A CONSTABLE SHOOTS A BURGLAR. (Dunedin Star's Melbourne correspondent)

North Otago Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 7273, 22 October 1891, Page 4

A CONSTABLE SHOOTS A BURGLAR. ( Dunedin Star's Melbourne correspondent)

(Continual /rom ithpags.)

jure thewi And aloe**. Over and over the tiro men rolled, eaoh alter* nately uppermost, and all the while Dtrngey felt the Frenohman gradually foroing hii wrist baok, and saw the mauls of the revolver gradually falling into line with hii own body. Desperately as he struggled, he ooald do little, and it was more by good for* tone than by main strength that, ai the Frenchman palled tho trigger, the pistol barrel wai dashed up, and the ballet went flying harmlessly away into Bpaoe. It wai with horror that Duogey refleoted that the ball wai only one out of six, and that his strength was rapidly failing him. Again he was undermost, hio antagonist lying across his body and grappling for the revolver. Then there was a flash and a report, and Dungey lost oonßoiousness, When he reoovered night was Ulling. Everything was quite still, and his body was still pressed down by a heayy weight. Aoross him, where he bad lain before the isoond frhot was fired, lay the Frenohman, but quite dead. The great Webley bullet had penetrated the nape of the neck, nnd found a passage out above the left eyebrow, making a ghastly wound, from which the blood was fltill flowing. Siok and exhausted, Dungey staggered to his feet and made the best of his way to a settler* house and reported what had ooourred. An inquest wai opened yesterday, but had to be ad< journed owing to tbe diitriot ooroner Having fallen under tho influeooe of the influenza fiend.

An exciting incident occurred last week at Yarra Glen, a constable finding it necessary, in n hand-to-hand struggle with a burglar, to use hia revolver in order to save bis own life. For some time back houses have been broken into and robbed in the Henlesville district, in which Yarra Glen is situated, and it came to the knowledge of the police that one who was playin" a leading part in the burglaries was a Frenchman, who went by the name of • Joe.' It is suspected that he was a liberice from New Caledonia. The man was traced by the police as hay ing sojourned in different localities, and on Friday last Senior-constable Dungey, cf Elthara, ran him to earth at Muddy Creek (near Yarra Glen). Unfortunately the constable wns alone ab the time, and he had to cope with a daring criminal single-handed, with the result already indicated. A chance might, however, have resulted in the murder of the constable, instead of the well merited homicide of a dnngeroua criminal. Muddy Creek is in a very' wild piece of country, known as the ' Goige.' Constable Dungey had been riding alone for about two miles, when a man, who turned oui to be « Joe,' came suddenly down the mountain's side, and seeing a horseman in plain clothes, but with a military seat, made as though he would have ruu back into the bush. The constable was prompt to act. Drawing hie revolver he covert the man, and called oui: 'I'm a policeman. Don't move, or I'll shoot you. I want to ask you a question or two. What's your name?' The man answered in broken English * Vo Joe,' and Dungey, satisßed that ho had lighted upon the true criminal, threw bis handcuffs at the man's fnet' and ordered him to put them on. This the Frenchman did, but instead of clasping them he watched his chance, and suddenly throwing the irons away made for the creek. Jbe constable was off bis horse in a moment, and, being fleeter of foot, caught his man after a hundred yards' run, and peroimded him, at the revolver's point, to allow his wrists to bo strapped with the trooper's waist belt. Hampered by his levolver, which he still held, l imgey found this a somewhat awkward job, and before the fastening could be made cecure his prisoner suddenly wrested his arm free, and grasping at tho revolver threw himself upon the constable. In such a strugple as now commenced the advantage was altogether with the criminal. A tall man, but of slight build, Dungey was no match for his robust antagonist, who, though of medium height, was powerfully developed, and weighed at leas' a stone heavier. Both men had i a grip of the revolver, and the conflict therefore resolved itself into one of

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