1961-10-14 — Page 21

TEBE

EVERY good police-

role.

man fulfills a dual

There he relentless sieuth, the stern custodion, the univerænt curb, manete and muzzle. A compound of Raymond Chan- dera Marlowe and Dr Thomas Amold.

And there is the genint guar- dičan, lip trusty counsellor, the univerit guidë, philosopher and friend. A compound of J. M. Barrie's Nana and Miss Edanu Humay

Which role prevalls drpunds at dny time oni etrcumstances, Ofies the tole chooses itself. Occasionally, though, the police- man asseris a deliberate choice. When Inspector James O'Don- nell deliberately chose to adopt The second role with Henry King. it cost himas he was Colly aware it might--his life

At King's Trial (where a pure plea of "Miminishei

ܐifth

responsibility" Haines him j verdict

ย

tal-

Alaughter in-

stead of m

dus, aad ++

itarista-

ment for life

Jastrad

death).

he

was vanjously

drscribed

as

*** paranoine schiz (1~ phrenia" and "a psycho- pathic

per-

Honality."

Those whe uren't

up in

the fashion-

able

might

elas ed

Jargon

have

this

disability in humbler slyte.

us "nerves"

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1961.

by Edgar

THE POLICE & THE PUBLIC Lustgarten

PART EIGHT

LEONARD,

King wheeled

round

and

fired

again.

His wife fell to the floor,

dying

WHEN YOU TRUST A MAN

WITH YOUR

LIFE-AND

LOSE...

But whatever terms you used he was a difficult customer; slow to give affection, quick to fancy slights, and a fierce collector of grievances and grudges,

His young wife-he was young elmugh himself; less ff! twenty-eight at the close of the whole drama-never knew from day 10 day what she would encounter.

Sheda King had tried to cope. found it impossible, left hin, fretted doubtfully returard, found impossible, tefl anain Jur, good.

AF the end of 1958 she

bis

haps he had not made up mind with any real assurance; certainly he was equally pre- pared for trouble and tör ten- derness, for vvil and for good.

In one pocket he carried Christonas Ant. In another he carried a gun.

There were several people in the house when King arrived: Sheila herself, relatives, neigh bours, friends. They gave him

a polite but unenthusiastic

welcome.

Shella thanked him for his was present, which he landed her at Hving with her parents at their once, bul thereafter behaved modest terraced house in with restraint that quickly spread to the remainder of the gathering Even

man less

Blackburn.

A gun

his

Henry King, thrown on ewn devices, lodged at a house of comparable type elsewhere in the town.

on

It is dificult to say what his Intentions were late

that Saturday night in mid-Decem- ber when he set ofTunexpect- ed and unheralded-to visit his wit at her family's here. Per-

ing it at each member of the group in turn.

"It's not loaded," said some- one, hopefully.

For answer King raised the gun and fired into the ceiling, Then, with everyone Dow thoroughly alarmed, and the wenen Intermittently shrieking from sheer panle, he brought back the gil 10 previous position and threatened to blow out the brains of anyone who crossed him.

No doubt Henry King's an- Impressive ego Was greally flattered by this exercise of power, and that strange holl-up might have been indefinitely prolonged before the almost in- evitable explosion. Jumps and the cries of fear had been heard outside, and presently, to the intense velket

10 the

V11 them, his

of these held captive, three plain clothes ofters made their way Into the house.

King turned eyes smouldering.

"Give me that gun," said the leading offeer.

Gred, King promptly

The geur fell to the floor, wounded. King wherled round and red again. His wife fell to the floor, dying.

Closed

pandemonium. broke

touchy and less highly atrung After a moment of suspended than King would have realised breath, that they all wanted him to go.

No one afterward: coulet absolutely sure why or when he first produced the gun.

be

loose. As King lowered the gun and looked down on his handi-

work, the relatives and neigh- bours and friends fled wildly

Shella, who knew him best from the room. The two unin- and feared him most, gave a jurt policemen carried out little scream.

their wounded colleague and "Put that down, Henry! For called Headquarters for immedi-

What mercy's soke

ate assistance. doing?"

Are you

King was slowly moving the gun along a semi-circle, point-

the

It was this call which brought Inspector

14 O'Donnell scene..

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O'Donnell shouted to him, "Henry." O'Donnell knew King slightly, as he seemed to know almost everyone else In Blackburn. "Henry, this 13 O'Donnell, Inspector O'Donnell, Let me. I want to talk to

dare they? Let um try; that's all he wanted-let 'em try

O'Donnell didn't give the gun a second glance. He sat himself down leisurely on the most com- fortable chair,

You CAI fall from there, ter hand it over. Come on now.

Henry Ring retorted.

"What's the point of talking' through a door?" said O'Donnell. "No good to me, no good to you either, Be sensible, Henry, Put up that guy and let me in,"

That keeping my gun," said Icing. You want to sume in, all right then. But I'm sucker, I'm keeping my gun.”

110

"Agreed," snid O'Donnell, enlmly.

"You keep your

LITI "I'm Inside. 1'11 trust you, Henry. Now open the door."

After a moment or so, the dour was opened slightly-Just enough to lat a maii squeeze through. O'Donnell did so, out- wantly as relaxed and uncon- cerned as if he were popping in on a chan for a sociable versation.

con-

Immediately behind him carne another officer, an anonymous Agure in the public record, but deserving n parallel tribute his pluck.

Sat down

10

O'Donnell was, in every respect and from every mgle. a fine policeman. None could" "be more swift and devastating KITT the pounce. But no one could be more shrewdly restrained, more quielly sympathetic, it Ae King still pointed the guzz- thought sympathy and restraint pointed the guif straight at then were called for. Even the it gave him an unaccustomed criminals whóm he brought 10 confidence, made him feel in2~ justice liked him' as a mua. porlant, built up his self-

When O'Donnell appeared, esteem. with some other officers, Se faced the entgena

posed by closed door. Henry King had shut himscif up Inside, with his thoughts, his emotions, ais consulence--and his gun.

could Che

7

Nu

push ban around now, they bloody well couldn't, could they? No could take the mickey out him, they bloody well dare not,

one

of

Bomber

hit at

"Henry," he said, “you'd bet-

there's a good fellow.

"Nothing doing” said King, "Won't make things better." "Won't make things worse." "Not so sure, Henry." "I' take a chance," zald King.

O'Donnell made # trivial gesture, with his hand; of protest, disagreement acquiescence -- who can tell? But the morbidly

suspicious King could only draw unc inference. It was a prelude to O'Donnell matching at his precious gun. So he fired again, to achieve his second murder of the night.

It is tempting, in the circum- words; stances, to use emotive to speak-as me could with justincation-of aliero's death. But O'Donnel would have given such language shortest shrift,

For him his death was part and parcel of his daily life. simply the death of an ordinary policeman in the ordinary full- cent of his ordinary duty,

COPYRIGHT:

EDGAR LUSTGARTEN, 1961

NEXT WEEK: The Hereford inquiry

London Express Service).

chiefs

this 'slur'

OFFICIAL WAR HISTORY

STARTS THE BIG ROW

By KEITH THOMPSON

I do not agree. We state

that the bomber

offensive

made a decisive contribution to the defeat of Germany.

You claim that the morala of the German poople was never broken,

But It is sug Rested that the Gestapo kept absenteeism down. coercion?

Was there

The Gestapo obviously played a part in keeping things going, But there is no doubt—even in the dark dayɛ--- the German people Hler wholeheartedly.

backed

Under-estimate'

Qintelligence

In effect you eny British

failed

to

éltimate the correct shape of

Gemmon economy; That

Was morale

grossly under-

PHE first man to wear the badge of the R.A.F.'s the THE

crack Pathfinder Force, Air Vice-Marshal estimated. What was the reason Donald Bennett, last week angrily defended the for stat

men of Bomber Command and their 55,000 col- A It was due to working on pre-fixed notions. Bechuse

leagues who died in the mass attacks on Hitler's Germany.

Ile described án official war history as "deliberately setting Gut to belite what was our greatest wid most successful eflori."

1,000-page history

the authors, and we have no comment to make."

Germany was a corrupt regime, Wo assumed it had a rolten core. This was not the case.

Have you discussed the And Marsul of the Royal histery war Sir Arthur Air Force Sir Arthur Harris, Harris war-time head of Bomber Come

No. My late colleague Sir aud, still belleves dat bomb-

A Charles Webster had two "The Strategic Air Offensive Ing If the neccesty strike Against Germany. 1939-45"- forces could have been mounted talks with him, writte by 30-year-old Dr could have led to a German Noble Frankland, director of surrender. the Imperial War Museum, and the lote Sir Charles Webster, ts published today by the Sin tionery Office.

That

Do you nct feel that

you've been £ tile too

The other night at his horse harsh? The 1939-45 war opened

In Eynsham Oxfordshire, Dr up

completely

Frankland, a former Lancaster of air warfare, navigator answered questions

new concept

about the controversial history. A We had this in mind. But

It dismisses the R.A.F, bomb- ing ralds us "a costly fallure" Sir Arthur except IT the last ten months

that your of the war, claims they never agremies errors broke German morale.

and victorles, criticises the accuracy of the attacks.

Sald

'Incorrect'

Air Vico Marshal Bennett: "I am fairy a mor accurate and impartial work

[could have been produced after

16 years of research."

incorrect."

not

to

A strong attack niso came from the Buckinghamshire home of Sir John D'Albiac at Beucons- field.

unless

perlod

the ilstory 12 never Harris claims deliberately derogatory history ex- it important to the

and decries under discursion.

. BY .

THE

-(London Express Service),

WAY

by Beachcomber

becoming so accus- str les polnica, and three tourne-

Lomed 10 astronomical broces. Could not a beautiful figures that

nobody bothers Russian camp-follower be shot about a few extra noughts.

out of a cannon's mouth by

He nilded that it was proved WE sro that the RAF, ralda deprived

the will the Germans of fight.

"And of the book's claim that defence estimates,

If a nought is added to the Kutusoff, and caught in the "over inost targets the high notice it? If I say that the Tra-la-la!

will you arns of Davout? Hup! level radar tactics of the Path furthest stars are 5,000,000,000,- finder. Forco did

make 000,000 light-years away, who READING of a golfer who precision bombing possible," he but an astronomer will argue holded out in one, I remein- said: *This is completely with me? The other day some- bered that I once did this in one ventured to announce the my youth. Driving off for the probable bird population of next hole, I failed to repeat the England. I make it 73,819,045, performance, and shouted: Such accuracy looks more im "Missed, by Jove!" A d pressive that 73,810,600, Why gruntled oppahent satd: "Any- not write to your paper saying one would think you expected that there are 17,480,800 blue to hole out in one battles in the Brilish Isles? time." "That," said I "is what

think. Someone will reply, "How does I wanted you to

lowers tho moral.” That strain again...... ¿ THE news that Taistoy's "War DEAR Sir,

The very idea of a lope- "As for German morála not

and Prece" la to become a apng accompanied on

·Crom. being affected by our night ballet makes me long to see bones abaurd. Imagine bambing -- that is rot."

Napoleon virouctung at Auster youth serenading his lady-love Commented the Air Ministry fitz, Boult leading the corps de with a trombone. Her parents

Sir John, who commanded No 2 Group in late 1942 and 1943, said: "This book is a slur on the work of Bomber Command and the men who didn't come back."

Ho said the ralds weru

"an Dancing tima effective means of shortening the wear.!

he know?"

second

It

#

the other day: "Although this is ballet, and Murat DIL bla would at once suspect, from the an offelal history. It must not walizing horse.

from note, that something was doing

Enter

to mymod that the Air the right, tha Empress Jones on beneath her window. Ministry necessarily agree with pline, doing * volte-face, a avery point. It is the work of allerade, a chat-beuls, a maillot

(Mrs) Alma Spanleigh, -London Express Service.