The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-06-10
A WOman's HerOism and Presence of
Mind.

The Worcester (Mass.) Guzctte of re-
cent date relates the following incident
of hcroism in frail woman:
Yesterday afternoon young lady was
| alone at her fathers residence in the
northcrly part of Ward Two, her father
being out of town and her mother out
for an afternoon drive. She has for sew
cral years been familiar with pistol prac-
| tice, and to while away an hour she took
her weapon to the garden and fred it
several times, it not having been before
discharged since last autumn. When she
returned to the house she cleaned and
reloaded the pistol and laid it on table
in passage leading from the main hall
of the house to the dining-room, after
which she sat down in a scwing-room to
her work. Soon after she heard door
shut and footsteps crossing the dining
room. Knowing that she was alone in
the house she was alarmed, and started
to sec who had entered the house, when
she was met at the door of the sewing
room by burly and cvil-looking
tramp, apparently about forty years
Of age, of a stout, thick build,
with sandy, matted hair and beard, and
wearing black SLOUGH hat pulled over
his eyes, and dark, shabby clothing. AS
he approached her she accostcd him
with "What do you want hcre?" to
which he answered that he wanted some
thing to eat. She replied: elf you want
food it would he better to rins the bel
or knock at the door than to come into a
house in that way" "Wcll, if you don't
want me in here you had better keep
your doors locked" was the logged an
swcr. The lady then told him if he
wanted food he should have it, she would
go and get him something to cat; when
he answered that he didn't want any
thing to eat, he wanted money. She
told him she had no money for him, but
he could have all the food he needed,
and she passed by him through the hall
to get possession of her pistol. lie
again repeated his assertion that he
wanted money, and she told him to stay
where he was and she would bring him
some food. He followed her, in spite of
second injunction to stay where he was,
to the pantry beyond the dining-room.
| AS she went through tho passage she
graspcd the pistol without his observing
it, and cooking it put it III her pocket.
AS he approached the pantry he said:
YOU'RE all alone here, amt your" She
replied: No, am not!' when he said:
Yes, you are, l know all about it,"
She took a plate of biscuit from the
shelf and handed it toward him, telling
him he could take as many as he wanted,
when he said: II told you l didn't want
anything to cat, but l want them rings
on your hand, and you'd better give
them to me without making any noise or
FUSS" stepping toward her with his
"grcat, dirty hands, as she describes
them, stretched out to grasp her. She
fell back, and drawing the cooked pistol
from her pocket presented it full in his
face, with q "Stand back" "The dcvil"
calculated the rascal, no little discon-
ccrtcd by the unexpected resistance
Seeing his decentralization the lady
quickly said: "1cs, and you'll sec
him pretty quick if you don't get
out of here! and you'd better not
try your game in this neighborhoou
either, Tor all the women know how TO
use these things! You'd better get out
as soon as possible" The fellow retreat
cd while she was speaking, and she kept
him covered with the weapon until he
was outside the door, vixen she locked
it, and as he went hastily down the street
she sank to the floor, exhausted and faint
with the strain of the encounter. In an:
swcr to question why she did not shoot
the scoundrel outright she said she did
think of it, but her pistol carried only
one cartridge, and she knew that if she
fired and missed him she would be at his
mercy and she saved her bullet rs her
last chance. She would have followed
him on the street and caused his appre-
bcnsion, but she was physically pros.
tratcd by excitement and it was impos
sible. She is frail, delicate person,
and those who know her most intimate
ly only wonder that she had strength to
drive the rascal from the house. The
police were Immediately notified of the
occurrence and efforts were made to find
him last evening, but without success.