A DESPERATE BURGLAR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 68, 16 April 1909, Page 4

A DESPERATE BURGLAR.

HOUSEHOLDER SHOT TWICE. A POLICEMAN'S PLUCKY FIGHT. REVOLVER DCEL IX OPEN STREET IN SYDNEY. An open window in the .second story and a ladder in the garden were the means by which John Frederick Crook, a young man of 23, gained entry to the re-idencc of Mr. Russell Sinclair] Ladorc, Caiabella-street, North Sydney, shortly before 5 o'clock yesterday'morning (savs Hie Sydney Morning Herald of April 2nd). Uefore sunrise yesterday morning then, occurred at North Sydney a succession of assaults as desperate as over happened in the State. During the course of it at least nine revolver shots were fired, four of them at arm's length or less. By sonie extraordinary luck the only result is a householder in bed with two bullets in his groin, but. -o far as was known yesterday, in no immediate danger; a constable with a badly battered head; and a man with tin', skin scraped by 'the constable's bullet from over his jugular vein, with charges hanging over his head for two attempted murders. •liisl before 5 o'clock yesterday morning a housemaid in Mr. Russell Sinclair's house, Ladorc, CarabcHa-stiecl, North Sydney, awoke. Her bedroom window was open. There was a tree growing in the garden just outside it. its branches reaching dose up lo the open window. She did not know what woke her, but

it was a sound of something falliii" softly—perhaps the sort of sound that some one would make jumping from those branches to the ground. THE NOISE OF A MATCH STRIKING, There was nothing in the noise to frighten lier. But she lay awake for a Uttle. As she lay there, she beard the town clock striking live. She was dozing off again when she heard a match struck. Across the passage leading past her liedrooin was the room of Mr. Sinclair's son, Eric. The match was struck in the boy's room. A few seconds later another match was struck in the passage just outside her own door.

The door was open. She called out, "Who's there!" There was no answer. She slipped into the passage. There, towards the further end of it, moving along the passage away from her, in thu dim light, she made out the figure of a man. She started to follo'w him. He immediately ran down the stairs at the end of the passage and disappeared.

Miss Emblin went to Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair's bed and called. Mr. Sinclair lea.pt out of bed. She 'told him in a sentence, and together they hurried downstairs.

"LET ME GO, I'LL 'SHOOT." The stairway vnds at the kitchen door. They looked into the kitchen, but saw nothing. They opened wide the door of it. A moment or two later, hiding behind the door by which they had entered, they saw a man. The man had evidently known nothing of the plan of the house. He had run I down the stairs into the dark of the kitchen, and, not knowing where 'to turn or where the outer door was, and hearing footsteps hurrying downstairs, had dodged behind the door. With the girl standing beside him, Mr. Sinclair grabbed the burglar. The man shouted, "Let me go; I'll shoot." Mr. Sinclair struggled 'with him. The man fired at once, lie fired three times in quick succession. His revolver cannot have been more than a few inches from Mr. Sinclair. One shot missed entirely. It is said that Mr. Sinclair had forced the man's wrist downward. The other shots entered Mr. Sinclair's body, one on each side of the groin. Mr. Sinclair hung on to him still, but the man prized him oil' and threw him aside. The second door, which Mr. Sinclair and Miss Emblin had opened in searching the room, still stood open. The man ran through, it and away. There he was lost sight of. "GET THE MAN!" Miss Emblin had been in the kitchen with the two men during the tussle. Just after it ended Mrs. Sinclair came down. 'Mr. Sinclair told her he -was shot. He managed 'to walk upstairs, and they put him to bed. The police and doctor were at once rung up. Plainclothes Constable James Charles Gates immediately got his Wcyelc and rode down t'o the house. Senior-constable Froeland and Constable McDonald followed on foot. What Mr. Sinclair said'when the police came was, "Get the man! Get the man." Constable Gates immediately rode to the

.Milson's Point wharf. While the constable waited there a boat came in from Lavender Bay. Nobody had seen Crook from the moment he bolted through the kitchen door, and it is not known what way he went. But in the nose of this boat was a man without a hat. The constable did not think this man was like the man 'who had been described to him at the house. Only he noticed his clothes were dusty. Also the burglar, whoever he was, had left a black hat behind 'him at Ladorc. Constable Gates was looking at him very closely. The man noticed this.

Though the constable wch in plain dollies the man appeared uneasy, and left the boat. He walked towards the railway station. Gates had strong doubts whether this was the man he was looking for, but he decided to find out who he was, so he followed. The stranger turned from the railway, up the steps, and out to the tram line. Gales walked after him.

The man walked up the hill to Camp-bell-street, and turned tho corner. Gates had noticed that all this time he had his right hand in his trousers pocket. Gates, too, bad a revolver in his trousers pocket. It struck him as tho man turned the corner that, now he was out of sight, it was a good opportunity to change it 'from his trousers pocket to his coal pocket. He did so. The man went up Jeffrey-street. Gates followed. DUEL AT POINT-BLANK RANGE. Just as they reached Fitzroy-street Gales caught him up. "Good morning," said Gates. "Are yon living here!"'

"No," said the man. "Where do you live'/" "City North." "What are you doing here?" "I'm going to see a girl. She works at Kirribilli." "What are you doing 'with that hand in your pocket?"

The answer came with a Hash—bang -at point-blank range. In the tunccoiiuta'ble way of revolvers the shot misled. The next inslant the constable fired, lie, too, missed.

The burglar turned and began to run. Gates ran after him. As they ran up the street they kept up a runaway light with their revolvers. Dates was not hit. but he himself managed to graze the burglar's neck. The B |,ot " actually knocked oil' a piece of skin covering the man's jugular vein. GATES MAGNANIMOUS.

Then followed an incident which on the .present showing can only be understood as redounding to the credit not only of Police-constable Gates, but of the whole force to which he belongs. The burglar's revolver had onlv six chambers. He had fired three at Mr. Sinclair before; and now he had fired three at the'constable, lie turned to lire ajrain as they ran. But the hammer clicked. The chamber was emptv.

Gates realised this the same 'instant. "His ammunition is gone," ho muttered to himself as he ran. He himself had only lired three shots. The other chambers of h : B revolver won still charged. "But I don'l want to take his life," he said. "It's me and .him for it." .He put his revolver away in his pocket, and ran for the man unarmed. After the desperate, brutal fight that followed the revolver was still in the pocket. Those chambers were-still undischarged. Where Jeffrey June joins Lewingtonplace they closed. They went down together, the burglar underneath, Gates on top with his hands locked on the fugitive's throat. Then the man did a thing that would seldom be done liv a, novice. Instead of flutehing at 'his throat to free it he held his revolver by the muzzle and dealt Gates a terrific blow upon the head 'with the butt end of it.

The constable felt the crash, and the blood came streaming -over iiis eyes. Thirteen times, according to the constable, the revolver was brought down upon his forehead. He might probably then have drawn his own revolver if he had had his full senses. But apparently, in the dazed condition in which these blows left him, the only idea that he properly realised was-that lie must hold on to the man's throat and .not let go at all hazards. THE CALL FOR HELP.

However, ho says that he began vaguely to realise that the strength tc

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hold his prisoner was going from hiin, and lie would soon iet go. He called "Help! Murder!" and the noise aroused the people in those parts. He saw windows going up in the houses all around. But it seemed an age before nnyont came to help him, In the meantime the burglar broke away at last. He ran into Jell'rey-lane. Gates chased him. The man tried to get into a gate. Gates came up and closed with him again. Again he tore himself free and ran. Still Gates followed. The man bolted towards Pitt-street, scrambled in at the front gate of one of ifche houses there, and ran down the stone stair front.

Here at last Gates caught him again. They grappled. The burglar was getting the better of it all the time, for the constable was badly hurt, covered with blood, and almost fainting. He could only hang on and call for help. EXTRAORDINARY SCENE.

An extraordinary scene followed—in daylight and in public. Help seemed, perhaps naturally, to the constable a long coming, and not very ample at that. At last, when a small number of civilians did approach, the burglar had so far got (he better of Gates, who was in plain clothes, that, though he could not push the constable away, he held hint oil' with one hand and, with the empty revolver in the other, covered the crowd. He would shoot the first man who interfered, he said. He again struck at Gates ■with the butt of the revolver. "Will you let me go?" he said. Gates did not answer, but still held on. One of the bystanders offered him some advice: ''Oct the hand with the revolver," he said. It was at this point that a young man, Reginald Trice, dressed only in his shirt and trousers hurriedly thrown on, came running up. He ducked under the burglar's arm, and with a third man to help them they handcuffed the burglar. The burglar afterwards said he regretted he had not killed Gates. CONSTABLE GATES PROMOTED. A cart came up. Constable Gates was taken off in it to Dr. Studdy's. Twentyone stitches were necessary before he was sent home to bed. His injuries arc serious, but not likely to be fatal. The inspector-General of Police promoted him from first-class constable to seniorconsta'ble. THE ACCUSING FINGER. IDENTIFIED AS NEW ZEALAND CRIMINAL. After his arrest Crook's finger-print impressions were taken and sent to the Detective Office. Five minutes later it was known to be identical with John Frederick Crook (or Crookc), a recent arrival from New Zealand, who had already been convicted live times for various offences.

Crook was liberated from Lyltolton gaol last November. Five years ago lie was "convicted of a serious eriu"', being sentenced to nine months' imprisonment for breaking and entering the premises of Warnock and Adkin, Lambton-qnay, Wellington, ami stealing £SO worth of drapery. In December, 1905, he was sent to gaol on three charges of theft, but escaped from custody in the following month, for which he received an additional six months.