PLAYING AT WAR

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 February 1920, Page 5

PLAYING AT WAR

YOUTHS IN TROUBLE. ' ' TO COBDEN INCIDENT. | With a few days of the Xmas boll I days stilt to run, five Cobden lads I under 15 years of age, decided to j amuse themselves on the Cobden j Butts with 6 rifles and 2600 rounds jof ammunition. Not possessing the ; required skeleton key they found that an axe, used in th e right way, would also* open the ammunition storeroom doors, so before long they fixed their* eyes on more, rifles and ammunition than they desired to carry away. How many, of the 2600 rounds would have been used in practice before the “outlaws’’ started “winging” one another is not known', but before long the police had the matter in hand. With the police on the trail the idea of snooting off the guns lost a. lot of its joys so the lads hid the booty and spent a few days fear and trembling. No doubt watching the police at work from ; behind trees and shrub. When

the leader was rim to earth he told of large supplies of ammunition he had found, thinking it unworthy of mention, that ho found the spoils in the same place he had hidden them. Bilt ‘after the day there’s a price to pay,” arid for this reason five youths met the Magistrate in his room yesterday -morning, Mr. Bavratt, Cobden schoolmaster, said all the Boys had good characters, and, previously had always amused themselves in orthodox ways. As the rifles had’ been recovered with most of the ammuuitlori, and 15/s received to repair the broken door the lads were cautioned, and discharged. " T*e; lads were ordered that in future they should be inside before 6 p.-m. in the Winter and 7 p.m, in the Summer unless, in the company of parents or adults. The most unkindest cut of all was no pictures for twelve months on any condition.