Stratford News

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 302, 18 June 1912, Page 3

Stratford News

From our Resident Reporter. S OUR HIGHWAYMEN. | Our "highwaymen" are still about, i The constant "stieking-up," or attempts to "stick-up" people in the outlying parts of the borough are getting on the nerves of the people, who now, to quote a good old saying, "fear each bush a highwayman." Thrice is he armed who is fleet of foot, was evidently the motto of a young man on Saturday night, when I he was chased by three men in the | vicinity of the hospital. He was walkj ing home from business, and saw three men in the road. Having heard of the previous sticking-up cases—he is a regular reader of the News, of course—he watched the men, and when they (lid not move on he turned back. Then thej' gave chaise, but he outdistanced them before they came to one of those places where darkness had to give way to the electric light. Up to that time the young fellow had thought the story of waylaying was but a fabrication, but yesterday. he had changed his tune. In the circumstances, people will be glad to learn that the new arrangements made between the Borough Council and the electric' lighting concern will provide for all-night lighting of the streets, as at present 1 . The demand for more street, lights will now become more insistent, and there is no doubt that more lamps are needed. The lighting of the borough is" none too good. The lights are too far apart. This is one penalty, of living in a borough which, whilst' rapidly increasing in population, is still spread over far too great an area of country in proportion to the number of its inhabitants. HOW WOT TO CATCH A THIEF.

•The story of the stolen horse is a good one. ' Not lon™ ago a Stratfoid business 'man reported to the local police that one of his horses was missing. Sergeant McNeely knew that a horse fair, was to be held not a hundred miles away,.,so he telephoned to the police in that town, and gave « full description of, the horse. "Now," thought the astute, detector and tracer of crime, "if that horse was stolen, he'll probably be offered for sale a't the Downtown fair, p rid. my Downtown colleagues will nab the thief." 'But all policemen are not, equally astute! I don't know exactly how Sherlock Holmes would have managed this bjt. .of business, but there is a report .as to how the Downtown policeman went t# (l }v<?rk. He got the description. pf thej and went to the fair. There was. the horse. He saw the markings as' described by his Stratford .con- 1 frere. Some men would then have gone to. wbrk quietly, and secured the vendor lattfr. But' our enthusiastic friend was not taking 'half measures. He talked— ; and'the horse thief never came forward for thfe' "fiitacial* outcome of the sale, so he is' still at. liberty. ' The horse, evSr,'-h}(S !< be4n returned by the police to its .owner...:h.-i :>. ■; ■ *

r /,v,STRAY PARAGRAPHS. ©ida!t it! blow.on Saturday night? It bliw tree's Uf>, by the roots," and lifted roofs -osf outhouses into neighboring allotments. It blew in a window in a house near Pembroke road, and with; such force . was glass hurled into'the rodm that it'■cut through the three-ply i>ea : t r ; 'oi "a ' bedroom chair. The occujlant of tte'room slept on, although the glass came down -within six inches of his face.' Iti' -.this case a foot of a miss as good' as a mile. Torrential rain fell during the gale, which was'at its height between'three and six o'clock. Titles count. The title of a book is of great importance. So is the title of a 'Sermo#. The Rev. Reader announces "Heaven and its People" for next Sunday's discourse, when reference will be niade'.to some of the views expressed recently bv,the Bishop of Auckland. Several, officers and non-commissioned officers 'from this district will attend the c'am.p of instruction at Wellington from Jiihfi. 22 to July 13. Intending eahdidittes are advised to go, if possible, in the early part of the camp. Mr. Harold Masters, for some time assistant with Mr. F. Edwards, iliemist, is;-tf\kingi ,up.-a position with Mr. Gr.. W. Hean, ,ehgmist, of Wanganui. The Stratford first junior football team will miss ihinly,:and so will the swimming club, of which' he is vice-captain.

BERNARD'S PICTURES

The r curWnt series of films at His Majesty's Theatre contains "The Battle of Pot'tsburg Bridge" as the star attl%actidn> It is a remarkably realistic picture,' and makes the thinking man wonder, to. what the picture-producing world'.will eventually come. The burning of the "bridge, and the soldiers jumping into ..the river, are splendidly portrayed, as are all the other incidents of a great,fight, and last night's patrons were- heard to. say they wanted more of it. The .picture is to be screened again ! to-night- and to-morrow night. "The ! Scandalmongers" is a drama with a moral, and a healthy one. It shows the fate of the -scandalmongers, and inci-' dentally- introduces some smart humor. If the disseminator of scandal in Strat- | ford and adjoining districts was among | last night's audience, toe, she, or it I must have felt a little uncomfortable. '"The Courtship of Miss Trifflcs" is a, screamingly funny comedy, and so is "Captain Barnacle, diplomat," which ' produces a story that is out of the common and 'exceedingly well told. "Pathe's Gazette" is always welcome. "The Wreck of the Delhi" is a fine film, and there is something unusual in the picture "Lieut. Rose and the Stolen Battleship," in which there is piciured a race between the battleship an aeroplane.