Fast Police
Cranbrook

Action at

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By
W. STERN

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It Took the Provincial Police at Cranbrook a Few Hours to Find Out Who Had
Burglarized Sun Lee Yuen’s Store—Once They Knew, the Machine Went Into
Action—The Finish Featured a Mile-a-Minute Midnight Dash to Head Off a

SUN LEE YUEN was very unhappy
vhen he reported to Const. J. Gregory
hat his store had been broken into. He
apidly told the officers how he had gone
ut about 10 p.m., locking his store with
are. When he returned, and went to
lis room at the back of the store, he
ound that a burglar had entered the
Jace and stolen a substantial sum of
noney and a Bulova watch, as well as a
1umber of other articles.

Tt was then 11.50 p.m. and the city
9f Cranbrook lay quiet and cold that
arly December day. A few hurried
juestions, and Const. Gregory notified
sergt. W. J. McKay, N.C.O. in charge
i the East Kootenay Police District.

Within a few minutes Sergt. McKay
vith Constables Gregory, Bacon and Mac-
lonald began an investigation of the
yurglary. There was no apparent damage
o any of the doors or windows at ground
evel, so search was made of other parts
nf the building. On the second floor it
vas found that a window had been forced,
ind the thief had apparently made use
yf a fire escape which passed the window,
© gain access to the building. He had
hen gone downstairs, and rifled the
ywner’s bedroom.

It seemed the work of someone who
<new the premises fairly well and little
nerchandise had been taken. The sum
xf $650.00 in cash had been stolen from
he bedroom as well as the watch. Some
‘igarettes and other articles had been
aken from the store.

There were no clues whatever to this
‘rime which was one of a series that
1ad been unsolved. Sergt. McKay thought
fast. If this was the work of a local man,
nore goods should have been taken. A
man living in the town would have had
1 place to conceal the loot. If, however
the “job” had been done by a transient,
he would only be interested in money or
zoods that could be carried away without
attracting attention, and which could be
concealed on the person with ease.
Reasoning thus, the Sergeant instructed
ull the officers to make a tour of the
hotels and lodging houses, and check on

SEVENTEENTH EDITION

Canadian Pacific Railway Train.

all neweomers. The officers broke up
and investigated all lodging premises in
the city.

At one hotel, they found that a young
man whom we shall call Jimmy Norton,
was registered in room 4. Now Jimmy
was well known to the police. He had
been in trouble a number of times before,
and his home was right in town. It was
true that he was now working for the
railway, but a young lad of seventeen
living in a_ hotel well it was a
little strange. It was 3 a.m. by the time
they learned about Jimmy’s hotel room,
so they went upstairs to see if the lad
was in. A knock on the door, but no
answer. The officers were then admitted
to the room, but found it vacant. Some-
one had slept in the bed, but had left dur-
ing the night. The officers searched the
room without success. However, one of
the party examining the halls and other
places accessible to the guests, came to a
toilet. He searched this and found con-
cealed two packages of cigarettes, and a
flashlight.

The storekeeper was at once contacted,
and confirmed the suspicion that the
cigarettes were of the same brand stolen
from his premises. There was now little

doubt that the officers were on the right
track.

DISAPPEARANCE FROM TRAIN

A train having left Cranbrook some
time after midnight, Sergt. Mclkay tele-
phoned to Fernie, B.C., about 60 miles
east of Cranbrook and instructed Const.
B. Pringle who was on night duty, to
search the train.

Enquiries were still being made in
Cranbrook. The police at Fernie called
back a short time later and advised that
the train had been thoroughly searched,
but no one answering Norton’s descrip-
tion could be found on it.

Meanwhile, information was obtained
by the police at Cranbrook that a taxi
driver had left town about midnight with
a youthful passenger, and that they had
gone in the direction of Fernie. The
police at Fernie were again contacted by
telephone and told that the taxi driver
must still be in town. A patrol of the
streets was made and the taxi located.
The driver, when questioned, admitted
the youth who had travelled with him,
resembled the description of the suspect.
He added he had taken the youth to the
railway station and thought the lad had

“There on top of the coaches was the fugitive.”

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