DETONATOR IN MOUTH

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19365, 1 July 1937, Page 9

DETONATOR IN MOUTH

CHILD ESCAPES DEATH THEFT ALLEGATION'S THREE BOVS CHARGED (Per Pros* Association.) WELLINGTON, last night. The danger of playing with detonators was stressed 0y Mr. H. I*. La wry, 5.1V1., in the Children’s Court at Petone to-day, when a boy was charged with two others who will appear to-morrow, wijh the theft of 200 detonators and also with the theft of eight sticks of gelignite on one day and six sticllcs of gelignite on another day. In all, four charges of theft were made against the' boy find one charge of mischief. Another boy appeared on two charges of theft. Detective F. N. Robinson said that the boy and two others stole the gelignite and the detonators from the Gracefleld quarry, by breaking Into a concrete magazine. They emptied the powder out of the detonators and threw stones until the powder exploded. One of the boys threw away some of the detonators, which were found by young children. A man came to the police station and said that lie found his child with a detonator in his mouth. He took the detonator away from the child and threw it in the fire, and then there was an explosion. The magistrate said the boys might have been killed, and the detonators were capable of blowing up the house. The child who had a detonator in his mouth might have had his head blown off, as biting a detonator would explode it. The child was lucky to be alive. The boys, who were first offenders, were admonished and discharged, and ordered to make restitution.