MIDNIGHT ROOF CHASE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19783, 5 March 1927, Page 2

MIDNIGHT ROOF CHASE

THREE MEN ARRESTED ONE FALLS FIFTEEN FEET. The premises of Messrs Hampton, the furnishers, of Pall-mall, London, were entered shortly after midnight recently, and between then and two o’clock an exciting chase over roofs took place, which resulted in the arrest of three men, one of whom was taken to Char-ing-cross Hospital with a broken ankle, while the other two were detained at Vine Street Police Station. A man who works in a neighbouring garage saw a taxi drawing up at the entrance to Messrs Hampton’s premises in St. Martin’s Street, a small thoroughfare leading from Whitcombe Street to Orange Street. According to his statement. three men alighted and let themselves in with a key. He ran round to the entrance at which he knew he could get in touch with the night watchman, Mr Knight. The latter called a policeman, asked him to keep watch at the back door by which the men were said to have entered, and then telephoned to Vine Street. A force of over a score of constables was hurried to the premises, and while some were stationed at points of ’vantage outside others joined Mr Knight in a systematic search of the premises. / In the course of this search they went on to the roof, and there they found about twenty valuable clocks wrapped up in a cloth. They also observed traces of blood, indicating that at least one of the intruders had been injured in his attempt to get away. Once an effort was made by the men pursued to scale an outer wall and escape that wav, and the heads of at least two men were seen by a policeman who, to summon assistance, blew his whistle. The men immediately took alarm and retreated, seeking other means of escape. In the course of the pursuit they were subsequently seen on the adjacent premises of the Office of Works.

In a desperate effort at escape two of the mon finally scaled a wall and dropped into Orange Street. The top of this wall, which is some 15ft. or 18ft. high, is thickly covered with broken ofiass, and on this one of the men cut his hand severely. Tho other man broke his ankle in his fall. A policeman, who had not actually seen the men drop from the top of the wall, but saw one of them lying on the ground, asked what was the matter. I The explanation given was that they had been fighting and that one had knocked the other over and he had broke,n his ankle in the fall. At that moment, however, a private detective, engaged on other business nearby, came up and as the result of a communication from him the two men were taken into custody. Later another man was detained on suspicion. ______