY.

BOILING WATEE BATTLE How a woman fought two bailiffs and twenty policemen with boiling water, a poker, heavy tools, and other weapons in defence of her furniture has just been told in the police court at Philadelphia by a number of mattered constables. The scenes they described might have been taken by the passers-by for the rehearsal of a knockabout film comedy. Tailing to obtain payment by instalments on goods supplied to a lusty Irishwoman, Mrs Ellen Gallagher, a local furniture' company sent, two bailiffs with a writ to seize the contents of her flat.

Mrs Gallagher refused to open the door to the bailiffs'' summons, and poured scalding water on the unhappy men through the skylight. They broke in the door, but were met in the passage by Mrs Gallagher, who. ignoring appeals to reason, counter-attack-ed ' with a poker, which she bent nearly double on one of their heads. The attackers retired and telephoned for reinforcements, who arrived in ihe shape of twenty policemen in a patrol wagon of the type familiar to kinema patrons. Tumbling out of the wagon in the best kinema style, the constables dashed up the stairs into the fiat. Mrs Gallagher promptly bombed them out with two large jars of turpentine. The attackers were unsupported by artillery, but launched a fresh assault. They were mej, by two large monkey wrenches, one of which removed most of one policeman's teeth. At the same time a stream of "liquid fire.", in rhe shape of boiling water, spread dismay among them.

But a third attack, which included a flanking, movement: through a neighbouring flat, was suceessfulc Four large '-policeman held Mrs Gallagher down, while the remainder of the forte removed the furniture,. Then the stil unsubdued "garrison'/, -was bundled into the patrol wagon, -which having .deposited the "wounded/' at Mount Sinai Hospital, cdnarsyed her to a cell