American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-06-20
Desperate Fight with a Burglar.

FARMER SAMUEL BOND lives with his
family eight miles from here On Satur-
day night last he awoke in the middle of
the night and saw a burglar in his room.
He jumped from his bed and grasped
him by the throat and whiskers. The
whlskers, long pair, were false, and
came off in tine farmers hand. The burg
lar struck Mr.. Bond in the face, but he
did not release his hold. His wife re-
sponded to his call for help. The burg
lar, unable to release himself, started for
the head of the stairs, dragging the farmer
with him. Mrs. Bond seized the burglar
by one leg. He knocked her down. She
jumped up and seized him again, while
her husband showered blows on his face.
Reaching the head of the stairs, both the
farmer and the burglar rolled to the bot
tom. The noise made by the struggling
men aroused a son of Mr.. Bonds, who
joined his father and mother in their at
tack on the burglar. At this juncture the
burglar drew a pistol and would have
shot the farmer dead had not Mrs. Bond
seeing the movement, pushed the pistol to
one side. The ball took effect in the
groin of her son. The burglar fired again,
hitting Mr.. Bond in the right arm, near
the elbow. The farmers wife seized
hold of the pistol, while her son ran out
and got club. The weapon was dis
charged twice while Mrs. Bond held the
barrel, but doing no damage. Young
Bond returned with a club and broke the
burglars right arm with one blow. The
pistol dropped to the floor. Mrs. Bond
picked it up with the intention of shoot
ing the burglar, but before she could use
it her son had knocked him senseless to
the floor with two heavy blows on the
head.
All of the Bonds were badly injured.
The farmer was terribly beaten about the
head and face. The pistol ball had made
an ugly flesh wound in his arm, and his
body was bruised by the fall down stairs.
Mrs. Bond had a long, deep cut over her
left eye, where the burglar had struck her.
Her sons wounds were confined to the
pistol shot in the groin. The ball entered
near the hip joint, and was imbedded in
the flesh. They were all covered with
blood, as were the walls and floor in the
hall.
Mrs. Bond attended temporarily to the
wants of her husband and son. She then
bound the senseless burglar so he could
not escape if he came to. Mounting a
horse, she started as fast as it could carry
her for this place. Arriving here she
aroused DR.. Billings and Constable Watts,
and started them both for her house. In
an hour and a quarter after leaving home
she arrived back there, and was soon fol-
lowed by the Doctor and the Constable.
Mr.. Bond and his son were found to be
suffering severely from their wounds, but
their injuries were pronounced not dan
gerous. The ball was extracted from
young Bonds wound with little difficulty.
The burglar was found dangerously in
jured The fall down stairs had broken
three of his ribs. The blows from the
club, besides breaking his right arm, had
fractured his skull in two places. He
was also badly cut and bruised. The
ropes with which Mrs. Bond had tied him
were removed, and he was placed on u
bed. He suffered intensely. DIR. Bill
ings gave him every care, and in an hour
or two he felt easier, and gave an account
of himself.
He was one of gang of three profess
sional burglars from Philadelphia. His
name is George Myers. His comrades
were Jake Schell and William Fry. They
travelled through the country disguised
as umbrella members and peddleIs. Their
plan OF operation was to enter a town
and work" it thoroughly. They always
got information of places where good
hauls could be made. In Milton they
learned that Farmer Bond had received
day or two before the attempted burglary
large sum of money, the proceeds of a
sale of cattle. They determined to make
an effort to obtain it. From various par
ties they had received good idea of the
interior of the house, the habits of the
inmates, etc. Fry unlocked the front
door with false key. Myers was to
search the upper part of the house, while
his companions were to take the lower
part. When the noise up stairs warned
the latter that Myers was discovered
they fled, leaving him in the lurch.
Myers said it was his intention to kill all
three of the Bonds at the foot of the
stairs and he would have done so but for
the young man knocking him down with
the club. On Myers person was found
pocket book belonging to Mr.. Bond con-
tanning $500. This had been taken from
his pantaloons before the burglar was
DEMONSTRATION (Pal Dispatch to N.
Y. Sun.