6-HOUR MANHUNT OVER ROOFS

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 143, 19 June 1922, Page 7

6-HOUR MANHUNT OVER ROOFS

No fewer than a hundred policemen and firemen, with a big fire-engine and ladders, were engaged for six hours in a man hunt which gave the people of Leeds a bigger thrill than anything ever seen on the

The hunt, which took place in the basements and over the roofs of a seven-story block of buildings in Briggate. resulted in

the arrest, of a ship's fireman, who was later charged with burglary and remanded for a week.

Displaying an agility rivalling that of the desperado of cinema drama, the man. with the police hot in pursuit, raced along tbe roofs, dodged behind chimneys, climbed down water-spouts, through skylights, and. with thp aid of a rope tied round his waist. jumped from windows a distance of I.lft to 20ft. clearing a big hunch of telephone

Thousands of onlookers saw him wriggling along a coping-stone 40ft from the ground, the nest moment dangling from the roof, and then disappearing through a window. On another occasion he was seen climbing hand over hand with his rope, snatching it away just as his pursuers reached out tn. grasp it.

Police and detectives climbed to the roof by means of a fire brigade ladder, but could not get hold of the man. who on one occasion hurled an axe at the head of one or his pursuers, happily missing his aim.

Further thrills were provided when n detachment of the lire brigade with hosepipes and tire escape appeared on the scene, followed by the assistant chief constable, several inspectors, and a large body of the police and plain-clothes officers. As the cordon of police drew closer, the man concealed himself in the sunken roof of the pay-box of the Empire Music Hall.

Miss I-:. Cheshire, the booking clerk, was attending to patrons when she heard a scraping noise above the ceiling.

•■ 1 walked out of the box into the entrance ball," she said. " and from the steps leading to the dress circle saw a man crouching in a corner of the roof. 1 shouted an alarm to the policemen guarding the street entrance, but in a flash the man leaped 10ft from the roof, bounded over the brass rails of the entrance hull, and dashed into King Edward Street by a side exit.

"Mrs. Howard, a colleague, made a grab I ;l t the man's coat, but Willi a dexterous! twist of his body ho broke her hold and! banged the swing doors in her face. "Shouting 'Slop him. Stop him:' Mrs.: Howard rushed into the street and there saw the man running towards Vicar Lane, ' King Edward Street was crowded with people, who immediately gave r-h:\sp. Mr. W. Cayley. newspaper clerk, threw himself against the fugitive, and. clutching him by the shoulders. Ilirew him to the ground. A man named Holdsworth gripped the man and held on until the police arrived. Handcuffed and convoyed b.v four poli.tsmoii. the man was taken to the polite station, where he gave his name as William Andrew Cornan. 24. a ships lireman. He was charged with robbing a safe on the premises of a musical instrument maker. Superintendent Palton said Unit when searched over iHKS in money was Comid on

Cornan, during his desperate tlight. bad

some marvellous escapes. but beyond scratches to his hands and face and torn clothing appeared to be nothing the wor*e for his adventure.