The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-02-22
A FEARFUL mANrRAp.
One Victim Caught and Disabled for Life.


Within the last few weeks many private re-
sidences in the upper part of the city, particu-
larly in the Sixteenth Ward, have been forci-
bly, entered and robbed, and the occupants
lives placed in jeopardy from the bold and
reckless villains perpetrating these crimes, who
have little hesitation to shoot, run through, or
knock on the head any one having the temerity
to interfere with them while in pursuit of
plumber. An occurrence, however, recently
took place which came near costing rascal
his worthless lie, and one which should strike
terror to all evil doors. 1t appears that veal
thy and scientific gentleman, whose name we
will not mention, residing on Twenty first ST.,
between the Eighth and Ninth avenues, has a
fence about the rear yard of his premises, over
which it is not impossible. for rogues to clam
Der, and by this means they might in the night
time gain access to his dwelling Wishing to
prevent anything of the kind, he few even
ings ago set spring board in the garden at
that point of the fence where he would be most
likely to get over In the end of this board
(nearly twenty feet in Lengthy was firmly at
tached a sharp and immense tobacco cutter,
weighing sixteen pounds, and so prepared with
springs that when any one getting from the
outside and stepping upon small platform on
his way over the fence, the trap would spring
and propel with great force the end of the plank
containing the cutter against the one treading
upon the dangerous and forbidden ground
This fearful man trap was balted, and set sew
eral nights in succession, but without catching
any game, and the inventor began to think he
had had all his trouble and expense for moth
ing. About two O'Clock, however few morn
ings since. this rogue catcher was heard to
spring against the fence with so much force
that several inmates of the house were awak-
ened by it. AS soon as possible, the owner of
the premises and man in his employ hurried
to the garden expecting to catch crippled
thief, but they were disappointed-the work
Of effcctually manning had been accomplished,
but the victim had jumped into the street, and
hobbled off. He was traced some distance by
| the copious flowing of blood, but the fugitive
could not be discovered-he probably having
been taken up and conveyed away by some &C
completes.
On entering it was discovered that the pow
er of the spring board had forced the iron cut
ter through a two inch plank of the fence, by
the side of which was found part of brogan
shoe or boot, containing three toes and other
parts of a mans foot, which had been severed
by the victim springing the trap. The blood
at the time was flowing from the lost limb
Judging from the remnant OF the shoe found
it was of English manufacture, and hence the
wearer is supposed to have been an English
burglar Nothing more has been heard Of this
unknown victim, nor any more rascals caught
notwithstanding this internal machine Gf so
it may be termed) has since been nightly set
This part Of man, although he has sustained
a great loss, may consider himself fortunate
that he succeened in escaping with his life
The Gutter" had it struck him in the abdo-
men, would have instantly divided his body.
The inventor of this machine is practical
engineer, and years ago was engaged on some
public works near Cincinnati. Many were the
depredations committed upon the storehouse
belonging to the contractors to stop which they
were at "a loss. He accordingly set his trap
for the pilierers, but ina different manner from
that at his residence recently. The spring
board was so arranged as to take vertical di-
rection, and the night following its completion
an innocent Hibernian sprung upon it, and was
thrown upward distance Of forty feet and
landed on the roof of the building-fortunate-
| ly without doing him serious damage, except
from fright He screamed Justify and thought
his time had come.-[M 7. TiT5