The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-14
A HUMAN TARGET.
Mr.. and Mrs. Evans, Crack Shots,
Practice on Burglar.


Practice on a Burglar.
From the Ne,o York Herald, Jtly12.
Don't go, Willie, you'll be killedw
But William Evans did not heed the
startling admonition from his wife, uttered
in the softest but most pathetic whisper.
He lay wide awake at s o'clock yesterday
morning in his apartment, opening out of
his jewelry store at No. 377 Eighth avenue,
when footsteps on the floor of the store
told him that some large animal had
dropped through the open transom over the
street door,
With his 3S-caliter five-chambered re-
volver firmly grasped in his right hand,
Mr. Evans noiselessly clept forward until
he could command a view Of the premises
over the partition. There, sure enough,
right in the center of the store was des-
perate looking burglar Of medium hight
smooth face and dressed in dark frock
suit In his left hand tie burglar carried a
big jimmy, while his right hand clutched a
bottle of chloroform and a pistol.
THE MARAUDER MEANT BUSINESS.
MI Burglar was strictly intel on bust
ness. Without noticing the large quaint
ties of plated jewelry in tine show cases he
was making straight for the big iron safe
III which were $50 900 worth of diamonds
ana Watches. OllS kdS joy was buiuliiE NJ
brightly that the proprietor could SEQ his
nocturnal visitor plainly Mr.. Evans con-
siders himself dead shot, and as he covered
his man he experienced a feeling of rapug-
nance to taking the fellows life without
warning, so he aimed for his right arm.
A terrific flash, and the burly fellow
| rolled on the floor with an excruciating
groan. The bullet had passed through his
arm, and smashed a showcase in its flight
In the next instant he recovered, and
| crouched behind a standing showcase The
light and shade so protected Mr.. Evans
that he could not be seen from the front
He blazed away again, but the bullet was
diverted in passing through two sides of
the showcase, and narrowly grazed the
burglars ear, just breaking the skin
little, and passed out through the plate
! glass door.
THE LADY AND THE PISTOL.
The ieweller seemed to be having so
| much sport that his wife soon followed him
to the partition with beautiful pearl
handled five shot, self-acting revolver She
| also is an expert with the hair trigger. OF
all the shops in this broad city Mr. Burglar
| could not have chosen one where his recep-
| ton would have been more tragically hot.
| The prowler threshed around in the trout
| of the store like Gagged hyena, while the
| sharpshooting gentleman and his wife were
|
the lobes of his ears, burning" his collar
and busting" his coat. Not word was
spoken, the Waterman had fallen asleep, no
| policemen in sight, the coast was clear, the
| street was deserted.
The jeweer aud his spouse were just as
cool as if they were at the Creedmoor
| range instead Of practiclng before living
target at so feet The marauder was the
only excited party about the esta blishment
His entertainers did not wish To take his
| life, but, of cocrse, he was unaware Of their
| humanitarian intentions. In a last mad
| dash for liberty he clambered up a wire
screen and again gained the transom. As
he swung his body through the l6-inch space
his hosts gave him parting salute. Bang
bang, ping, ping. rang the leaden messen-
! gers which cut corn on his left foot
| plowed little furrow across the seat of his
trousers, united his neck scarf, and knocked
| the jimmy out of his hand.
A FORMIDABLE BATTERY.
The bleeding and ''wingedn burglar
dropped into the arms of two pals" out
side, and the desperate party quickly dis
| appeared around the corner into Twenty
ninth street. After Mrs Evans bad care
fully reloaded the pistols and taken two
more guns from their little armory, the
jeweler and his wife advanced and threw
| open the front doors as If nothing had hap
pened. Just at this moment the Italian oil
night fruit vender on the corner was
startled by the firing and the fight of the
| burglars. AS he came within range he
saw TWO white jeweled hands go up and a
| couple of beautiful pearl handled revolvers
| pointed straight at his ears. He gasped for
breath and up went two long arms, and he
found himself looking into the muzzles of
four revolvers No single man could have
| stormed that battery and lived.
| The Italian. however was soon recognise
as a friend. He explained that the
wounded burglar hurried west on Twenty
ninth street, limping, grooming and with
one arm hanging lifeless at his side. There
was a slight trail of blood on toe sidewalk.
Mr.. Evans surveyed his promises and
| found that their pistol practice had played
| havoc with the glass showcases and front
windows. Several pieces of jewelry were
also damaged, but he did not seem to regret
his little early mornings advertisement.
CONTEMPLATING.
All yesterday his friends and neighbors
| focked to the store to congratulate the
brave jeweler and his pretty little wife.
Mr.. Evans reported the attempted burglary
to the West Thirty seventh street police
station, but no clew has been obtained
| yet of the identity of the wounded thief.
| 1t is supposed that he is Moonlight fla TX, "
| alias "Nippers," who was formerly tole-
| graph lineman in Chicago but has become
| a dangerous climber" and criminal. A
certain physician near Ninth avenue
| dressed the gunshot wounds of Ia man early
| yesterday morning. but he will not reveal
| anything.
Mr.. and Mrs Evans are among the most
skilful pistol shots in this city, and they
will be lat home" to all callers.
Tn al