The Enmore Stone-throwing Mystery.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XIX, Issue 5953, 24 May 1894, Page 4

The Enmore Stone-throwing Mystery.

REPETITION OF THE ATTACK. CROWDS OF CURIOUS SPECTATORS. Sydjjey. May 12. The mysterious attacks on the houses at Charles street, Ertmore, continue, and every effort put forth by a large staff of the police has been so far baffled. The attack was commenced about 5 o'clock in the evening. At first no notice was taken of it by the inmates, who were under the impression that it was the work of some boys ; but on Sunday a fairly continual line of fire was kept up, the missiles being thrown at short intervals. Senior-con-stable Bennett and a railway porter named M'Cann, whose houses were first attacked, endeavored, by careful watching, to obtain a clue to the perpetrators of the deed, but without success. On Monday, as the throwing continued, the landlord of the terrace, a resident of Cambelltown, gave information to the police at Newtown, who at once took the matter in hand, and have since made every effort to reach the perpetrators, but without success, for, notwithstanding that several plain-clothes constables are daily stationed in various elevated positions commanding a full view of the whole of the surroundings, the work of stone-throwing continues. The general opinion is that a machine is used for the purpose, but the police are of a different opinion. A remarkable feature is that the houses selected for the attack are the most secluded by means of trees in the back yard of any in the terrace, and the miscreants have selected the dining-room window of Mr M'Cann's house and the kitchen window of Mr Hurcombe's house as targets, and as Sergeant Bradley, who has charge of the case, said during a conversation with a representative of the Herald, a more difficult target could not have been chosen. In front of the window of Mr M'Cann's dining-room, which has been wrecked by the bombardment, is a bamboo tree, almost hiding the window from view In addition to that there is a large tree growing in the centre of the yard, which makes it impossible, standing in the lane at the rear of the premises, to see the window. Yesterday afternoon this window was blocked by a sheet of iron to the height of three parts of the way up the window, leaving a space of about 14 inches between the top of the iron and the top of the window, which space is covered on the inside with bags, and at this most difficult spot to reach the stones are generally successfully aimed. Yesterday afternoon the scene of the attack was changed, and the kitchen window of Mr Hurcombe's house was made the target, as also the kitchen door of M'Cann's house, through which latter opening a piece of blue metal about 3in in diameter came with a crash. This happened about 3 o'clock, when the police were secretly stationed in their different positions possessing a fall view of the only direction from which the missile could come. Large numbers of people were about at the time, and yet no one seemed to know where the stone came from. The stones are generally thrown about 7 a.m., 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and about 6 or 7 o'clock in the evening, although occasionally they are thrown at other periods of the day. Mr M'Cann, who has been made the victim of most of the outrage, and his family are ereatly upsefc about the matter, and during a conversation yesterday Mr M'Cann said he could not account for it in any way. He had no grievance with any of his neighbors, being on the best of terms with them all. In fact, he had only recently come to live on that side of the street. The whole affair has created quite a sensation, not only among the residents, but a continual stream of people are going to and from the scene of the mystery, coming in vehicles and by train, from all parts. Last evening, about 8 o'clock, there could not have been less-than between 800 and 900 persons present at one time. The police assert this to be the most difficult task they have had in hand for some time. Stones were thrown about 8 o'clock last evening, when the crowd was sfc its height, but after that things seamed quiets -