Smyrna times., 1859-11-10
Remarkable Adventure of a Female
Horse Thief.
Extraordinary HerOiSm-RecOuery Of Stolen
Property-Innocent Parties Victimized.

TTOpeTty-Inn0cent PGTtIeS FIctLanIzed.
On Sunday evening, the I'd October, the sor
OF David Richardson, residing at East Henri
eta, near Rochester, New York. drove tc
church In buggy, putting the horse under q
shed until service was over. From this place
the horse was stolen, and nothing more was
heard of it for some time. The animal was a
: brown mare, and the running gear of the buggy
was painted yellow. A description of it was
published in Rochester paper, and just about
the time that copy of this paper had reached
little town on the Lake Shore AS miles dis.
tant, the horse and buggy was found in the pos.
session OF an Irish woman, who gave her name
as Mrs. Kilian, and represented that she was
on her way TO see some friends in Pennsylva-
MIA. She was arrested by a constable and ia
ken to a hotel to be kept over night The
horse was locked up in the stable, the harness
hidden in the hay-mow, part of the womau's
clothing taken from her, and she herself locked
IN room of the second story of the hotel.-
This was to prevent her escape; but next morn
ing 1t was ascertained that she had esca ped
from a window, and that the same horse and
buggy (and another old horse to boot) had been
taken off during the night, and fresh pursuit
was made.
tavernkeeper, residing four miles dsta Mt,
informed the purSuers that a woman came to
him in the night, with an old horse in the buggy,
but as the animal had given out, she had left
him and walked back for another, which she
rode back again without u saddle, harnessed up
in the buggy, and drove on. She had actually
driven the old gray nag four miles, abandoned
him, returned TO the place where she had
been imprisoned, broke open the stable, stole
the stolen mare, jumped on it bare backed and
galloped away-still keeping a considerable
/ dicRa koo loEb bo, L q
fling them SO that they gave up pursuit. 1t is
said that she had driven into cornfeld on the
roadside, and was feeding the horse when they
passed on without noticing her, when she took
another road and eluded them altogether.
! Sometime after this, stage driver, residing
in Erie, overheard a conversation about a wo
man having sold or traded brown mare to
farmer named Samuel Burnsdes, residing near
PortersVllle, 10 Mercer county, and that she
drove buggy answering the description of one
which had been stolen near Rochester, New
York. The driver, who put up at a hotel in this
city, informed officers S. Barton and George
Sessions of the fact, and they Immediately no.
tilted MIR. Richardson by telegraph. He came
on as soon as possible, but in the eantime Off
Ger Barton had ascertained that the yellow
buggy was at George Gerber's tavern, on Ohio
street, near the Pententiary, in Allegheny, and
on repairing thlther he learned that it had been
sold to Mr.. Gerber, together with dapple gray
horse, by Mr.. James Nicely, tavernkeeper, of
Federal street, above the Diamond, Allegheny.
Upon further inquiry it was found that Mr.. N.
had sold the horse and buggy for Mrs. Kllian,
merely acting as her agent in the matter.
1t appears that Mrs. Killan, the veritable
heroine of our story had put up with Mr.. Nicely
about the 18th of October, and after remaining
there for few days, stated that she had come
on here from New York State TO see some
friends, and having no further use for the horse
and buggy she wanted to sell it, and return
home by the Pennsylvania Railroad, to bring
her two children to this place, where she in
tended to reside. She was very poorly clad,
but she behaved we'll in the tavern that no
one suspected her of being dishonest. Mr..
Gerber made a bid of one hundred dollars for
the property, if Mr.. Nicely would guarantee
that the woman was "all right " MIR. Nicely
| then questioned her about the property, and she
said it was her own. She also went to see a
gentleman named Savage, residing in the Sec.
oDd Ward, Allegheny,wh knew her nine years
ago, in Ireland, and who voluntarily stated that
she was of respectable family. Under these
circumstances, Gerber paid her one hundred
dollars in gold, and took the horse and harness
On Thursday, Oct. Goth, Mrs. Killan eft,witt
the intention of taking the cars for Philadel.
phia, and has not been heard of since.
Mr.. Gerber held on to the property for few
days, when he sold it for one hundred and
twenty-five dollars to Mr.. Gotleib Faas, pro-
pretor of lager beer saloon in the same city
Faas gave his note for the money, payable al
four months, still leaving the property in pos.
session Of Mr.. Gerber, where it was when the
officers discovered and seized it under a writ o
repeFin.
Officers Barton and Sessions, upon visiting
the farm of Mr.. Samuel Burnsdes, in Mercer
county, found in him an old Pitsburgher, anC
learned that the female horse thief had actually
traded the brown mare to him for a dapple gra,
horse, she receiving FIVE dollars to boot. Ht
: was surprised to learn that the horse had beer
r stolen, but he gave it up, and came to Pitts
' burgh to claim his dapple gray, which he wa
: pleased to know was in the possession of al
t honest man. Burnside got his horse back, ant
: Mr.. Richardson also took possession Of his pro
= perty, and left for home on Sunday-just fou
weeks after his property had passed into tn
hands of Mrs. Killian.
This remarkable woman is about thirty-iv
years old nearly five feet high, and weigh
I' about one hundred and twenty FIVE pounds
She has long black hair, very smooth face, an
soft tender hands. She wore two shawls, on
: brown and the other black, and had on dar
: striped calico wrapper, with gray merino ski
: over it. She wore a purple sun bonnet, an
y had no change of clothes. The women at tn
- hotel state that she used blanket, four doub
= for an underskirt, and it is likely that she WI
y driven TO this extremity when she escaped fro
- her captors, part of her clothing having bet
- hid from her TO prevent her escape. A rune
" was circulated after she left that she was ma
in disguise, which report greatly annoyed
In lady who had slept with her during her stay
Neely's hotel. Her bed-fellow is certain th
she was woman, as her voice, hair and gen
US raj appearance plainly indicated. She cou
Sc sew and knit yerp fast, which but few men CT
IN do--aud there is no question as to her being
be the feminine gender. Surely, truth is stra
1g ger than fiction. - Pittsburgh True Press.
be MEDIcAL.--What pity there is not sol
moral specific, that might operate on impu