The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-04-26
the powerful beak rending the victim,
would produce 8 very UNCOMFORTABLE
sensatiOn.
ALADY'S NERVE.
DcRuincy's STORY OF 'fTsnc AvenEer
surpnssed.
sensation



4 Hartford Times.
\ Mrs, Isadore Middleton, q very hesu-
\ tiful woman. and one of the acknowl
edged leaders of fashion OF Mobile, can
certainly boast of the possession OF as
much nerve and true moral courage as
are often vouchsafed to any of her sex.
4 On the evening uf September 18TH she
was in her boudOir, putting away some
articles of jewelry, when she noticed THAT
| the peculiar position of 3 library lamp,
1 that WIS burning upon q chair in the
back part of the room, had thrown upon
the floor, almost under her feet, the
| shadow of q man who was crouching ur-
der broad topped ornamental table IN
the center of the room. Sine also remark
ed that the open hand Of the shadow had
but two fingers, and remembered that
several desperate burglaries mad recently
been committed IN the neighbOrhood,
suppositiouBlY by negro desperado,
who was notorious as having lost I Wo
fingers OF his right hand.
MIR. Middleton Was absent from the
city, and. besides herself in the nouss,
there was but @ single maid servant.
Instead of fainting with fear or shrieking
for help, the brave lady seated herael at
the very table underneath W hlch the
miscreant was crouChed, and rang 1or
the servant.
'fHand me writing materials, Bridge"
said she. with perfect calmnesB. 81
want Won to take 8 note this instant to
MIR. Fortair, the jeweer, and have him
send you back with my diamond neck
lace and ear"drops, which j lett there Tor
repairs several days ago. Bring them
with you, no matter if fully repaired Or
not. They are by twenty fold the most
valuable articles of jewelry that / possess,
and do not wish to pass another night
without having them III my bureau
drawer"
The note was at once written and dis
patched; but, instead of being In the
tenor that she had signifed Con purpose
for the concealed robber TO 0Verhear, tor
she had no jewelry under repair, 1T was
& hasty note 10 the jeweler, an intimate
friend, in which she succinctiy stated
her terrible position, and urged MIN to
hasten to her reliet, with the requisite
police assistance, Immediately on receipt
of the missive.
delicate woman underwent when left
alone in the house, with the conscious
ness of the presence of that desperate
robber, perhaps assassin as well, ,crouehed
under the very table upon which she
leaned and perhaps touched by her very
skirts, can only be left TO the readers
imagination but her iron nerve sustain
ed her throughfthe ordeal. She yawned,
hummed an operate cir, turned over the
leaves OF @ novel, and in other ways hull
ed the lurker into O sense OF perfect Sc
curity and expectancy, and waited,
waited With wildly beating heart, her
eyes fastened upon the hands of her little
ornolu clock with q greedy, feverish
gaze.
At last, however came the prayer for
relief. There was q ring at the door-bell,
and she strolled caIelessly into the hall
and downstairs to open it,. The ruse
had been success. She not only admit
ted Bridget, but also Mf. Foriair and
three stalwart policemen. The latter
passed steaithily upstairs and into the
boudoir, where they suddenly bounced
upon the concealed burglar so unex-
pectedly as to secure him with hardly q
struggle.
The prisoner proved to be q negro
criminal named Chapman, out mostly
known as 1.-TWO Fingered jeff" who was
in great request about that time 1or sew
teral rObbesies comnitted in the neighbor-
hood short time before, anti he is now
serving twenty years sentence in the
Alabama State Prison