ATTEMPTED BURGLARY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XVII, Issue 4093, 16 January 1897, Page 3

ATTEMPTED BURGLARY.

A Thief Essays the Refreshment Bsoms-

This morning, about four o'clock, Mr Robert Alexander, licensee of the Ashburton Railway Refreshment rooms, who sleeps on the premises, was awakened by what he fancied was the ringing of a bell iv the immediate vicinity of his bedroom. Aa the sound was not repeated, and believing it was only fancy, he settled himself to go to Bleep agiUQ. Before he had time to do this, however, one of the windows of the refreshment room was drawn down, and Mr Alexander thought it was time for him to get up and see what was the matter. Entering the room he found a man in the act of coming over the lower sash of the window. The intruder, after he found that he had alarmed the inmates, made off, and Mr Alexander hurriedly dressed, got on his bicycle, and rode to the nolice station. Constable

Hammond came up to the rooms with Me Alexander, and looming through the railway carriages they found a man in one of them, who had evidently slipped in there in the belief that Mr Alexander had gone in chase of him. Mr Alexander identified him a 8 the man who had tried to enter the rooms by the window, and the man was arrested, On examination of the premises being made ib was found that the window catch at the ladies' refreshment room had been shifted, evidently with a knife, and the upper sash pulled down. By this the would-be thief had entered, and it was while trying to move the sliding panel by which refresh- . menfcs are passed through to that room that i he inadvertently touched the bell with his I elbow. It was this that awakened Mr ! Alexander. Failing entrance by this panel, i the man next tried the window beside the bookstall s and w»s just getting in when Mr Alexander appeared on the soeue. After his arrest fche man gave his name aa Evans, and said he had been educated at Lincoln j College. I Evans was brought up at the local Court this afternoon and remanded.