BURGLARS ON BIKES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 221, 19 September 1927, Page 9

BURGLARS ON BIKES.

"WELCOMED" IN SHOP.

Tonne kaw rsEs a batch.

ONE MAN CAPTURED, AND

OTHER ESCAPES.

BtJT IS ARRESTED LATER.

Ifhen two burglars cycled out from Veirton to the corner of Dominion Road and Mount Albert Road, in the pouring rain early yesterday morning, they made a big mistake in thinking that the small and isolated shop of Mrs. A. Henderson was of the lock-up variety. It certainly was a lock-up shop, but locked inside was Mrs. Henderson's son, Mr. Frodsham Glasgow Watkinson, aged 08, He "welcomed" them both with a handy life preserver, or loaded baton, as they entered, caught one himself, and took him to the police station, while the other burglar escaped, but was later captured. Mr. Watkinson, when he is not engaged' in burglar hunting, is the driver of a City Council motor bus. There are two reasons why ho had been sleeping tehind a partition in his mother's email shop for last month. About a month ago two men entered the shop one day, one purchasing a newspaper, after arguing with Mi's. Henderson abottt the price. Mrs. Henderson ob»erved that both men seemed to be intently surveying the shop from the inside. So she informed her son of this, and suggested that they might 'be contemplating a burglary. Two men, named Sydney Ashenoon (alias Kebinson) and Henry Richard Jeffrey (28), were subsequently arrested. It Wasn't the Milkman.

Mr. Watkinson told his own story to a "Star" reporter at the shop this morning. "I was 0,1 bate shift on Saturday night and I arrived at the shop about 1 a.m. yesterday," he said. '/Shortly afterwards I retired to my \xd on the floor behind a partition in the shop. Albout 5 o'clock I was awakened by a knock at the door. It was just getting light and at first I thought it was Mr. Jones, the milkman, who usually calls me to get to work early. But being Sunday, I realised that the caller was not the milkman. At first I took no notice, but a few minutes afterwards I heard the door being forced open. So I thought it was time to part with the bed clothes. Just at that particular moment a lorry passed in front of the ihop and I plainly saw two men dart round to the side until the vehicle pasied. It was then quite light and I eaw them return to work on the door. One carried a sack and the other an, iron jemmy abojuit two feet in IfPgtb. I then grabbed my life preurver and two full bottles of lemonade and stood back from the door waiting for item to enter. It was fully ten

minoiee before they burst in the door. The lock held, but they farced the hinges from the door and the whole of the <jw facings gave way. Jeffrey put hi* • head and shoulders 1 through the opening in the door and I hit him a Sood-hard crack on the head with the I® preserver.

Chase and Capture. . "Both men then ran away," said Mr. Watkinson, Ashenden going down Mount Alhrt Road and Jeffrey down Dominion Road. Attired only in my pyjamas I <*Med Ashenden. Fifty yards from the ' threw a lemonade bottle at him, j He continued on and so did 1?". rae * made no mistake and flight him square in the middle of the Boulders with the other bottle, which * *v turne d round and kicked at nU'rito 1 bolted a gain. I bailed him w a y® r ds further on down Mt. Albert and produced a small sheath knife tx «« J??®' ' rom *ke shop. "I'm going *hii clean through you, if you "TV.*along quietly," I told him. ■11 Jt! trick, for he came along at that particular luiulk L» one 8» the milkman, who »)»*<. i™ me an ear ly call, happened tart? As. ( ? me my assistance. We he !> ack to the Bh °P- Once smart awa y> but we were too aiain "a*'?!! * him on the head and witit t Bho P 1 dressed myself, our mrf«L. f ß ' Was j URt about to take the n-r 6r a bouac to telephone to SLHft „ when a taxi came Roskill PrJi to t u . 9 to tb e Mount Ashenden n ' wbere we handed J«ffre*^X, k ~ 8 j n , Baid that evidently were away Jux a i le j 6 and Mr - Jones •ad roria i, Ashenden, got his cycle kit oSmITv 6 " Ashenden* cycle ias we!, w„ B !t!„ th \ sn °r>- VVhile both men broke in li/ w door before they to «WM t , k l nSOn hCard ° ne B *V *'• getting''liS" Th e fi to ,r e up Ti Dot in«».r •f ,' The ot^er man did door «Den w!ilk , c . ont .^ ued prising the itarS tZ \u ha Jemmyretted, i* o, »°f , r man » waa soon arhfo Jwjm. . ® a detect ive called at A mi! 2 ? dmbu^ h Street, Newton, man h,m - Jea ™y is a married ® ! des With hjm° en * Ashenden refl^<nfe?„^?l >e L ndcß ' a " as Robinson (28) twoS« k h rdJeffre 7 (28) were the Po 'ice Court e thi B ° th a PP eared at the morning on a charge of intent to cornnU g th ® ,hu P witb Ori *5? com mit a crime. Ca^on °* Chief Detective °n r ßepte m ber 22 WCre remanded to a PP ear trUaiV. tbe magisMimd - *