EXPERIENCES WITH BURGLARS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVII, Issue XLVII, 9 March 1912, Page 1

EXPERIENCES WITH BURGLARS.

THRILLING ENCOUNTERS. Residents of Sydney and suburbs have ha<j an unenviable experience with burglars of late. The balcony of "ICsmeyville," Church street, Rand wick, was' early on themorning of February 26 the scene of thrilling nncounter between a burglar and a well-known city business man, Mr •T. J. Thompson, head of one of the departments of Alex. Cowan and Sons, wholesale stationers, 37 York-street. Shots were exchanged (6ays the "Sydney Sun"), but fortunately Mr Thompson was not struck while it is uncertain whether the intruder received either of the bullets fired at him. The affair was the most startling of all the frays which have of lrte been reported to the nolice as taking place between burglars and citizens, and the daring of the individuals wl ■> are at present operating in the cit" and suburbs was stronglv illustrated cn this occasion. If an old hand is not working the city, an apt pupil has come forward, and he is doing some particularly smart and audacious work. "Esrneyville" is a handsome residence •of 14 rooms, situated on a triangular block of land bounded by Church-street, luancis-street, and a road that has not yet received a name from the Randwick Council. Shortly after 2 a.m: Mr Thompson, wno occupies & balcony room awoke. He looked acrofs hie room and saw a man ransacking his wardrobe. He moved slightly in th e bed, and the burglar turned' quickly from the drawer he was working At, and hurriedly left the room and reached the balcony. Wide awake by this time, Mr Thompson jumped out of bed, procured a revolver, and loaded it. He worked ouietly, and when ready for any emergency "he walked on to the verandah.. In the darkness lie could see the figure of a man standing in fronC of the window of ■his neighbour, -and ho called out to him, ••Put up your hands-, or I fire." Jumping back from the window- the visitor saw that he was up against trouble, and he slipped along the balcony as quickly as he could. Mr Thompson was not to be denied, and taking aim he fired ,two snots aiter the retreating figure. _lne shots may or may not have taken effect, but anyhow, the man yelled out, ( ' Im. shot.; I'm shot. Don't fire again. Thinking that the intruder was seriously wounded, Mr Thompson approach- _ ed liim, and had just stepped to withm a few feet of the burglar when the latter rose quickly, and scaling the balcony rail, slid 20 feet down the iron support. He was crying out all the time that .he had been shot. He reached ground, dashed for a side fence, and jumping over, made his way across the lawn. • Then a surprise came for the inmates of the house. The sound of shots had .attracted their attention, and they. had rushed to the balconv, and were witnessinc the flight of the thief, when he turned round and fired three ehots at Mr Thompson and th e others assembled on the balcony. Fortunatelv. the shots missed their and no one was laid 10 The sound of shooting was heard all over the neighbourhood, and ia a-short time the residents in the immediate vi-. einity were astir and gazing timidly out of their windows. Senior-const ble and Constable M'Donald had heard the firinc, -and thev hastened .aloncr ChurchSt, but th. m»n tad They searched high and low for-the fellow, but not a ttsce of him could :be f °By d this time the inmates were busy examining their belongings W ther thev had lost- anything. It was discovered that Mrs H. Moore, the Wife of a squatter living at Walgett, had been robbed of a valuable wristlet watch studded with diamonds. The other victim was Mr Thompson, who was not out of bed quickly enough to prevent his being robbed of 23s i». silver. The Randwick police were nrised of the happening, and Detective Turbet, Sergeant M'Nally, and ' Con-.