COURAGEOUS STRUGGLE WITH A BURGLAR.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2474, 11 December 1886, Page 2

COURAGEOUS STRUGGLE WITH A BURGLAR.

A returned convict named Thomas Nut* ting, who is known to the police as a notorious burglar, was captured at Leicester on Wednesday morning by Polica Constable Coleman after a severe fight of two hours in a dark warehouse,,. Nut* ting, who is Baid to be an associate of the notorious burglar Charles Peace-has jußt completed a long term of pensferrltude. It appears that he expe'ctecrthal ■ 'the force would be leas.vigilent than usual.on account of half the'. force being away on a visit to the Colonial Erhiblbition. He had. entered the warehouse: of Messra Leave«loy:and North by means of skeleton keys, and vas busy getting ready.,a.large quantity of vajuabla leather, 1 when Coleman ; unexpectedly* Visited .the warehouse I .'' The coy/ atoblo, "it -'appears, 'had/; the gaul. way key in his possession, and on looking round the back premises at 2.50 a.m., he found a door' Open. Entoriug the premises he atonoe met Nutting, whom he recegmeed, The constable at once .proceeded to arrest the man. and a; terrible tight ensued. Coleman closed wibH-the convict, who dealt him eotba very heavy blows on the head, and both rolled ';on. the floor. The polioeman's'ligbt being oitingulahed, the desperate' struggle went on to the dark. Tho burglar.itlieii began kicking and biting in the mrafc terrible manner, snd Coleman was obliged to fight for his life. On -attempting' to' handcuff tho prisoner the policeman's left • kuteas seized by "Nutting;;'.with. his flßth, causing great •'paihi as : the burglar tore nwike a wild .beast. This terrible struggle continued uninterrupted from 2 a.m. till 4.30 a.m., both the policeman and the burglar having sustained severs wounds. Coleman's great courage and strength gradually bogtiri to tell, and at last ho succeeded in getting the handcuffs on and removing/the .prisoner to the street, where he quickly obtained assistance, and conveyed iiutting to the poller station. Both men' presented a most extraordinary appearance,. and wore saturated with blood.;.' Coleman had t large number of wounds ;from bitinp on his left hand and arm, while a piece of flesh had been bitten clean out of his right hand, He had also some ugly wounds on his head which bled freely. Nutting had also suffered severely, and his hand, was covered with blood. Nutting, who had been- concerned in many large robberies, was taken before the magistrates during the dayjand remanded.