The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-11
~eOeoA4S AAv 4Ae esrS Sses
The Boldest Outrage in the
Police Annals. "
AZ Family Overpowered
by Robbers.
ARMED RUrFIANISM VICTORIOUS.
A Terrible Midnight
Adventure.
A Gentleman and His Wife Held in Their
Beds, Their House Ransacked
and Death Threatened.
THE LADY WOUNDED.
"DO You Feel This Knife e'.--An Offer to Pay
by Check Ignored. Have
the Police to Say?

Three midnight marauders succeeded on Wednes.
day night OF last week. in accomplishing one of
the most daring acts of crime ever perpetrated in
this city, and in so mastery manner as to ut
terly bale the police in all efforts thus far made
for their arrest.
Mr.. James Gardiner Ia retired gentleman
living at 224 West Fiitieth street, between
Broadway and Eighth avenue His family
consists OF himself, his wife, a daughter about
nine years of age, and maiden OF about seventeen
years Of age, who Is employed in his family. In ad-
dition to these Rev. Mr. Daniels and wife have Tor
some weeks past been staying with MIR. Gardi-
ners family. On last Wednesday evening Mr..
Daniels and wife went to Brooklyn and remained
over night with some friends, and the Gardiner
family were consequently sole occupants of their
own residence.
The house is three story high stoop ediflce with
basement The two front windows OF the first or
paror floor were furnished with small iron rallied
balconies, and the family, with the exception of
the maid servant, slept on the second floor,
Mr.. and Mrs. Gardiner occupying the rear bed
room, luxurously furnished acove apart
ment, the door Of which opens directly at the
head of the stairs. The servant, whose position in
the family Is by no means menial slept on the
third floor The family retired to rest as usual on
wednesday night, the little daughter sleeping In
rear room adjoining that occupied by her parents
SHARP, CRACKING NOISE.
as of the striking OF match, awoke Mr.. Gardiner
suddenly during the night, and on looking toward
the mantelpece about six or eight feet from the
bed he saw the indistinCt outlines of three men In
relief against the white papered walls. He OBJ
served also that one of them had q small
lantern with "bulls'eye'' light in it. He
shouted instantly at them, and as instantly
tVvn I'm tI,ah bad
grasping Mr.. and the other Mrs. Gardiner. or
course both OF them struggled violently, but Mrs.
Gardiner was comparatively soon overpOwered,
and could do nothing but talk to her assailant but
Mr.. Gardiner continued to struggle and shouted
vOciferously for "Help! thievesi murder police |"
and all the other alarming CALCULATIONS known to
civilized and distressed humanity. Over and over
again the rufllans tried TO stine his by
stufling bedclothes into his mouth by muzzling
him with their hands and by appeals to Mrs. Gar
diner to use her influence to make him shout
ing. 1t was Of no avail, however. The man who
had seized Mrs. Gardiner was upon her and held
her down firmly and enforced physical tranquility
by displaying knife.
THE OTHER MISCREANT
had bis knee on Mr. GARDENERS breast his left hand
on his throat, and menaced him bloodily with o
knife also, the weapon somewhat resembling a
sailors sheath knife While all this was going on
the man with the lantern was busy ransacking a
handsome toilet bur which stood at the loot Of
the bed but, not finding rich booty as was
expected, he demanded to know where
the money and valuableS were secreted. Mr.
Gardiner continued TO struggle and to cry strenu-
ousy for help; and Mrs. Gardiner, who is evidently
a lady Of very kindly Christian character, was
monstrating with her brutal captor. The little
daughter hearing the cries of her father, left her
bed In the darkness, and making her way to her
parents room, cried piteously and implored the
backguards not to
KILL HER PAPA AND MAMMA.
The maid servant, Lizzie also came down stairs
passed through the front room and by a communi-
eating door into her mistress BEDROOM believing
that Mr.. Gardiner had been seized with some sud
den and agoniZing Illness She was in her night
dress, and as she entered the apartment she saw
the man with the dark lantern busy at the bureau
drawers and the other two upon the Ded struggling
with her master and mistress. She is young and
very modest and timid, and seeing the fearful
condition OF affairs looked on 1t but a few moments
and then turned and in terror went back to her
own dornitory. Nothing, 1t seemed, could quell
ner crazed by the sudden and awful realization Of
so fearful a menace from the depth OF a tranquil
slumber, and the thieves threatened over and over
again to use their knives. Mrs. GARDENERS assail-
THE COLD BLADE
OF his weapon against her throat and asked, "DO
you feel that ?' In response to their inquiries Mrs.
Gardiner told them where to find the money and
valuables In the room and several times as the
two men on the bed Mr.. Gardiner in
were not Tor an instant relaxed, several times
got hold OF his assaants knife, and Mrs. Gardiner
had small piece OF flesh Clipped from her ear and
received a slight cut on her right hand. These
wounds, however, she says, were accidental on the
part Of the rufilan, and in great degree caused by
her efforts to release herself. As her little daugh-
ter still continued to cry and plead about the bed the
man who had throttled Mrs. Gardiner kindly lifted
THE TERRIFIED DARLING
w IN ha nj W.
powerless father and mother. Mrs. Gardiner's as
the accent with which he spoke English, and she
further expresses the beer that he must have been
a father from the kind and parental way In which
he lifted and tried to calm the fears Of the fright
When the thieves had obtained all the avail
able booty they rapidly left the apartment,
their departure being, no doubt accelerated by
Mr.. GARDENERS cries for assistance, and they
front door. ' As soon as he was released
Mr.. Gardiner jumped from the bed, ran to
again cried aoud and repeatediy for assistance
but, ~ usual, no policeman was about Finding 10
response he returned to the bedroom and passed
the thieves who had experienced some diiculsy in
opening the door by reason OF a popularity about
walk were about hundred feet distant, going
eastery toward Broadway. Mr.. Gardiner went
BN DIsnABILLE AND BAREFooTED
to the corner OF Eighth avenue and called for the
police, but shortly returned to the house and no.
tced that the thieves turned up Broadway toward
the Park. Mr.. Gardiner then put on his pants,
shoes and coat and went down Eighth avenue to
Forty-eighth street. where he met policeman, who
came to his house, while Mr.. Gardiner went
on to the Twenty.seventh precinct police station
to make complaint. An old-fashoned alarm clock
stood at the head Of the stairs, near Mr.. Gardi-
ner's bedroom door, and In harmony with the idea
OF Its owner rolled out a ''deep alarm" while the
thieves were in the room, and just about the time
they left u struck the hour OF two O'Clock Thurs
day morning.
Mr.. Gardiner Is convinced that the robbers mus
have known something Of the interior arrange
mcnt OF the house In order to find his apartment
so readily II has also been his custom to keep the
gasllght IN the passage the second floor burn
ing all night. AS the robbers entered the
house they lit the gas In the lower vestibue,
by way OF making the line OF retreat easy,
and when they assembled the stairs shrewdly ex-
tinguished the light on the second floor, as "a
exclude oil light from the bedroom apd thus pre-