FALSE ALARM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16833, 8 September 1922, Page 9

FALSE ALARM.

CLOCK AS BURGLAR. A DUNEDIN INCIDENT. (Special to the “Star.”) DUNEDIN, September 7. To be awakened from a warm bed at four o'clock in the morning by a disturbance on the verandah, and on going to the front door to have a policeman’s lantern flashed full in your face, is not the sort of experience to put the l>est-teiupered of men in good humour. Then when a voice emerging from the darkness behind tho light informs you that your shop is being broken into, and that your immediate presence is desired “ down town.” it is not the sort of statement to act as a sedative to your already jangled nerves. The tableau described above was the experience of a local shopkeeper one night, or rather early one morning, during the present week. It was also the first act in what turned out to b? a pleasant little comedy. " Suspicious noises were heard in your shop a little while ago.” said the voice from the darkness, “and the sergeant wants you to bring down the keys ami open the door. We have surrounded the place, so that if there is anyone inside he cannot escape." A suggestion from the shopkeeper, shirering on his doorstep, that in view of the encircling cordon of police the prisoner would he safe till the morning. - proved without avail, and. accepting the inevitable, the owner of the shop made a hasty toilet, got out his car. and soon arrived at the scene of the supposed burglary. A moment's inspection showed him that liis nocturnal caller had not exaggerated the elaborate precautions taken by the guardian.s of the law to ensure that the thief, so far from getting away with the swag, would not even he able to make good his own escape. Two stalwart constables had scaled an iron gat* leading to the back of the premise.*;, and were maintaining a vigilant watch there. Two others had established themselves at the front entrance, and rho sergeant was patrolling round outside for the purpose of keeping tho whole of his very complete arrangements tinder a supervising eye. The opening of the floor and the discovery of the thief. The lock was turned, and in trooped the sergeant, two oi tho constables and the shopkeeper. Not. a sound was heard. Nothing had been disturbed or displaced. Everything in and about the. shop was cs neat and orderly as when the place bad been closed at six o’clock. Then tho explanation dawned on the owner. Ho it appears, something of an inventor, and being of an econ >- mica-1 turn of mind, he did not see the force of having his shop lights burning all night. So he manufactured a contrivance that had the effect of ex tingui shing the lights at a certain hour. The device consists of an old alarm chick, which is set for a certain hour. The ringing of a bell loosens a pin, and the removal of the pin brings down a weight, which disconnects the circuit. The only thing wrong with the contrivance is that its working is accompanied by a noise, or lather by a series of varying noises, and it was this combination of sounds which attracted the attention of a tigilant constable on the beat, and led several other members of the for<*» to believe that at last they had succeeded in tracking do*m one of the authors of recent burglaries in various parts of the city. Apart altogether from its humorous aspect, (he incident throws into relict the vigilance of the police, and the shopkeeper non .sleeps soundly at nights, knowing that 1m premises are under safe watoll!