THE PURSUIT OF POWELKA.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 790, 13 April 1910, Page 6

THE PURSUIT OF POWELKA.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS. ' THE FUGITIVE Sim AT BUMMYTHORPE. ELUDES A POLICE PATROL. THE SHOOTING OF MICHAEL QUIRKE. FURTHER PARTICULARS.

(By Teleeranh.— Special CorresnondenM Palmerston North, April 12. There has so far been very little to report regarding the Powelka' affair to-day. Following on last nighfs deplorable fatal accident, the residents of the town have steadied down, and to-day there is an entire absence of hysteria. Where yesterday there were hundreds of excited people racing : about with loaded firearms/there are none at all to-day, and things generally have almost got down to. their normal state again. Of course, this is in a measure due to the impression that Powelka has cleared out of the vicinity of the town, as reported last night. ' The police force has been largely augmented, and in addition the services of a number of the Mounted Kifles have been accepted. After the report that Powelka had been seen in Broad and Duke Streets last night, nothing happened to disturb, the peace of the town. Occasional shots were heard in different parts of the town, but these generally turned out to be accidents, and only went to prove, as was pointed out in yesterday's Dominion, the folly of allowing inexperienced persons to handle firearms. •■ It is reported that a well-known townsman narrowly escaped being accidentally shot, and a good deal of alarm was raised by some persons emptying their revolvers by firing them off instead of extracting the cartridges. . .'. . ( ' As was the ■ case yesterday, all torts of reports were,;sent into the police as to Powelka being seen in different parts, but on investigation they proved to be incorrect. I . ■ . Fired a Shot Over His Head. It was reported.from Bunnythorpe that a man answering- Powelka's description j.was seen about i o'clock this morning going through Bunnythorpe by Constable Flaiaagan, who called, upon him, to stop. The. man', however, Wpt on his way, and the constable, fired, a shot.over his head, when the fellow made off. through the. I s'choolgronnds and escaped in the darkness.

In making his escape he dropped a bag which contained a, leg. of mutton and other food. Tho safe of Mr. Larsen, a Bunnythorpe farmer, was robbed about the same time. 1 Near mid-day the police in Palmerston were satisfied that a. man like Powelka was making his way towards Kimbolton. A detachment of police, under Detective Cassells, are in pursuit. The whole of the Peilding, Bunnythorpe, Kimbolton, and Ashhurst districts are being well watched, whilst Palmerston and. vicinity; are well manned, so that if Powelka ventures out he stands a good chance of being captured. .

Heavy rain set- in about half-past four this afternoon which will make things extremely unpleasant for those whoso duty compels them to.be out.

Powelka, if he has any provisions, will probably lie in concealment.

'It is reported that a bicycle was stolen from a Stoney Creek residont early this morning. This is on the road to Bunnythorpe, and points to Powelka.

A little after four o'clock this afternoon, a contingent of half a dozen of tho Mounted Rifles left town for Fitzherbert, where it is rumoured Powelka was seen. This is exactly in the opposite direction to Bunnythorpe. On investigation, however, it turned out that the report was a mistaken one.

Sergeant Maguire still lies in very much the same condition. So far. there have been no unfavourable symptoms.

An inquest on the remains of Michael Quirke will be held to-morrow morning.

STILL AT LARGE. FUGITIVE REPLENISHES HIS LARDER. CONDITION OP SERGEANT MAGUIRE. Palmerston North April 12 (10.58 p.m.) Powelka has not yet been located, and the police believe.he is now hiding. They! think ,he was the man seen at Bunnythorpe. ./.'■'.' Among the .artioles stolen from the safe on Larsen's farm. was a . quantity of bottled fruit, besides cooked and uncooked meat, so that he has well stocked his larder.. Sergeant Maguire is . in /much the same condition.- The bullet has been located, but no attempt has been made to extract it, as the sergeant is in too low a condition to permit of the operation, and'for the same reason his depositions have not yet been taken.■

From further information gathered in reference to the shooting of, Sergeant Maguire it is shown that he was wounded while lying on the ground, and that his assailant wore a mask.

THE ByNNYTHOBPE INCIDENT.

A CHASE AND A SEARCH. POWELKA GETS CLEAR ONCE MORE. (By Teleeranh.—Special Oorresrondent.) Palmerston N., April 12 (midnight). Matters are very quiet in town tonight, all the police being out in directions in which it is considered likely the fugitive may possibly be found. It has been miserably wet and cold, and three or four days of it would almost certainly send Powelka from his hiding to.seek more food. It is regarded as correct that it was Powelka who passed through Bunnythorpe about 3 o'clock this morning. Ho passed the police patrol unsuspected, but after he had gone they became suspicious and.called upon him He took no notice, but oa th*>« to fiie

jumped for the school grounds, dropping the sack he was In the sack were two pounds of meat, one cooked, and the other raw. . Powelka disappeared through the school grounds, and was not again seen despite the search made by the two constables constituting the patrol. A Cupboard Raided, About half a mile away was Larsen's farm, and it was subsequently found that he had made up for his lost meat 6y raiding their cupboard, securing grilled chops,' bottled fruits, and other provisions, including pickles, for which he has shown great fondness in all his raids. The police continue to 6earch throughout this and other distrits, but the' wet and cold weather has driven amateur searchers and armed bands generally to their/homes, so that the streets are singularly quiet in contrast to the stir of' the last two nights. There is tremendous relief that the man has even temporarily left the town. Wore a Mask. The "Manawatu Daily Times," referring to suggestions in Wellington papers and current rumours that .Sergeant Maguire was not shot by the suspect but by one of the searchers in his own party, states that it has had..opportunity'of fully investigating the facts; and is satisfied that the man who shot Sergeant Maguire was the man whom the sergeant found flattened rip against a door on the front verandah of Hampton's house to avoid observation. This man. Sergeant Maguire states, wore a mast The sergeant closed with him directly, and the pair straggled out across the gravel path on to the lawn, where, while still on the ground, the man shot the 6ergeant either deliberately or through the revolver going off in the excitement. Detective. Quartermam and Mr. Hampton just then came on the scene, and Quartermain fired, at the flash. ' Mr.' Hampton' believes- that: the man jan behind the house,.and then back again and out over a low hedge at the front, and across Ferguson'Street into the paddocks opposite, arid 60 was not in the block when the cordon was placed round it- ' ''■''' A Sticking-up Incident A local business man states that on Monday night he.was stnck up by a local man with two revolvers, who apparently was not clear what he was doing. He counselled him to go home. Tho police do not consider that this effects the statements of Mr. Richards, who identified the man who stack up his cart as Powelka. '■ >

The inquest npon Michael Quirke is to take place to-morrow morning. It has been proved that he was shot through the forehead not with a shot-gun, but with an expanding bullet, which tore off the back of his head. Sergeant Maguire's condition permits of hope being entertained.

A CAPTURE.

AN ALARM AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. SWAGGER GREATLY SCARED. (By .Correspondent.) Palmerston North, 1 a.m. The night after all has not parsed off without a spice of excitement The police have been called out and they have made >a capture. It seems that about 11.30 p.m. a cabman saw a mysterious ,light in a window of an unoccupied house at the corner of Boundary Road and Rangitikei Street.-As the name of the road indicates, the house is situated right on the outskirts of the town and the cabman very properly and very promptly communicated with the. police. No time was lost by tho police in investigating the matter, and having a wholesome respect for the alertness of Powelka every care was taken to avoid alarming him before they were in a position to surround the honso. In addition to the police the party was composed of volunteers under Captains Palmer and Jekyll, the latter being also city engineer. On arriving in the vicinity of the building elaborate precautions were taken to ensure the capture of the supposed escapee and in due course the force closed down on the building and rushed it. Imagine their disgust when they discovered that their catch consisted of a very much alarmed old swagger, about 65 years of ago, who had camped out in tho building for the night and who probably imagined that a score or more Powelkas were after him.

• This. incident may he taken as typical of the alarms that are being given: The police cannot afford to ignore them, and they are continually being sent on wild-goose chases. It is most irritating as well as most wearisome work.

A CANARD

REFLECTIONS ON THE POLICE REFUTED. It is customary to decry the efforts of the police "at such times as the present, and a rank injustice is sometimes done in consequence. As a matter of fact, the police have a most difficult task ahead of them to recapture a man like Powelka, who knows the place thoroughly, who is extremely active, and who is suspected of having sympathisers in the locality. A statement has been published to.the effect that Sub-Inspector O'Donovan- has issued arms to civilians without a proper regard to the class of persons to whom they were issued. We have taken steps to ascertain definitely whether there, is any truth in this assertion, and we find it to be quite unfounded. Instead of issuing firoarms to civilians, the sub-inspector took qnite the contrary course, and warned civilians, of tho danger of carrying weapons.. He has condemned it throughout the search for Pow.elka.