The intruder, a criminal who had killed a policeman, broke into the cottage of Gerrard in an attempt to impersonate him and escape the police. When confronted by Gerrard, the intruder threatened him with a revolver and said he intended to kill Gerrard and take his identity. However, Gerrard warned the intruder that killing him would result in being hanged for murder. This gave Gerrard an opportunity to trick the intruder into a cupboard, where he pushed him inside, grabbed the revolver, and called the police to arrest the intruder.