LOUIS HART CAUGHT

Evening Star, Issue 18668, 24 June 1924, Page 2

LOUIS HART CAUGHT

ITOTOEIOUS ESCAPES. DESPERATE ATTEMPT AT STJICrDE, Louis Hart, the elusive housebreaker, who escaped from the Criminal Appeals : Court over a fortnight ago, was recap- : tureil i'.i sensational circumstances at 1 Pambula, on the South Coast (writes the i Sydney correspondent of the Auckland | ‘Star ’). | Hart is reported to have been seen at i various places in the suburbs ever since ' his escape, and the police believed at the ; time, and are still under the impression, . that he robbed several houses to pet sin'll- 1 dent capital to finance a trip from the ; Stale. | Last Friday (6th test.) ho wrote to a i newspaper, his letter Hearing the Manly | postmark. His signature Was verified, and police activities were renewed in the city i and suburbs as a result. But on Wednes- I d'.y afternoon word was received that ’ Hi;! was on the South Coast, and urgent v. bos were sent to all police stations, bate at night lie was arrested at Pam* buia. The story of his movements during the two days previous to the arrest show how | daring he really is, as he moved about quite openly. On Monday he fraternised with a commercial traveller, stating that he was a representative of a Sydney firm doing business on the South Coast. The traveller welcomed his company on the lonely journeys, and they visited several (owns together. Ilart cashed several cheques, ail valueless, and apparently enjoyed himsoli immensely. WEARING GLASSES. Tic was wearing dark glasses, effectually hiding the fact that his right eye was almost closed. It was not until they reached Cobargo that anyone had the sli-jhtest suspicion Mint, the traveller’s companion was not what lio represented himself to be. TTe was being shaved by a local barber when the latter noticed the sore eye. He asked him some questions, which Hart answered evasively. Thinking over the matter later, while he was reading a nows, paper, the barber noticed the resemblance between his recent customer and the picture of Hart, fie communicated Isis suspicions to the police, and this, coming on top of the telegram from Sydney, put them on the alert. By til at time Hart had gone on to Bcga. where he changed his glasses at a local optician’s, and had left that place for Pambula. Police inquiries convinced them tint he was none other than Hart, and they attempted to telephone the Pambula station. The telegraph offices were closed at that time, and the only person in Pambula they could raise was Dr Trcnerry, the Government medical officer. He relayed the message to the police, and they visited the Roval Hotel. Knocking at a door, they induced Hart to open it, and he was arrested without a struggle. Ills overcoat, containing a revolver loaded in three chambers, was in the bar room downstairs.

Previous to his arrest ITart had conversed quite freely with the men at the hotel, and had attended a danoo at the School of Arts, at which the police were present, without anvono suspecting him to be the notorious Hart. He was locked up for the night in a ceil, after having been searched and divested of everything with which it might reasonably be expected ho might injure himself, for the police had his own statement that ho would attempt suicide rather than return to prison. LAST EFFORT. Fortunately it was decided fo mount guard over his cell, for during the night ho bit through the artery in each arm in a last desperate effort to end his life. A policeman rushed into the cell and overpowered him, and, though he lost a considerable ou-antily of blood. Hart’s wounds were bound up by Dr Trcucrry without his purpose having been achieved. However, he tore the bandages away as soon as the doctor’s Back was turned, and eventually it was found necessary to place him in a strait-jacket. He passed the remainder of the night quietly, and in the morning was adjudged in a fit condition to commence the long journey lo Sydney. No risks were taken with Hart, even in his weakened state, and three policemen accompanied him in a motor car lo Nimmitabel, where ho was placed aboard the Coorna mail train for Sydney. He reached the city on Friday morning.