MAN ON THE ROOF.

Mataura Ensign, 22 April 1913, Page 5

MAN ON THE ROOF.

* _ | OUTWITS 10 POLICEMEN. RKSOI'KCKI'TL SHOiM'.KKAKKK. At Carlton .Melbourne) the other morning a resourceful shopbreaker succeeded in outwitting eight policemen and two detectives who had surrounded a building, to the roof of which he had repaired for the purpose of following his avocation. .Messrs Rail and Welch. Ltd., ( have e:> :ensive promises in Farraday Street, C, rlton, with outlets to Drunmoml a:nl l' ivorsity Screets. The ground lioor of t: • premises is let to various tenants, tl.o Farraday Street frontage consisting of shops. At (5 o'clock in the morning the wife of the proprietor of a shirt factory conducted in the building made the discovery that a portmanteau well filled with goods of a costly nature was being lowered from the roof of .the building by means of a rope. On making a.j quiet* investigation she further discovered that two men were stationed on the roof, and she deemed it necessary to summon the police. In a. very short space of time the eight policemen and two detectives put in an appearance to find that one man bad escaped. They held a council of war, and while some of the atiacking force were posted at various points others went inside the building bent on reaching the roof. They got there in due time, only to find that their man had departed. They hastily descended, and learned that none of the men had seem the fugitive leave the premises. Further investigations disclosed the fact that same neighbors saw a man answering the description of the shop-breaker walk quietly out of the, front door of one of the shops facing Farraday Street and stroll down the street.

Later the police discovered that the man, while roaming about the roof, found himself at a point a little over 20ft. from the ground. On the ground at the spot was a stack of osiers, and. realising the seriousness of the situation, the man staked his freedom on the osiers, and took a jump. Ho landed on the springy willow sticks, and tic y broke his fall. The occupier of the backyard into which, the man jumped is a basketmaker, and he, ignorant* of the fact that a shop-breaker had been discovered at work practically over his head, :md utterly oblivious of the presence, of the 1.0 policemen doing their best to effect a capture, appeared on the scene and inquired of the intruder if he were hurt. The man said he had injured his arm and his head, and he offered apologies for his trespass. Believing that the man had spent the night at the Carlton Club, which also is in the building and situated above his shop, the basketmaker saw no reason to detain the man, and he conducted him to the front door and showed him out. There were no policemen stationed at this particular door, and the shopbreaker, taking advantage of the tion; bade the basketmaker good morning, and departed. . Later 10 disgusted policemen moved off from the scene, leaving behind a very much surprised basketmaker. It is stated that the shop-breakers did n«t succeed in getting away with any goods.