BURGLARS IN AUSTRALIA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 308, 21 May 1913, Page 6

BURGLARS IN AUSTRALIA.

A WAVE OF CRIME. MASKED AND ARMED MEN. Sydney, May 10. What we had thought to be the height of the burglary boom in the chief cities, especially Sydney, has been quite exceeded during the past week, and if matters go on at the present pace we have a good chance of putting up records that will take a lot of beating for a civilised community. Burglary sensations have become so common that they have ceased to be sensational unless there are features of a quite phenomenally startling character. At the time of writing, a small army of mounted and foot police is hunting for a young man who, at three o'clock on Wednesday morning, was discovered in the bedroom of a laundry proprietor (Mr. E. J. Overton), living at Manly. When challenged, the intruder deliberately fired a revolver at Mr. Overton, wounding the latter in the shoulder. Mr. Ov*rton, who is a strongly-built man, nevertheless engaged in a desperate struggle with the intruder, and was getting the upper-hand when he was shot again, this time in the abdomen. The result was a very serious wound, which will very likely cause death. Weakened by the second shot, Mr. Overton relaxed his grip on the visitor, who bolted off into the outer darkness, through a door that Mrs. Overton had opened to attract help .f or her hus- 1 ■ band' screaJn*. The culprit js 'believed;to'.'be in. hiding somewhere in the scrub on the North Sydney shore, and police and detectives are on the look-out at all points at which he might seek to get across to the city. Others are scouring the country thereabouts. The young fellow who is wanted has been seen a couple of times. Hatless, bedraggled, unshaven, he has made a conspicuous figure when glimpses have been caught of him. "THE KING OF THIEVES." It seems that the police have, by a bit of good luck, got hold of a young man who, according to messages left by him for his victims in the houses which he visited as a burglar, calls himself "The King of Thieves." This boastful criminal was, in one case, found under the bed of a householder, whom he threatened to shoot with the householder's own revolver. The householder backed out of the door, which he bolted, and rang up the police. But when constables arrived they found that the bird had flown, or, rather, had hopped out of a window 20ft above the ground. In another case the "King" called at night at the house of an alderman, gathered all the servants together in one room at the point of a revolver, and locked them in, and then ransacked the servants' quarters, taking away a lot of silverware. In a third case the "King of Thieves" broke into the house of a bookmaker, got away with about £SO in money, and helped himself to a couple of boxes of good cigars. He left a note reading:— "Thanks for cigars.—King of Thieves." THE MAN WHO DID IT. The perpetrator himself gave the first news of the robbery by means of a telephone message which he sent to, the office of a city newspaper. When asked who was giving the information, the fellow replied: "The man who did it—the King of Thieves." However, a capture was made a few hours later. A young man called at a city wine shop and left there a parcel for which he would call in a little while, he said. The proprietor, out of suspicion or curiosity, opened his parcel, which was found to contain, besides part of the burglar's booty, a revolver, a mask, and a couple of electric flashlights. The police were informed, and when the young man called for his parcel he was quietly seized and taken off to the nearest police station. It seems that he made a confession quite in the spirit of the "King of Thieves." EXPERIENCE OF A GUARD'S WIFE. A masked and armed man made a most audacious visit to a householder at Annandale the other night. Mrs. Elizabeth Hancox, the wife of a tramway guard, was sitting fn her home about midnight, waiting for her husband, when a sound in the backyard attracted her attention. • On looking out of the back door she was confronted by a tall man, whose face was concealed by a red handkerchief. The man ordered Mrs. Hancox to throw up her hands, and presented a revolver. Then he demanded whether jewcllnrv or money was In the house. Mrs. Hancox. with the coolness of desperation, said there were no valuables, and remarked to the man, "You're no stranger at this game." The masked intruder replied, "No: I live on it." Compelling Mrs. Hancox to keep in front of him and his revolver, the man spent about ton minutes in a search of the place, which yielded him nothing. Then

he returned to the kitchen, and ate the supper which Mrs. Hancox had prepared, all the timekeeping Mrs. Hancox covered with the revolver. Having supped, he stepped out and disappeared' down ,the lane. CARETAKER AND BURGLARY. Late on Sunday night two masked men entered the home of Thomas McWilliam, aged 78 years, who resides at Granville, and is caretaker of the Granville and Clyde Football Association's ground. Hearing a knock, McWilliam went to the door and opened it. Outside were three men with white handkerchiefs over their faces. The men immediately demanded money, and each presented a revolver. One man rushed past McWilliam, and made a search of the house, while the other two kept the old caretaker covered with their revolvers. The man who made the search took a small sum of money which had been lying on the mantelpiece. Returning, he demanded that McWilliam should disclose the whereabouts of the rest of his money. McWilliam replied, "I have no more." One of the trio asked, "What about the takings at Saturday's football match?" The caretaker answered that that was taken by the officials. - .The men then left,(but threatened McWilliam that they would come back and shoot him if he informed the police.