MAN TO MAN.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 207, 29 August 1912, Page 2

MAN TO MAN.

BURGLAR AND JOUBNALIS': FIERCE FIGHT IN A BEDROOB Details by mail of the sensational el counter between Mr. Geoffrey Syme, < .Melbourne, and "Ginger" Moore, a bu: glar, in Kew, a suburb of Melbourm show tliat Mr. FSyme, although unarmec ami wounded by the second of the fiv shots which the intruder fired at bin pluckily stuck to the man, and after desperate struggle succeeded in ovei powering him. In telling his story of the encounter Mr. ?yrne said:—"When I was awakenei about- two o'clock in the morning, switched on the electric light just ove my head, and prepared to stand on th bed. The man rushed across the room passing at the foot of the bed to shoot lie bent low as he ran, calling, ' Stant back.' The bullet frcrn the pistol splat, tered on the wall behind mc. I spran; over the bottom of the bed. As the mai made for the door 1 caught and closet with him, and .then I felt a stiiig in mj arm. I had a pistol beside my bed, bui there was no time to snatch that up anc fire, lor 1 had to catch the man. W< struggled to the head of the stairs, and J was trying to smother my assailant's arms. All the time he was prodding mc with the tin snippers. "His right arm was partly free, and he fired again as we fought. Three times he fired again, and continued to dig the tin pliers into mc. In the struggle tic got my thumb in his month, and tore ofi the nail. At the very top of the stairs we overbalanced, and by a series ol somersaults came to the first landing. He got the worst of that tambling. 1 landed on top. "The blood was all over the place. The noise of the erwonnter and the cries awakened the household, and one of the members of the household (Miss Begg) got the man by the throat and I wrenched the revolver from his hand, and --eEhJ-ed hrm, with the butt end of his own weapon as he lay. "After I had struck him the 'burglar kept up a constant talk. Speaking in a sort of pleading voice he called 'Ethel' several times, and spoke about being still, and cried, 'Oh. teacher, I won't do it again, I won't, I won't.' Then I caught the phrase, 'Steal—sw-faunting tickets.'" When interviewed, Miss Begg said: "I thought that Mr Syme was done when I heard the shots, and I rushed down the stairs, and took the man by the throat. Mr Syme then wrenched the pistol out of his hand, and hit him on the head." It was, no doubt, due to the prompt and fearless action on the part of Miss Begg, coming as it did in an extremely critical point in the struggle, which gave the tables the turn definitely in the favour of Mr Syme. Henry Budge, Mr iS'rme's chanffenr arrived later, and took up the work of holding the man down. I The prisoner kept quiet for a while, but suddenly raising his legs he knocked the chauffeur backwards down a few stairs. Rudge jumped back quickly, grappled with the man again, and managed to render him insensible by dashing his head against the post of the bannister. The cook in Mr. Synie's household, Agnes lx>gan. while going for assistance, saw what she believes was an accomplice of Moore's. Later the police discovered the footprints of two men in the garden. Entrance was gained to the house by means of a ladder tilted against a ledge which runs round the house, about 20ft. from the ground.