BATTLE WITH BURGLARS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 109, 28 October 1911, Page 9

BATTLE WITH BURGLARS.

POLICK .\.\l) ORIMI'XA.LS KIUIIT i.\ TILE DARK. FIVK PRISONERS. Berlin, September 3. An exciting battle, in which revolvers were freely used on both sides, took place in the early hours of yesterdav morning between the police and'a dangerous giint; of housebreakers in the Mullertrasse, one of the principal streets of Northern Berlin. Tho police received secret information that- an .attempt was to lie made to rob the offices of Messrs. Kuhn, builders and contractors. As it was the end of the mouth, several thousands of pounds in wtw» and mil were Known to be in the safes. The building is which the firm's premises are situated is one of tht usual type of the apartment houses of Jierlin, built iu tile form of a square round an inner courtyard. The upper floors are used as residential flats, while I die ground ilnors and cellars are business premises. Messrs. Kuhn's place is on the ground floor at the rear of the building, and access to their oll'ices is obtained In crossing the courtyard from the outer door opening on tiie street. .Shortly after midnight Police Commissioner Weiland, with right men, proceeded to the Mullertrasse and took up observation posls opposite No. 172. After nearly three hours' wait, the expected house-breakers put in an appearance and came along the street singly. The watching constables (ivst saw a 1111111 open the outer door with a skeleton key or pick lock, and disappear into the courtyard leaving the door unclosed behind 'him! One after another, four men walked up the, street and disappeared through the open door. After allowing them a few minutes in winch to get busy the police crept silently into the courtyard. At first nothing was visible in the semi-darkness. Then they saw a Mash of light in one of the windows of Kuhn's offices on the other side of the yard. Almost simultaneously their presence was discovered by one of the robbers, who was keeping wa,tch from the windows. Oil his cry of alarm four men behind him in the 'room who, working by the occasional light of pocket; lamps, had already opened one of the safes, immediately stopped work, and, rushing to the windows, opened a fusilaAe with pistols on the police in the courtyard. The police returned the fire, and for some minutes a regular battl* raged.

liming this ev.-h;i the polici- had ;t

iiilvaiila^, fur, -landing in tliu • lark coiirtynrii, they were invisible to liir jobber-'. v.!:.- roni inually exposed I boil- own position by means of tinpocket, Hash-lights. Xone of the constables were hit. Finally Weiland sent some of his men into the building while tin' remainder kept up a Tiro from the courtyard to distract the robbers' atten tion.

As a party of constables, pistols in hand, broke into the room and ruslied upon the jtjhjo:, who were still firing from tbe windows into the courtyard, the burglars became p-.miestrie.kon, and, dashing to the other side -of the rriom, jumped blindly through the plate-glass windows looking on the goods .yard in which the building material is stored.

They were followed by the police, and the battle was continued in .semi-dark-ness. Two of the robbers were seen to full from the tire of police pistols, and were easily captured. One of them is dangerously wounded. Two others, seeing that the odds against them were now over-powering, threw away their weapons and made a last desperate attempt to escape, but were also secured. A fifth man. after some search, was discovered hiding in a cupboard, and gave himself up without trouble.

The noise of firing, shouting, and the crash of sin; ishing glass awakened the occupants of the flats above, and the window were crowded with excited' people in night attire, watching tlm affray. Kuhn's offices and.goods vard afterwards looked like a battlefield. Each of the robbers had been more or less cut while jumping through t\|e glass windows, arid the ground was covered with pools of blood, in which fragments of broken glass and torn clothing were lying. One of the police was also severely cut while attempting to prevent the escape of one of the robbers through the ivindows.