Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-08-15
[ N -..Irs. rtAn-ls.

A funny story Of woman's pluck
was told il Ia l9c Allison's Court Of the
Quarter 'ie' ions yesterday in connec-
tlon with tao prosecution OF John
Smti, who pleaded guilty to having
entered the dwelling of George Francis
in the night time, with intent to steal
Smith was about six feet tall, robust
and of apparently great muscular
development. Testimony was taken to
enable the court to determine what
degree of punishment should be i'm
posed.
The chief witness was Francis wife,
a buxom mildle-aged Irish woman.
Francis is a German. 'In the middle
of the night she said, "when was in
a dhrame, seemed to hear a great
noise. But l didn't mind 1t, for
thought it was me husband movin' his
feet. A little while afther that one OF
my five little lder started up in bed
and awakened. 'Phwat's thatp" says
/. 'Nofhin', mommie,' says she, but
she was tremblin' loike n leaf and
seemed afraid TO talk. So i knew
somcthin' was up and it wasn't pleas
ant, l assure you. / looked over at my
husband. He was sound asleep. His
feet were perfectly still and l knew that
they had not made the noise.
my little gurril was still sitting up
and trimblin' and starin' hard at some
thin in the dark. followed the coorse
of her eyes and heaven bethunc us an
evil what d you think sawp"
WHAT" asked Assistant District
Attorney Kinsey, with evident interest.
That big man in the dock, just
creeping under my bed. Did holler!
o, no. quietly took hold o. the
blanket, never sayin' word, and my
husband still snorin', and waited,
scarcely brathin', till the man got neal
enough to me, when / whipped the
blanket over his head and held him
there as noice as you PLACE. All, ha
my by, says /. have you now in a net
Wild that he set up SIGH squlrmin' and
strugglin' l thought he would escape
me. He's good six feet, as you car
see, and broad accordin', an he was
loike whale in herring net. But
held him i'm the blanket with his head te
the flure till my husband, wakened by
the noise and the schramin' of my
childer, jumped out of bed to help me
gave my husband the blanket thin
and snatchin' up my youngest baby
eight months old, ran TO the windy ant
cried for help. The man and my hus
band had ittogether. The man managed
TO get his head out of the blanket ant
bottled for the durc and my HUSBAND
afther him. The thief slipped on thu
second or third step and tumbled all tn,
way to the bottom. saw an officer OF
the street. l called out to him and HI
came in and arrested the thief. A 10
of my buttons and spools o. thread ant
other little things were found in tn,
mans pockets, and a pair O. my hus
bands pantaloons were found at hi
feet. That's all, but don't want to d,
any more robber catchin' while live,
assure you"
Mrs. Francis story was corroborate,
by her husband and police officer.
Smith, who had all the while main
tanned n stony stare, declared that h
could not speak English. Although h
had entered plea of guilty, he sal
through an interpreter that he was
"marine" and had got into Mr.. Francis
house by mistake and had laid down {,
sleep. He had entered, he said. 'throug
window" He had pulled Mr.. Fran
els trousers down with him from mai
in the wall, he declared, when h
tumbled down stairs. He could not aC
count for the buttons and other thing
in his pocket, except upon the theor
that they had got there by "a mistake.
When the Judge told him that his eS
PLANTATION was too lame to be accepte
he broke into English that was perhap
better than the interpreters. He wa
sent to the Eastern Penitentiary for tw
years. Philadelphia Times.