Morning journal and courier., 1884-05-28
San Francisco's Sensation.
A Midnight IAtruder, who TIckles Fe -- males Feet.
 rErnnn fha San Eranni.nn fall

<A NFAAo -No--NSS x V males Feet. --- From the San Francisco Call
 The worthy citizens living in the suburban
 districts of south San Francisco and Butcher
 town are greatly excited at present; but their excitement amounts to almost nothing when
 compared with their indignation The peace
 of their homes has been suddenly shattered
 by the advent of @ crank in their midst, and all the efforts of Officer Bennett and the
 other policemen stationed in that district
 have thus far been unsuccessful in ferreti ng
 him out. When the neighbors meet
 in the morning, the first question they ask
 one another is, Whose feet were ticked
 last night 2' The cause of their uneasiness
 can be briefly explained. Shortly after mid
 night few weeks ago gentleman living
 with his family near She slaughter-house was
 awakened from his sleep by piercing shriek
 of his daughter, 8 young miss of sixteen sum
 mers. He grabbed a revolver and hurriedly
 ran to her room, in the expectation of meet
 ing burglar. The girl was almost dead from
 fright, and in broken accents she narrated
 to her father the cause of the outcry. She
 had been rudely awakened from her dreams
 of innocence by tickling sensation in the
 soles of her feet. When she opened her
 eyes she saw, by the aid of the pale moon
 light which was struggling through the bed
 room window !, out into the yard, which IS
 few feet below, masked man, standing at
 the foot of her bed. She shrieksd and the
 intruder sprang through the window, which is a. few feet below, and made his escape.
 The father at first thought that the girl had
 been dreaming, but the cold night air, waited
 up from the bay, soon made him realize that
 the bedroom window was open and the ad-
 venture was @ reality. He closed the window aud sat down on a chair to cogitate on the strange affair, when his teeth began to chat
 ter. He started off for his own bed, to con- tinue his meditation, when he discovered that the front door was open. He closed and locked the door, and when he reached his bedroom, he found his wife closing the window in the room. A hurried investigation showed that all the windows and doors on the lower floor of the house had been opened by the midnight prowler. The next day the police authorities were notified of the noe turnal visitor. Scarcely night passes nov but that some female is awakened by the fehd tickling her feet. As soon as the victim wakes up the man makes his escape either through an open window or door. In every instance the prowler opens all the doors and windows in the house before he proceeds with his deViltry The man wears a wide brimmsd hat carries 8 dark lantern and has the lower portion of his face covered with towel or cloth He never steals any ything, or at any rate nothing has been missed from the l houses visited, except in one case, where 8 towel was taken It is probable that the | fiend forgot his disguise that night and took | the towel to use as 8 mask. few nights l ago married lady felt the prowler tickling | her feet She quickly lit candle, which the | intruder as promptly blew out and then | jumped through an open window. The | officers have been searching for him and he seems to be aware of that fact, for he always | selects victim at distance from where the | officers are stationed. Unless he is caught in | short time the fair lassies in the locality in- Tested by him will be compelled to wear their | shoes in bed to prevent their having their | sleep disturbed.
 Of late COWS have been stolen from their | stables in the vicinity aud some of them have | been found shot. Of the others no traces | have been found, but whether the cattle | stealing is part of the programme carried | ont by the fleet tickler'' is not known