Northern Whig, Thursday 27th October 1921
Last evening a daring raid was made on a house in the York Street district by three armed and masked men, who were out for plunder, but who owing to the plucky conduct of a woman were defeated in their object, and obliged to flee.
The scene of the exciting affair was the residence of a bookmaker named John Rooney in Ship Street.
Mr. Rooney was sitting counting money in one of the downstair rooms when three armed men, and one of them wearing a mask, entered from the street. When Mr. Rooney raised his head he found himself in the uncomfortable position of looking down the barrel of a Webley revolver, and he was smartly ordered to hand over the money.
The noise attracted the attention of Mr. Rooney’s mother, who was close at hand, and running into the room she pluckily made for the fellow with the mask and tore it off his face.
She disturbed the raiders to such effect that they immediately gave up the game, and afraid that her shouts would lead to their capture they dashed out to the street again and disappeared.
On their departure one of them fired a shot from his revolver, but fortunately the bullet found its billet only in the back of a chair. The incident was reported to the police immediately afterwards, but the raiders had made good their escape, which was about all they did make out of their adventure. No arrests were made.
