AT MIDNIGHT

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXII, Issue 12529, 15 April 1935, Page 3

AT MIDNIGHT

• COINCIDENCE AS CLOCK smik.Es. LONELY CHRISTCHURCH HOUSE J . SHOCK FOR POLICEMEN Police work offers its highlights of adventure and danger in fact as well as. fiction, and members of the Christchurch force, have had 1 experiences which, if found within, the pages of a novel, might be thought incredible —experiences,- ,'which istrain chance and' coincidence to toe uttermost,.; and, often enough, remain, unrevea]e. c ] when cases come to Court, since they are not material- to the evidence. An extraordinary case of coinetdeneo, for example, was an affair at an (id, deserted house in St. Martin’s, a place surrounded by trees and 1 shrubbery, a- belt of tangled wood land. It happened several years ago but it is still worth recounting. One day, carpenters wore sent- down to the hopsc\ to make some repairs. In the course of their work, they; opened a. cupboard 1 , which, they found contained a considerable quantity of tobacco. ■ This discovery was reported to the police and 'n detective was assigned to the investigation. He thought the matter over, and! decided that it would he profitable to keep a watch ou the house. As companion he took n. constable, end went down to Si. Martins in the evening. Tt should he mentioned that *t this time Christchurch iwns suffering something of an epidemic of safeblowings. WATCH WITH AUTOMATIC Reaching the isolated house, the detective studied the place, and formulated his plan of action. If, was desirable to watch both the inside aPrl the outside of the house. Tlio detective had an, airtomatfic, the constahlo a baton, It was decided that the man who remained in the houso should take the .cun', while the man whose task it would be to patrol the garden and the boH of trees, must content himself with the baton. Tho nrnied constable took tho ?n----sido watchv and the detective loft the houso to begin his lonclv patrol. Tho men had food and a. ash of hot tea with them. Some means had to he devised of ensuring that the detective, when he wanted a drink and something to eat, conhl himself enter with safety that, dark and gloomy house. Therefore it was a greed that at mPdiright preeifiol v. the dMtoclfV’P would come into the houso. TTere was laid the foundation of coincidence. For some hours the detective moved discreetly about amon.ee the trees and hushes, every now and then working down to the road 1 and looking up it, and down. A Mho before midnight, he shaped his course through the darkness toward I ho hack door of the house. ONE MAN AGAINST THREE He was within a yard' of the door when he heard, the click of the latch on the garden gate. It was dark of course but not fall dark. The detective, in t'n.nt queer twilight, saw three forms advancing along the patch toward the house. They were all big men he could observe that much; and they, muttered together as they walked. Futile for one man to tackle three The detective hytze where he stood, luckily in adequate conceahnent. The three men moved up to the door, and as their leader opened it. the detective heard a- distant clock strike —12 strokes—midnight! Inside the house was the constable expecting lira companion to visit him at midnight. At midnight, the three unknown' men pushed' open • the door and walked into the passage. And the detective and the constable were a- divided force, and a force, of which one haw might become a- negligible factor, through surprise. . . The detective adopted the only wise course he could. As the last upf the three big men entered the house, the police officer stepped in behind him, and at such close quarters brought up the tail of the procession that groped its way along the passage. . . by putting out a band, he coufrl have touched the unwitting intruder immediately in his lead. GRIM ACTION THREATENS Coined deneo —the coincidence tof that midnight entry was over now, and grim action threatening. The constable heard the door of his room open. Thinking that it was the detective, he passed somo re mark., The unknown three stiffened with alarm, exclaiming. The constable flashed on -his torch -—and .'found 'Confronting him, not t'ho detective, hut a, husky hard-case with two others peering over tins man’s shoulder. Stung with the shook of surprise, the constable, wondering what had happened to the detective, yelled out for him. In that next instant, the group was posed in the flashlight glare—and then the detective acted. He rammed the narrow end of his truncheon into the hack of tho nearest man, and snapped: "Stick ’em up!” They ‘'stuck them up.” The detective hauled down two arms, and 'the wri'sfst ftogeiher. Then the third man was dealt with. And that, for the time, was that. There were no taxis about at that hour, and no telephone available. So the deibeitive and the 'Constable started to march their captives toward the city. On the way, there was some recrimination among the men. allegations that someone had "sold” the .others,, and a fight began. But the two officers hr-oU P it up, anrl eventually brought the trio to the police station, .. . /A ,' ~' One of the three was recognised, a known crook. He as examined, and (Bvientually returned! to the house, with, ille detective. They travelled in a taxi,, The detective escorted the prisoner tfe house—and on the floor 3y-

ing a fourth member of the gang I Another predicament—hut tho detective, with a wary eye mi his Original captive, prodded the sleeper urgently in the ribs, invited him to arise, and had him handcuffed before he hap rid himself of drowsiness. The problem of disposing of this man was settled by handcuffing him to the wheel of the taxi, under the eye of the driver, while the detec, tive began a search which ended in the discovery of a, quantity of gelignite near/the house, at the Regent. The strength and 1 saically enough for so curious a drama;-