CAUGHT RED-HANDED.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XVIII, Issue 1856, 1 September 1923, Page 5

CAUGHT RED-HANDED.

BURGLAR’S SENSATIONAL ESCAPE.

DIVES THROUGH BROKEN WINDOW.

During the past seven weeks repeated attempts have been made to break into the premises of Mr J. Nicholls, Rora Street, and despite the utmost vigilance of the police, the culprit, a well-known local Maori, escaped detection until an early hour this morning, when he was caught red-handed by Constable Marks, of Ngaruawahia, who was specially detailed' for the duty of running the miscreant to earth.

It appears that at about 4.20 a.m. Constable Marks, whilst watching the back premises of Mr Nicholl’s shop, saw a man effect an entrance and make his way to the safe, which he attempted to break open. The constable followed up behind, and after a short scuffle, knocked the man out, and went to the telephone to ring the police station. Whilst the constable was getting a connection, the culprit suddenly recovered consciousness, hurled a wooden object through a window, and followed it with a headlong dive through the broken pane, effecting a sensational escape.

A chase was at once instituted, and this morning Sergeant Fearnley left for the Otorohanga district, where the accused is supposed to be hiding. The police do not expect any difficulty in apprehending the escapee, and expect to effect his capture in the course of a day or two.