POLICE RAID.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 171, 13 April 1908, Page 7

POLICE RAID.

ru__ $ - .j:' v ,v A WADESTOWN GATHERING BROKEN " ' " '! ' C <•■ ; : POLICE 1 STRATEGY.' ■■ The gentle art of a two 'up," ' which ; has" i been flourishing various, parts, of tlie ( 'city . for some time past',;, received .■. another''set back yesterday,, when, the police managed to. get to windward of the scouts attached,Ho a'; supposed "school 'at. Wadestowri.'" Not-' withstanding : the periodical . raids made 1 ; 0n., ! the . " two j i:;tho game has continued to inasmuch as it has been a difficult, matter to.,catch.the offenders red-handed on"account of tho elabo-. rate rystem of scoots and. watchers yliich the schools maintain to givo the signal at tho approach or the'police or even a stranger. The schools are generally set up oil,- a high spot ,on tho hills so as to command a view of all the approaches. : . .;. Yesterday's raid was made'on'a'sjiot on ; : the Rhodes Estate,- ; whero has'been in tho habit of placing for : f «o'me : time past to the annoyance of residents, of :.tjie .district, who had complaified j tb trouble' caused by, tho:.-''scholars.', ,r ' 'The' exceptional burst of sun' tempted-a large, number of devotees of the two pennies and'.the kip to wend their wiiy_ and the police arrived on tho'scerio when the school was in full swing. ;According ,to a. spectator the . school was situated oirone of the. new roads of. the Rhodes ..Estate, . the ground having been . flattened < out specially for the purposes of'the game. Tho police defeated the. scout . 'system' oftho' r;: 'players very completely. The authorities, of course, knew that t-lw school*was the habit-'of meeting.'in the particular- spot' and that it , would he impossible to walk: boldly in upon tho enemy on account of the • spies', and therefore'., strategy had to ~bo resorted;-to., -Tho ground had been surveyed previous' to Sunday, and it was found to afford no place where the policemen 'could hide within the necessary distance of ,the"school,> the' idea be-' ing to plant a couple . of, officers' if, before the' players met!"' Eventually ''a, plan was' hit upon, and'a~ refuge was male iiy erecting some artificial busb-sufficient to concoal jtwo men. Into' this refuge Gonstablo Hefiernan and Mounted Constable' "Mullooly made th?ir' way early., yesterday "before the "two uppers" began .to, .congregate. After a long ,waifc the players' and their friends began to arrive singly,a'nd.in.batches, until there were about. 40 present:,basking' in the' sunr, shine and watching th'e.spiirof tjio: two "pennies with a feeling of security in the thought that the scouts were posted., The two-con-stables watched' the operations-of. the school for about an hour and a half, during which' time they had naturally carefully marked their men and the part they had taken' in the game. AVhen they wero quito satisfied that they had seem enough, the! two officers made a . rush for tho, players: who immediately, on catching sight of tho.men of .ther law, dispersed with a rapidity : that would havo doue credit to a team of athletes. "The constables succeeded in obtaining some of the cash abandoned by the fugitives, and a spectator, who perhaps had not . had a fair innings during the game, made use of the opportunity to pick up a few unconsidered trifles left bohind by the' runners, who wore by this time specks on tho horizon. Tho police got a number of names of men who arc alleted to be tho principals, and these will probably figure in another school, presided ovor bv Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., during the' week.