Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-09-02
A COURAGEOUS Woman,

The following account of the courage
Gus couduct of a Young lady has been
communicated to a New Jersey paper =
A Mr.. NJ, whose health was found to be
impaired by the climate of the seaboard,
was induced to remove from the cityHof
New York to the interior of Illinois. bis
family consisting Of his wife and three
children, the eldest a young lady of seven-
teen summers, and the youngest some
three years. Early that spring, a maid
en- lady, a particular frisnd of the family,
and very much attached to Mrs. M. and
her children, removed from New York
and took up her abode with them. She
had not been long in her new home be-
fore she was suddenly taken away by
death. While M. and Mrs. M. were at
tending the funeral of Miss W., Miss NJ.
was left in charge of the house and the
young child, and the room containing
the effects of the late Miss W, which
was situated on the second story of the
house, was locked by the young lady and
the child put to sleep in an adjoining
room, while Miss NJ, was busying her
self with her duties below. Some time
afterward, Miss NJ, hearing a noise up
stairs, and supposing the child had awoke,
proceeded to look after it., but found it
sleeping quietly. With a thought as
quick IS electricity, she concluded that
some one had entered Miss WIS room
from the outside for the purpose Of robb-
irg it. Acting on this theory, she i'm.
medlately went down stairs, procured
her fathers double barrelled gun, and re-
turning, opened the door Of the room Of
the late Miss W., when her expectations
were fully realized aj jp b haaahpepbff66PpfIarfhg a
uaId watch and chain, which he had just
golo "ese Ufuun on raTe MISS w. She
ordered him to lay dow the watch, and
the fellow, noticing her determined at
titude and manner, very readily COM
piled. She next ordered him to take the
money from his pocket, which he, had ex.
tracted he denied having taken any,
when she gave a more peremptory order,
accompanied with suitable movements of
a military nature, when he, thinking
=" discretion the better part Of %valor,"
produced the money and deposited it
with the watch. She then gave him the
passage and orders to march, which he
readily obeyed.
On the return of her pareAts, measures
were taken (Which proved successfully,
and the fellow, after being caught, was
speedily brought to trial, fully identified,
convicted, and sentenced to the State
Prison, and the court caused to be pre-
sented to the young lady a testimonial
in the form of a beautiful pin, with a
suitable inscription.
A short time after this the same young
lady was at home alone as before, her
parents not returning at dark, she took
the precaution to fasten the outer door.
She had not long done so when she heard
a knock, but before exposing herself tt
danger, she took the %precaution to pro-
vide the means of defence in the same
two-barreled gun she had used ON the
former occasion. On carefully opening
the door, a strange man presented him
self and inquired, Are you Miss M"
She replied Yes, what do you want p
He inquired again. Are you the young
lady who had q man sent to the State
Prison :" She replied, 81 am ;" then,
said he, " | am his friend, and have come
to put you out of the way" and drawing
a long dirk knife was proceeding to en-
ter the door, when she deliberately aim
ed the gun at him, and told him if he ad-
yanced a step he would be a dead man.
She Immediately noticed that he changed
countcnance and began to tremble /;
whereupon she, pursuing her advantage,
ordered him to about face, march, while
he very readily obeyed, and as he was
retreating, she gave him a parting salute
by discharglng one barrel of her trusty
companion, which unfortunately only &C.
celebrated his ~retrograde motion.