Outside The Window

NZ Truth, Issue 943, 22 December 1923, Page 6

Outside The Window

Chased By. Ex-Constable.

(From "Truth's" Hamilton Rep.)

For week the women, of Frankton have been suffering from a bad attack of nerves over the rumors of a man creeping about at night-time peeping m windows and watching the inmates preparing for bed. As a consequence the men of the neighborhood have been taking it m turns by parties to keep watch m certain localities which the nocturnal visitor was supposed to frequent most. Their vigil was unrewarded, although the quarry was recently run to earth by one of the residents, named Bert Mullins, an exconstable, who now follows the occupation of carrier. Mullins and his wife were about to retire and had left their window open and blind up on account of the warmness of the night. Their house stood about 200 yards from the road and both were preparing to undress when Mrs. Mullins heard a. noise outside the window. She informed her husband, who left the room m a casual sort of manner, and then made his way quietly to tho front door. On opening it he saw a man leaning against a post outside the window on the of • side of the fence. The man bolted seeing Mullins, who SET OFF IN CHASE. Both struck an obstruction and fell, but the quarry was eventually overtaken m Norton Road. He proved to be a young man named Mervin Ransom, who was true to his name, for with the ex-constable m chase Martin verily ran some. He denied that he had been "peeping." Mullins got an arm hold on to him and took him along to another dwelling where, m answer to a signal from the lady of the house, men came running from all directions where they had been m hiding. Ransom was placed m tho hands of the police and ho was produced before Mr. H. A. Young, S.M., at the Hamilton Court later. Here he was shown to he a worker m the Dairy Company's tin manufactory at Frankton. A short young man of 23 years of age, he was charged with being a rogue and vagabond and with being found on enclosed premises at nighttime without lawful excuse. Lawyer Wally King, however, held that accused could not be described as a vagrant as he had a permanent job, while he had a considerable sunt of money m the bank and had a share m his father's farm at Bunnythorpe. Neither had it been shown that he was on enclosed premises, for the land on which ho was found was without a fence, and ihe Act was peculiar m this respect. His Worship said that from the evidence given by Mr. Mullins and Constable Warnford he had not THE SLIGHTEST DOUBT that defendant was the man who had been spying into people's windows for the purpose of watching them go to bed. He could not, however, convict him of vagrancy, and as the evidence had not proved that he was on enclosed premises he could not be convicted of that charge either. It was, however, with the greatest reluctance that he discharged defendant. At the same time he warned him that, unless he stopped this habit of spying through bedroom windows he would land himself m gaol sooner or later. ,