The Republican journal., 1871-10-05
A Burglars Fingers-A Neighbor in the
Scrape.

A short time since there occurred in the
city of Buffalo an attempt at burglary,
| which for some reason was not recorded
by the generally enterprising journals of
that city. The circumstances connect ed
with the singular affair were, as we have
learned them (says the Rochester Demo-
craD as follows;
A gentleman in that city, engaged in an
extensive trade, often drew considera-
bic sum from the bank upon those days
when he intended to start early the next
morning for neighboring city on bust
ness. His wife demonstrated with him
on this practice as it of necessity lett the
sums drawn in his residence over night,
which would prove a strong temptation
to burglary should any one evilly inclin-
ed know of the circumstance. But the
merchant persisted in the habit as men
often do against the prudent counsels of
their better, and we may add, wiser
halves. On the day preceding the night
when the singular event occurred the
gentleman in question drew, as before
several thousand dollars, and went home
with it, purposing to leave on the early
morning train. Toward nightfall, from
some cause, he changed his mind, and
in the dusk of the evening departed for
the cars, of course taking the money
with him. Women are proverbially light
sleepers, and some time during the night
| the lady awoke, imagining she heard a
| slight rattle of the blinds. Listening she
| detected further. first one blind and then
the other softly opened. Rising noise
lesSlv from her couch. she stole through
the room and in the woodshed found an
axe, with which she silently but rapidly
returned. The room was on the ground
| floor and next to the street. 1t was per-
fectlv dark inside the apartment, except
where the light from glimmering street
lamp at some distance shone through
one OF the lower corners OF the Win
dow. BY the time the lady reached the
window, which she did SO silently that the
person outside was not alarmed at his
operations, she found that the sash was
being slowly raised from beneath. The
brave women. axe in hand, waited breath
lessly for the next move Of the house
| breaker After having lifted the sash a
few inches, which he effected easily from
the outside, as the catch had carelessly
been left unfastened, the person, whoever
he was, stopped and soon the women,
who was watching every moment, saw Il
mans hand slowly and carefully inserted
beneath the sash. The axe was already
raised in her hands, and bringing the
blade down with Il sudden and accurate
movement, she chopped off all the four
fingers of the burglars right hand. She
heard suppressed OATH followed by the
sound of retreating footsteps, and all was
still.
The brave lady wrapped the bloody
fingers in a cloth, and on her husbands
return gave them to him, and ut the same
time telling what had occurred. The
merchant, instead Of informing the police,
determined to investigate the affair him
self He took the fingers to every sur
geon in the city, and at the same time in
quring if they treated a patient who had
lost the four digitals of his right hand.
His search was at last rewarded. and the
name of the individual who attempted the
burglary discovered. 1t was one of the
merchants neighbors, one who lived on
the same street and only the second house
from him. He carried the matter no
further, and the circumstances We're kept
rs quite as possible. The neighbor had
doubtless learned the merchants habit Of
keeping large sums at certain times in his
house, had seen him come home with the
money, and being ignorant that the gen
tleman, contrary to his usual custom, had
departed in the evening, planned the rob
berry The bravery and GOODNESS OF the
lady were such as would not often be
found under similar circumstances.