St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-14
A Brave Servant Girl, Who
Peppered the Would-Be
Burglars.
Men With Bad Motives Sup
posed to Be Still Watch
ing the House,
T hough What They Want Is
Quite as Much in the Dark
as at First.

family of A. ". Crittenden, living
at 1000 Grand avenue, regarding
the unusual and persevering attentions
paid their residence by gang of house
breakers during the past SIX months or
more. The series of visits began on the
night of the 3lst Of August last, while
the family, with the exception of the
domestic, Barbara Becker, an honest
appearing German girl about twenty
years Of age, were
AT LAKE CALHOUN,
where they had resided during part
of the summer, and has continued up
to a week ago to-day. during which
time they paid some dozen visits to the
premises, and on five or six occasions
attempted to enter the house.
Mr.. Crittenden is the son of NJ. II.
Crittenden, proprietor of the galvan-
lied iron works on South Fifth street,
and is associated with him in the bust
ness. His family, besides himself. con-
ssts of his wife and one child about a
year and half old, and they
have lived at their present address
for something over two years, except
for the time they were at the lake last
summer. On the night when the rob-
berS, if robbers they are, first visited
the place, Barbara had to come in from
the lake to clean up the house and put
it in shape for the return of the family.
She
HEARD A NOISE
about the house that evening, and the
next day Che screen door of the cellar
was found to have been cut and an at
tempt made to gain an entrance that
way. A few days later men were
heard at one of the windows,
but Mr.. Crittenden awoke and
they were frightened away. He
saw them run down the street. The
third call was during September. A
nicely dressed man came to the door.
Barbara answered the bell and he
asked for lodgings. She told him he
could not stay there. and then he
begged for money. She asked if he
wanted to see the man of the house,
and he replied:
''Oh, he is away. You can't show
him to me-"
''You better get away from here" she
replied, "or Eli call policeman
You can't" said he, there are no
wires running to this house,
TRIED TO GET IN.
He then tried to push by her into the
house, but she prevented this. and
Slamming the door to locked, it and then
who stood in the street. and the two
walked off together. The fourth visit
it took something more of
hint than the slamming of door and a
threat 10 call the police to induce the
unwelcOme visitors to leave. That was
on Saturday, the l4th of February. Mr..
CrittendeD and his wife were out for
the evening, and she was alone in the
house except for the sleeping child.
Late in the evening she heard a noise,
but thought it was the child up stairs.
She ran up to see about it, and then
heard the glass in the back door broken
in, and she
RAN To THE WINDOW
and looked out with revolver in her
hand. She saw tail man standing
back little from the house, with his
hand in his hip pocket. looking around
as if fearing an attack. A short thick
man was just approaching the door. As
he raised his hand. apparently 10 open
the door, she fired. His hand dropped,
he staggered and called out:
John, am killed. His companion
ran to him. and the two went away
down Franklin avenue toward Lyndale,
the tall man holding the shorter ones
arm. When Mr.. Crittenden returned
home blood was found on the door step
men went.
ANOTHER SHOOTING
occurred on the night of Monday, March
4. Miss Becker, the plucky servant
girl, was ironing in the kitchen at about
10:45 O'Clock in the morning. it being
the habit of some one of the
family to remain up until about
70 O'Clock each nighton accounted their
fear of burglars. the house having been
already visited twice since the shooting
in February, when she saw two men
walking down Franklin avenue, stop
and look up at the house. She watched
them some time, and saw them walk
up and down by the house three or four
times. stopping every time to look at the
house. She turned down the lights and
taking Mr.. Crittenden's
DOUBLED-BARRELED SHOTGUN.
loaded with buckshOt. went into the
room back of the kitchen and waited.
Soon the men came back again and
walked boldly up toward the rear of
the house. 1t was quite light
outside, and the men looked
very much like the former
visitors, who received such warm re-
ceptiOn on st. Valentines day. The
tall man stood back little way from
the street, with his hand in his pocket,
lifted the door over the stairway leading
to the cellar. She raised the gun and
fired one barrel. He staggered back,
crying,
''oH, JOHN, OH, JoHN!'
The two went out back of the barn.
and toward the gravel pit in the rear of
the lot. Soon afterwards Barbara heard
a wagon drive rapidly down the avenue,
and stop a short distance below the
house. She went up stairs to
the room where MIR. and Mrs.
Crittenden slept and found they had
both been awakened. She talked with
them moment, and as she went back
down the stairway they all three heard
the wagon driven hurriedly up the ave-
nue. toward Nicollet again. The next
morning very considerable quantity
OF blood was found on the walk on the
doors of the cellarway and on the
ground where the injured man stood
when he staggered backward and fell
into his companions arms. The Friday
preceding the second shooting some
houSebreakerS, presumably the same
parties, had cut hole in the rear door
OF the laundry, and drawn the~bolt, but
Jailed TO secure an entrance, as there
was lock below the bolt which they
COULD NOT REACH,
to unfasten. On Monday last some one
tried to force the kitchen window, but
was frightened away. At that time
private detective, whom Mr.. Crittenden
engaged at the time of the second shoot
ing, was in the house, and is still with
them, but he will probably be dis
charged to-day if nothing occurs.
Since the second shooting, men
have been watching the house
several times, but no attempt has been
made TO gain an entrance. There is no
theory by which the strange persistence
of the thieves, if thieves they are, can
be explained, and both the family and
the detectives who have been employed
on the case, are entirely at loss
to know what could induce