The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-07-05
PIuckY Mrs. Francis.

WAS tOIu III Judge Allison s Court OF the
Quarter Sessions yesterday. in connec-f
tion with the prosecution of John
Smith, 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
Eenable the court to determine what
degree of punishment should be i'm
posed sI /. E9gs. ~ I,aI4a gisastI3-
= The chief witness was Francis wife,
a buxom middle-aged Irish woman.
Francis is a1lerman. - In the middle
of the night, she said, ''When / was in
o dhran1e, seemed to hear d great
noise. But didn't. mind it,, for I !
t Thought it was me husband movin' his
/ feet. Allittle while afther that one Of
my five little ,ehilder started up in bed
and | awakened. Phwat's that?" says
l. tNofhinf, mon1mie,g says she, but
she was; tremblin' loike a leaf and,
seemed afraid to talk. So. / knew
sonlethin' was up and it wasn't pleas
ant, assure yoH., | looked over at. my,
husband. He was sound asleep. His
feet were perfectly still and [ knew that
they had, not made the noise "a ,.ei-affs.
Ii9c My little gurril was still sitting up
and tlimblih' and stafina hard at semet
thin in. the dark, II followed the coorse
of her eyes and heaven bethune us an
evil what d you think | saw?1o II 9n1
- 'What?''' asked Assistant District
Attorney Kinsesy, will. evident interest.
b, THAT big man in the. dock. just
creeping under my bed. Did / ho1lef?
a0s no. [ quietly took, hold o,s4the,
blanket, never sayin' a word, and my
husband still snorin', and / waited,
scarcely brathin'., till the man got near
] enough to me, when / whipped the
blanket over his head and held him
there as. .noiee as, you plaze. All, ha!
my b y, says |, have YOU now in net.
Wid Hhathe setup sich asqalrfAin' and
stgagglin, / thought he, would escape
me. He's a good six feet, as you can
see, and7broad accordin' ,.san' he was
lolke q. whale in a herring net. But /.
held him in. the blanket with his head to
the hure tillmy husband, Fwakened by
the noise and the schramin' of my
childer, jumped out of bed to help me.
/ gaveimy husband the blanket thin,
and snatchin up my youngest baby,
eight months old, l Iranto the windy and
cried for help. The man and my hus-
band had adittogether.-Fhe man managed
to get hislhead !outrof 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. I 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 a pair o. my. kls-
bands pantaloons were found at his
feet. That's all, but don't want to do
any more robberc rcatehin' while iYe,.I
assure YOU.
Mrs. Francis story wascorroborated
by her husband and apolice officer. n
Smith, who had all the while main
tanned stony stare, declared that, he
could not speak English. Although he
had entered a plea of Guilty, he said
through an interpreter that he was q
marine and had got into Mr.. Francis
house by mistake. andIhad laid dow1lte:
sleep: He had entered, he said, Through
window He had pulled Mr., Fran
/ els trousers downwith him from ANAL
in, the wall, he, declared, when be
tlIni bled down Stairs. Heicould not 'ac-
count for the buttons and other things
in, his pocket, except upon, the theory
that they had got there by IA mistake. %
when the Judge told him that his ex-g
PLANTATION was too lame to,he accepted
he broke into English that was, perhaps
better than the interpreters He was
sent to the Eastern Penftenfiaryf for two
years. ~ PHILADELPHIA Times. 49,.