Harry Trainer was a ‘crack centre-forward’ with a big future but he could not resist stealing jewellery, cockerels and hens
By Paul Brown for The Blizzard, of the Guardian Sport Network
Police Constable James Owen was on night patrol when he discovered the robbery. It was 1.30am on Sunday morning, 11 November 1900, and the gas-lit streets of Wrexham were empty. PC Owen, in his regulation cape and helmet, was a young recruit who had recently been commended for his brave attempt to rescue a family from a fatal fire.
As he turned into
Queen Street, Owen noticed the shutters of Williams’ Jeweller’s shop had been removed. One shutter was hanging from its hinges and the other was lying on the pavement. The shop’s plate-glass window had been smashed with a rock. Several yards away, under the flickering street lamps, a man was hurrying away. When Owen called out, the man began to run. Owen set off in pursuit.