"HANDS UP!"

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVIII, Issue 101, 1 May 1914, Page 2

"HANDS UP!"

LODGER ON THE SPREE.

"Hands up!" "Who's there?" was: the somewhat disconcerting greeting that Annie Elizabeth.Godfrey, a resident of Hobson Street, got at the head of the stairs in her house about 5.30 p.m. on Saturday, from a masked man who carried a revolver in his hand. Mrs Godfrey's nerves, however, were proof against such trifling surprises, for recognising the masked individual as a man who rented a room in the house, she just pushed past him and went into the kitchen, again. When she went to the door to empty the teapot, the man. with the revolver came behind her and stood over her, but said nothing, while when she returned to the kitchen, the masked face and hand clasping a revolver were thrust round the side of the door. A silent reconaissanc© of the kitchen scene was made by the masked man, but Mr Godfrey serenely refused to transfer his interest from tlie evening paper for any little interruption like that, and1 Mrs Godfrey calmly proceeded with her preparation for the evening meal, so the masked menace withdrew while Mr and Mi's: Godfrey had tea, and then went out for the evening. They returned home about* eleven o'clock to find,their lodger, Herbert Anderson, fast asleep on the kitchen floor with a revolver, loaded in two chambers, lying beside him, and a loose cartridge beside the revolver. "We took tihe matter seriously then," explained Mrs Godfrey to Mr Cuttien, S.M., on Moriday, when Anderson was charged with Having been drunk and with having assaulted his landlady by pointing a revolver at her.; Anderson—a stalwart young waterside worker—-said he got drunk on Saturday^ and he had no recollection at all of what Happened: afterwards. His Worship convicted Anderson, and cautioned him to leave drink alone altogether, since it played such, tricks with him. Inspector M'Grath: I think we had better keep the revolver for the present.

Hik Worship: Yes, you had better keep it • altogetihei'i