A THRILLING EXPERIENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 March 1922, Page 3

A THRILLING EXPERIENCE.

IN WEEK-END RESIDENCE. INTRUDER FIRES AT OWNER. Melbourne, Feb. 25. The Criminal Investigation Department was notified yesterday of a sensational happening which is stated to have occurred at Macclesfield, about nine 'miles from Emerald, on Friday evening last. Mr. Stanley Ewen, tailor, of Collins Street, is the owner of a house there which is used as a week-end residence. On the 12th inst. he left the place securely locked up. On Friday night he arrived by motor car with his wife and little daughter to spend the week-end. Upon reaching the front door at 9 p.m. he was surprised to find the door unlocked. Entering, he found some of the rooms in disorder, evidently having been ransacked. The door leading to the kitchen had been torn from its hinges. On going into the kitchen Mr. Ewen was rather surprised on handling the kettle to find that it was warm, indicating that the intruder had been there shortly before. Thinking possibly there might be still someone in the locality, Mr. Ewen called out. “Come out O’f that, Lam armed.” There was no response. He obtained a hurricane lamj) and, lighting it, walked outside the back door. He had only taken two paces into the open, however, when a shot rang out. Simultaneously a flash appeared from a clump of shrub sjome distance to the rear of the house. A bullet whizzed past his chest, within an inch of his body, and it buried itself in the side of the house, where it was afterwards found by Constable F. Fleming, who went to the spot on Sunday to investigate the circumstances. As soon as the shot was fired Mr. Ewen ran towards the garage, calling out, “Whitt do you mean by shooting lam unarmed.” From the shrub, “Will you surrender?” Mr. Ewen answered,* “I suppose I will have to.” He was then asked, “How many of you are there?” Ewen said he had his wife and child with him. The man, whose face was now showing above the bushes, ordered Mr. Ewen, his wife and daughter, to stand in- the glare of the lantern. He called out, “Are you Mr. Ewen?” Upon receiving a reply in the affirmative the man said, “Go into the house and get my trousers.” Mr. Ewen did so, the trousers being found in one of the rooms. Then he walked toward the man, who appeared to be clad only in a white sweater and had a rifle resting on his hip. Acting on the orders called out by the mysterious visitor Ewen covered the leantern while the man put on his trousers. After dressing, the intruder ordered the family into the kitchen and he then seated himself near--the door. He opened the conversation by talking in a. rambling way of religion, and in the course of his remarks 1 complained that Mr. Ewen had dbne 1 him an injury. To humor his unwelcome guest Mr. Ewen suggested that he should have a cup of tea. The man replied that it would be an agreeable : thing to him, and was provided with some refreshment. He remarked that I Mr. Ewen was a brave man, and handed I him a gun which he had been carrying, j He then went out and made himself a bed in the scrub.

This is the burden of the extrabrdinary tale told to Constable Fleming by Ewen. Questioned further, he said, the man was a returned soldier, and was apparently suffering from the effects of his war experience. • - -