ALLEGED THREAT WITH RIFLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20833, 27 September 1929, Page 9

ALLEGED THREAT WITH RIFLE

CHARGE OF ATTEMPTED ' MURDER. EXCITING INCIDENT IN HOTEL. . ■' \ . (Special to Daily Times.) CHRISTCHURCH, September 26. Piercing screams from a room in the Empire Hotel, High street, last night brought the. licensee (Mr Robinson) quickly to the door; of the room used by for changing. Buts ting open the. door it is stated that he beheld a,terrified young woman and a man holding a rifle. Mr Robinson, sizing up the, situation, dealt the man a blow with his fist and then clbsed with him /for possession; of the rifle. There was a violent struggle, at the end of which the licensee was in possession of the rifle arid the young man was making a quick exit down the hotel stairs arid out through the front door. The police hid a struggle when they made an arrest a'little later. The young woman, . Theresa Mary O’Neill, had been employed at the hotel as a. domestic for about a year. . She did not sleep op the premises last night. She finished her work about 7 o’clock. Some two hours later she had occasion to go into the domestics’ changing room on the first floor of the.'hotel. Soon afterwards a young , man came into the hotel. He was carrying a rifle, though ho managed to keep himself and the weapon unseen until he had opened the door of the, changing room. The woman became terrified hy his demeanour and screamed loudly.

It is believed that the woman and the man concerned had been on friendly terras for some time past, but that there! had been some recent disagreement between them.

In the Magistrate’s Court this morning Russell George M'Carthy, aged 23, / was, charged with the attempted murder of Theresa Mary O’Neill. ; The accused was represented by Mr W. F. Tracy. Detective Sergeant Young applied for a remand till Tuesday next, and this was granted.