The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-06-09
PIuckY Mrs. Francis.


a Iunny story of woman's pluck
was told in Judge All;sons Court of the
Quarter Sessions yesterday in connec-
tlon Win the prosecution of John
Smion' who pleaded guilty to having
entereu the dwelling of George Francis
IN INC night time, with intent to steal.
oniiVh was about six feet tall robust
ana ol apparently great muscular
deVeiopment. Testimony was taken to
enaoie the court to determine what
degree OF punishment should be i'm
posed.
ne ehlef witness was Francis wife,
a puAom middle-aged Irish woman.
Francis is German. 'In the middle
OF the night, she said, 'when [ was in
anrame, l seemed to hear a great
noise: But | didn't mind it, for 1
thought 1t was me husband movin' his
1eet. A little while afther that one of
my nVe little childer started up in bed
ana awakened. 'Phwat's that?" saws
1; 'Nofhin', mommie, says she, but
she was trenholm loike leaf and
seemed afraid to talk. So | knew
someIhn' was up and it wasn't pleas
anl;'l assure you. | looked over at my
husband. He was sound asleep. His
1eeI Were perfectly still and | knew that
they mad not made the noise.
MY little gurril was still sitting up
ana trmblin' and starin' hard at some
thin IL the dark. followed the coorse
OF hereyes and heaven bethune us an
ey k.Sl9t d you think l sawP"
! n ASS 49,, --s4ked. Assistant District
| A1sey Kinsey, with evident interest.
! N1Aat big man in the dock. just
crePing under my bed. Did L holler?
G no. [ quietly took hold O. the
hanket, never sayin' word, and my
husband still snorin', and l waited,
,carcely brathin', till the man got near
enough to me, when l 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 a squlrmin' and
strugglin' l thought he would escape
me. He's good six feet, as you can
see, and broad accordin', an he was
loike whale in a herring net. But |
held him in the blanket with his head to
the fiure till my husband, Weakened by
the noise and the schramin' of my
childer, jumped out of bed to help me.
l gave my husband the blankets thin,
and snatchin' up my youngest baby,
eight months old, Iran to the windy and
cried for help. The man and my hus-
band had ittogether. The man managed
to get his head out of the blanket and
bolted for the dure and my husband
afther him. The thief slipped on the
second or third step and tumbled all the
way to the bottom. | saw an officer on
the street. called out to him and he
came in and arrested the thief. A lot
of my buttons and spools O. thread and
other little things were found in the
mans pockets, and pair O. my hus-
bands pantaloons were found at his
feet. That's ALL but DON want to dc
any more robber catchin' while 1 live, ]
assure you"
Mrs. Francis story was corroborated
by her husband and apolice officer.
Smith, who had all the while main
tanned stony stare, declared that he
could not speak English. Although he
had entered plea of guilty, he said
through an interpreter that he was q
'marine" and had got into Mr.. Francis
h&5Sa, by mistake and had laid down to
TalTt. lie had entered, he said, s'througl
a window. He had pulled Mr.. Frah
els trousers down with him from a mai
in the wall, he declared, when he
tumbled down stairs He could not ac,
count for the buttons and other things
in his pocket, except upon the theory
that they had got there by ''a mistake. y
When the Judge told him that his eX-
PLANTATION was too lame to be accepted
he broke into English that was perhaps
better than the interpreters. He was
sent to the Eastern Penitentiary for two
years.-Phjladelphia Times.