The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1879-03-20
A Lady's Wonderful sNerve.

Mrs. Isadore Middleton, very beau
tiful woman, and one of the acknowI-
edged leaders of fashion in Mobile. can
certainly boast of the possession of as
much nerve and true moral courage as
are often vouchsafcd to any Of her sex.
On the evening of September 10Th she
was in her boudoir putting away some
articles of jewelry, when she noticed
that the peculiar position of library
lamp, that was burning upon q chair in
the back part of the ROOM had thrown
upon the floor, almost directly ut her
feet, the shadow of man who was
crouching under II broad-topped orna-
mental table in the centre CT the room
She also remarked that the open hand of
the shadow had but two fingers, and re
membered that several desperate burgla.
ries had recently been committed in the
neighborhood, supposititiously by ne
gro desperate who was notorious as hay
ing lost two fingers of his right hand.
Mr.. Middleton was absent from the
city, and, beside herself in the house,
there was but single maid servant. IN
stead of fainting with fear or shrieking
for help, the brave lady seated herself at
the very table underneath which the
miscrcant was concealed, and rang for
the servant.
"Hand me writing materials, Bird
get" with perfect calmness. 81 want
YOU to take note this instant to Mr..
Forfar, the jewcer, and have him send
YOU back with my diamond necklace and
car-drops which | left there for repairs
several days ago. Bring them with you,
no matter if fully repaired or not. They
are by twenty fold the most valuable ar
ticles of jewelry | possess, and l do not
wish to pass another night without hay
ing them in my bureau drawer"
The note was at once written and dis
patched, but instead of being III the
tenor that she had sisniticd Ton purpose
for the concealed robber to oyerhear, for
she had no .jewelry under repair, it was
a hasty note to the jcwelcr, an intimate
friend, in which she succintly stated her
terrible position and urged him to hasten
to her relief, with the requisite police
assistance, on receipt OF the missive
The agonies which that refined and
delicate woman underwent when left
alone in the house, with the conscious
ness of the presence of that dcperate
robber - perhaps assassin as well 1899
crouched under the very table upon
which she leaned, and perhaps touched
by her very skirts, can only be left to
the reader s imagination; but her iron
nerve sustained her through The ordeal
She yawned, hummcd an operate air,
turned over the leaves of q novel. and
tn other ways lulled the urkcr into
sense of perfect security and expectancy.
and waited-waitcd with Il wildly beat
ing heart, and her eyes fastened upon
the hands of her little ormolu clock with
a greedy, feyerish gaze.
At last, however, came the prayer for
relief. There was a ring at the door
bell and she strollcd carelessly into the
hall and down stair and opened it. The
rusc had been Il success. She not only
admitted Bridget, but also Mr.. Forfar
and three stalwart policemen. The latter
passed stealthily upstairs and into the
boudoir, where they suddenly pounced
upon the concealed burglar so unexpcct-
cdly as to secure him with hardly a
The prisoner proved to be Il negro
criminal named Chapman, bu; mostly
known as 1.-TWO Fingered jeff" who was
in great request about that time for sev-
eral robberies committed in the neigh
borhood short time before, and he is
now serving twenty years sentence i'll
the Alabama State prison.