SHOTS IN THE DARK

Taranaki Daily News, 25 July 1931, Page 9

SHOTS IN THE DARK

SUPPOSED THIEF KILLED. BELL SOUNDS THE ALARM. There were draqiaiic scenes at a store at Seven Hills, 20 miles from Sydney, about 4 o’clock one morning last week, when Mr. Claudo William Davis shot dead a supposed thief who was trying to escape. Mr. Davis, who is the proprietor of a general store adjoining the railway station at Seven Hills, lives at his home about a quarter of a mile from the store, which is untenanted, at night. Fearing visits by night marauders, he had a burglar alarm installed in the store and connected with a bell in his home by wires.

About 4 a.m. he was awakened by the ringing of the burglar alarm, and, hurriedly throwing on some clothes and seizing a doubleffiarrelled shotgun, he rushed to tho store. He looked tn at the front of tho shop, saw a torch flashing in his office, and heard somebody mo-.ing about inside. Mr. Davis cautiously went to the rear of the shop and saw a large hole in tho wall, where about ten bricks had been removed. A man xvas standing alongside the hole. Mr. Davis levelled tho gun at him and told him to stand. Tho man surrendered. Mr. Davis took him round to tho front of the store and handed him over to hia son and brother-iix-loxv, who had rushed to the store on seeing Mr. Davis leave home. By this time tho men in the store had evidently become alarmed, and Mr. Davis got to the rear of the. premises again just in time to see a man running from the building. Ho levelled tho gon in tho darkness, fired, and heard tho man cry, “I’m shot; you’ve got me.” Then Mr, Davis went to the front again, and was told that there was another man in the store. Returning to tho rear, ho saw a man start from, the rear of the premises and run swiftly across a paddock. He fired twice at the fleeing form, but neither shot took effect. Tho man disappeared in the darkness. Mr. Davis was following tho man across the paddock when he stumbled over the body of a man who was on the point of death. He had received the full force of the shot in tho back. The man died shortly afterwards. The police and ambulance were notified, and the police wireless patrol car was notified that a man had escaped. Some time later the wireless patrol arrested a man in Globo as he was returning home on a motor-cycle.. He was taken to tho Parramatta police station and charged with breaking and entering. A search of the man whom Mr, Dayis had captured revealed that he was in possession of two jemmies, He was also taken to Parramatta police station and charged. The police made a search . of the store, and found a good deal of. disorder. A quantity of groceries, cigarettes and tobacco h - been packed up ready to bo taken away. The thieves had gained entry to the 'store by removing bricks in the Tear wall. They had made a hole nearly 2ft square, sufficient to allow a man to pass through.