MURDERED BY BURGLAR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20988, 26 September 1931, Page 12

MURDERED BY BURGLAR

DESPERATE CRIMINAL'S ACT.

REVOLVER POINTED AT HEART.

COURAGEOUS MAN'S END. [from our own correspondent.] EQJDNEY. Sept. 17. The murder of Mr. Arthur Brennan outside his borne in Rowe Street, Clifton Ilill, Melbourne, on Saturday night last was a particularly brutal affair. It was made all tbo more poignant by the fact that Mr. Brennan had gone to the assistance of his neighbours. For some years past there had been an arrangement between the two families that if either was frightened at night they should knock on the: dividing wall and so obtain help. A family named Power lived next to the Brennan?, and on Saturday night Miss Norah Power was in the house alone. She heard the front door bell ring three times, and then heard a man walk along the front verandah to a bedroom window. Miss Power did intend to open the front door as she was expecting her niece, but when she saw a figure move away from the leadlight she changed her mind and decided to knock for help. It was a fatal knock.

As soon as Miss Power heard the door in Mr. Brennan's house opened she opened her own door, and, confronting the stranger, asked him what ho wanted. He muttered some reply in a deep voice. Meanwhile Mr. Brennan had gone to the iron railing separating the two houses, and, leaning over, asked the man what his business was. The intruder replied softly, "I haven't done anything," but Miss Power had gone to the window and she cried out that there were marks 011 it indicating that an attempt had been made to force it. The man made a move to rush out of the gate, and Brennan, rushing out of his own gate, made a move to intercept him. Mr. Brennan lost no time and in tHe street he seized the stranger, who, all the time had kept his hand in his overcoat pocket. Suddenly the man whipped his hand out of his pocket and pointing a revolver at Mr. Brennan's heart, fired. On his part there had not been the slightest hesitation. _ It was evident that he had meant to kill. Mr. Brennan collapsed immediately, and the man made off down a lane and escaped. Miss Power, who had seen the whole incident, which had occupied only a few seconds, screamed for help, and several neighbours rushed to the scene, (.me of these picked up Mr. Brennan, who gasped, "My God, he has shot me. Ho then lapsed into unconsciousness and he was dead before a doctor arrived. Miss Power, who was greatly upset by the tragedy, was able to give the detectives a very good description of the burglar. After an all-day search on Sunday an empty revolver case was found in the Power family's garden, and most important of all, fingerprints were discovered on the window, an attempt to force which had been made.