A TIRAU SENSATION

Waipa Post, Volume 48, Issue 3469, 22 May 1934, Page 5

A TIRAU SENSATION

STOREKEEPER ASSAULTED BY TWO MEN. EARLIER RAID ON SHOP. (By.. Telegraph. Press Association.) MATAMATA, * this day. F.ollowirig-a-n unsuccessful attempt to remove a safe from the shop of Mr S. J. Bear, butcher, of Tirau, shortly before eight o’clock last night a "violent attack was made an hour and ahalf later upon Mh( Frank Rose, general storekeeper by two young men, who struck him repeatedly over the head, apparently with a butcher’s steel, and then ran away, leaving the steel and a chopper. M]r. Rose suffered severe scalp injuries. ■ Ah intensive search of the surrounding country by police and civilians wjjs in progress early this morning but no arrests had been made. Burglars forced an entrance to Mr Bear’s shop through the back door and then broke open the dooi' of the office. They removed the safe, lifting it on to the front counter. They next broke open the front door with the object, it is suggested, of taking the safe away. At this stage however, they were disturbed and left through the back doer. The front door was found open by Mr J. R. Lockhead, solicitor, who was passing. About 9.30 Mr Rose drove, his car to his house, which is some distance from the centre of the township, and had just locked the car in its shed when he saw two strange men loitering on the road. Having heard of the attempted bilrglary and being suspicious of their behaviour, he accosted the men. One of them thereupon struck him a violent blow on the head with some instrument and followed it with other blows, felling him to the ground. The men.thereupon tried to gag Mr Rose, by forcing a handkerchief into his mouth, but he succeeded in shouting loudly for help. A garage attendant and others came quickly to the scene and found Mr Rose with wounds on the head. On the ground beside him were a butcher’s :steel and chopper, which were later identified a s having been taken from Mr Bear’s shop, a pair of slippers and a handkerchief. Mr Rose stated that his assailants had run away in the direction of Rotorua! Jand that apparently they were slightly-built youths. He then collapsed. All the available cars wore soon mustered and the rjoads leading out of the township were scoured systematically for miles under the direction of Mr M. E. Fitzgerald, county engineer. The police at Putaruru, Matamata, Cambridge, and Rotorua were notified by telephone and arrangements were made to have all roads blocked. The search was still proceeding at a late hour. Mr Rose was attended by Dr J. T. Laurenson, and latdj his condition showed some improvement. The Te Awamutu police were notified this morning that' during last night a motor-car was stolen from Putaruru, and it is' believed the men implicated in the assault at Tirau are concerned. The description given of the car is that it is a Chevrolet, five-seater, six-cylinder, No. 94,750 and is enamelled in a blue colour. The police would be glad of any information leading to its recovery.