The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1878-12-31
Mrs. Norris Story.

This lady who was chloroformed, gag
ged, crushed, and robbed at the Ire
mont House in Boston on the night
of December 18th, gives in detail
the story of the crime. She went to
Boston several days ago for the purpose
of completing business transaction by
which she was to receive money that
she relied upon to raise chattel mort
gage on January 1st. After short visit
with her sister, who lives in West Med
way, a.little distance from Boston, she
went into Boston to meet by appoint
mcnt the gentleman from whom she eX-
pected the money.
AS he was to take train for the West
and was only to pass through Boston,
for convenience Mrs. Norris met him
at the depot and received $780, the gen.
tleman going on West, Mrs. Norris
went to the fremont House, expecting
to pass the night there. While walking
up fremont street she saw a tall man
with heavy dark beard and she thought
that he was watching and following her,
but when she got to the hotel she forgot
all about him. Later in the after
noon, while in Washington street, she
saw the same man again, and this time
she was certain that he was following
her.
In the same evening Mrs. Norris
went to the theatre with an old family
4 ,1x,p AI,,
dark eyes of the tall man fixed upon
her. This made her nervous, and she
spoke to her friend about it, but he
thought the matter was of no conse-
quence.
When she returned to the fremont
House she went direct to her room, hav-
ing requested her escort first to have the
Office clerk to call her at in the morn
ing, as she wished to see her uncle, who
was an employee in the Sixpenny Saw
ings Bank, before she took the train for
New York. The first Mrs. Norris did
after entering her room was to bolt the
door-there was no lock-and she wrote
to her mother of her success i'm getting
the money.
How long she had been asleep Mrs.
Norris says she does not know, but she
was suddenly awakened by crashing
sound, which was probably caused by
the bursting in of the door, for it was
found that the thief had forced the bolt.
She sprang up in bed, and by the dim
light saw the tall form of man, but
could not see the features. He sprang
upon her, forced her back upon the bed,
and sat with all his weight upon her,
This was the most serious injury Mrs.
Norris suffered, and the next day she
had hemorrhage, one of several she
has had caused by this brutality. The
robber put pistol to her head, grasped
her by the throat, and said in low but
clear tone:
" If you make noise I'll kill you"
Then he thrust handkerchief in her
mouth and tied the ends, gagging her,
and then held towel that was moist
and emitted pungent odor to her nose,
and she remembered no more.
In the morning at o'clock the call
boy found the door open and Mrs. Nor
ris on the bed,. bound, and, as he
thought, dead. The housekeeper was
summoned and applied restoratives. =
Mrs. Norris gasped and whispered,
"There's man in my ROOM"
Then it was found that Mrs. Norris
had been robbed, but besides the force
the thief used to quiet her, no other
indignities had been attempted. She
was very i'll for ten days, and insisted,
against the advice of her physicians, on
returning to New York. The house
keeper was sent on to New York with
Mrs. Norris and she arrived at her
home on Sunday morning.
The gentleman who visited the thea.
tire with Mrs. Norris spent the night
with his business partner at Parker's
Hotel. The proprietors of the fremont
House were greatly chagrlned by the
outrage.
Eorfv-ainhf Children Ilrnvnad