NOCTURNAL PEOWLERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 261, 27 March 1913, Page 2

NOCTURNAL PEOWLERS.

UNDESIRABLE CHARACTERS IN AUCKLAND. Auckland, March 20. ' For some weeks past undesirable nocturnal prowlers have been haunting the Eden Terrace neighborhood. Frequent complaints of having been followed have been made by womenfolk and girls, but so far the offenders have not been brought to book. Last night the offence was carried to a somewhat sensational extent in the Dominion road district. The facts, as obtained by a Star reporter who visited ihe neighborhood to-day, are as follow: — At about 7.20 last night two little "fis'ls, aged six and eight respectively, were sent by their mother from their home in Aitken Terrace, off Xew North road, Eden Terrace, to pest a letter at a pillar-box at the corner of New North road and Dominion road. They were returning when a man stopped them and asked if they knew the way to View road. They replied that they did not, whereupon he asked them to go with him and help him to find the place for which he was searching. He then look the little girls right along Dominion road as far as the end of the twopenny section from town. While in front of Ashby's bakerv, at the corner of Dominion road and Valley road, the man gave the. elder of the girls a shilling to bnv hilliesj but she returned the coin to him. Lie tlven gave her a penny, and at this stage the girl took fright, running home and telling her parents that a man had taken her little sifter. It is alleged that in the mtwnlimc the man took i!ie latter to Ihe right of Dominion road inio Onslow road, and then to son';' j rce* close to the railway line, where he is said to have acted in an improper manner. He sulfsequrntly took tli«» litf!i> , one to the corner of New North road and Onslow road, where she was found in a state of weeping bv -.onio women, who took her home. Residents in the neighborhood state that they saw a young man answering lo Ihe descriplion given by the cbiM-n running along the railway line in the direction of Mt. Eden. Immediately the news spread concerning his treatment of the little i,'h'!s a search party was formed, raid the locality closely scoured under the direction of the police. A'- one stag;- later on a. man was sighted running along the railway line towards Mt. TMen. and as lie passed the end of TJmvlinjr street lie fell. liefore anyone could <;et up io him, however. he had vanished. The police are now prosecuting a search.