POWELKA.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10015, 11 April 1910, Page 5

POWELKA.

AT ASHHURI. VIGOROUS SEARCH BY POLICE. The following concerning the fugitive Powelka was published in the IPaimerston "Standard" on Saturday -last:— "Joseph Powelka has appeared at -Ashhurst in a manner that is as sensational as any of his previous exploits. This morning he was discovered in his mocher-in-law's {lira Wilson's) house, and he disappeared =as suddenly and as mysteriously as he came. Mrs Wilson's cottage \a situated in a lonely par* of Ashhurst on a terrace overlooking the Pohangina river. In consequence of threats alleged to •have been made by Powelka against his wife, Mrs Wilson ( and her daughter (Mrs Powelka) have made it a - practice to sleep at one of the hotels in town. This th;y did last night, " and on returning tn their house this morning at about 9.30 they discovered -that the lock of the back door had 'been picked. Mrs Wilson entered the kitchen, and on doing so was confronted b; nor nov notorious son in ; law. wm exclaimed "Don't be -afraid, mother!" Tha shock was too much for Mrs Wilson, and -she rushed out of the house t-creaming anrl across to a } neighbour's, Mrs Powelka also going to the same place. At the neighbour's house they spoke to a man, and it is surmised that Powelka heari his voice, which hastened his departure, for he immediately boited out the back way and over a fence. The last that was seen of the

escapee was hid disappearing over the terrace down towards the river, where plenty of sheiter is obtainable along the river flat. An examination of the house revealed the f-set that Joseph Powelka bad slept in his mother in-law'fl bed during her temporary absence, as the bed cloth s were distirber!. He had apparency been hiding ur.dor the bed whan she came on the s:ene, and he wentoitt) the kitchen on hearing the back door opn. In tb.3 bedroom are muddy.footmarks. - Powelka's overcoat was found on a fence at the back of th:; house, and in his pockets were cartridges and detonator caps, while ids hat was 'found soraelittfe distance away along the road; giving evidence «f his hurried departure. Ashhurst is in a state of ferment, the people being greatly alarmed. All the men who can do so are out scouring the country in search of the fugitive, while a number of constables were sent out from Palm- ' erston Korth as soon as possible after ..they had been advised of the state of affairs at Ashhurst.

LATER NEWS. There were 22 cartridges and some detonators in the overcoat pocuets. ' The coat was a heavy fur-lined overcoat. It in thought that the weight of the coat and cartridges would have / been too heavy for him to have carried walking, and he must have used a horse or bicycle to make his way f com Pahiatua to As'ihurst. Sergeant Maguire, accompanied by Constables Minogue and Sylvester, j arrived by motor car at 12.30 from 'Palmerston. constables Watt* and Thomson, ■who have b°.pn watching Ashhurst. were at Mrs Wilson's house within five mi'.utes of Poweii;a"s appear- j ', ance, but the fugitive had gone t>j i that time. Constable Watts discredits the statement that Powelka slept in the house. The constable inspected the house just before daybreak today, but saw no one there. It has been his theory all along that Powelka would return to the house, and frequently visited it on that account. A report has just come to hand (2 p.m.) that Powelka was seen a of miles further up the Po- ] hangina river. There has been no trace of him near Ashhurst, and the whole town is engaged in the search. THE CHASE CONTINUED. WITH UNABATED VIGOUR. ANOTHER HOUSE BROKEN INTO. By Telegraph—Press Association. *C PALMaRSTON N., April 10. p -' The chase for Powelka has continued with unabated vigour since Saturday, and has been full of incident. Alter he was discovered by his mother-in-law in the house in which his wife has been living with recently at Ashhurst, about 10 o'clock, on Saturday morning, and disappeared over the terrace to the river bed on her screaming out, there is / no authentic report of his having j been seen, There are numerous stories to the effect that he was seen at various places over a range of country, extending from Pohangina to Palmerston, and covering about "twenty miles, but none of these are •convincing. The large force of police, under Detective Cassells. who arrived to take charge of the search in the i field yesterday afternoon, and Ser- }*- geant Maguire, were strategically disposed for the night but before o'clock Mr and Mrs who reside on th eastern outskirts of Talmeraton North returned homa to discover that «oraeone had entered

their house through • a wind6W;'had walked over a bed, regaled himself on whatever eatables were in the house, taking what he couldn't con-; sume, and h-d over the clothing and selected additions to his wardrobe and searched for money which, however, he failed to find. This incident raised the suspicion that the fugitive might, when he disappeared over the rim of the river at the terrace into the scrub below in the norning, have worked along the rohangina and Manawatu riven?, through various belts of scrub, bush and plantations back to Palmerston. entering it on the eastern boundary, and had taken the early opportunity of securing food and warm clothing, as he had left his good overcoat and the carttid <es in its pocket at his mother-in-law's place in the morning, when he made his hurrried exit The night was cold with a piercm? wind Some little time later the fin bell rang out for a fire in the same locality, which proved to be in an empty house owned by Mrs Woodard, who was absent in Ancklomd, and insured in the Commercial for £4OO. A flying squad of the Fire Brigade, which has been keyt in readiness all through the week for the outlying emergencies, was on the scene in extremely quick time, and though it was impossible to save the house made a wonderfully good save of another wooden house right alongside of it. The burning of this house has characteristics similar to the other burnings of the week, which have already involved the insurance companies in over £B,OOO of loss, andHheir owners in considerably over, and which with the High School fire. Ther* are about forty police now engaged on the search, hut without dogs it is ex | tremely difficult, as they may at any I time have passed within a few yards • of the fugitive, and it is believed that they have done so. The community i 3 very much distarbed by ihe continued failure of the search, punctuated by sensational incidents, suggesting possibilites of great further loss. Settlers who have, been in town were yesterday being sent for by their wive 3 to return home on the supposition that Powelka ' was making for Pohangina and Kimbolton districts, where he was well known and also liked. So far, though Powelka has a revolver, and has threatened with it, and is known to be a crack shot, it is believed that he has not fired a shot. He did not return the fire when fired on by the police at Pahiatua, and some doubt is popularly expressed whether he fired in the incident of the descent on the Kendall's household. It was snfd that he had declared his intention of shooting his wife and mother-in-law and various other people at Ashhurst, but he had opportunity on Saturday and merely told them not, t'j be afraid. 'At Ashhurst there is great sympathy with his wife, but none with him, but in some other parts of the district there is sympathy with him.