Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1889-08-14
A COURAGEOUS WOMAN. !.
How She Got the Best of q william Who
Was Bont on Robbery.

How She Got tho Best of q william Who
Was Bcnt on Robbery.
One day recently, in the rotunda of
the Fifth Avenue Hotel, a number of
men were discussing the question of
pluck and bravery frequently exhibit
cd by persons advanced in years. Gem
eral Dan Macauley, now a resident of
this city, but formerly of Indiana, re-
lated the most remarkable instance, as
follows:
DR. Walker, about sixty years of
age, and his wife, a few years younger,
together with two grown sons, resided
in Indianapolis after the war. One
night Mrs. Walker retired late but
not to sleep, for she expected her hus-
band to come in from the next room
every moment. A light was burning,
and lying on her bed she could see the
floor at certain angles. Instead of her
husband coming in she saw villain
looking man. with a bowie-knife
between his teeth, crawling through
the door on his all tours. In a second
he disappeared under the he'd. Her
husband then came in, blew out the
light and got into bed.
MRS. Walker said nothing for few
minutes, for she was thinking of a
scheme to capture the rQbber and save
herself and husband from being MUIR
dered. Finallys he said aloud to her
husband: 1 am thirsty; Ill go and
get a drink of water She got out of
bed and went to the room where her
two sons were sleeping. Putting her
hands over the mouth of one she
whispered in his ear that man was
under her bed and that she wanted his
pistol. The son told her that he gave
her the pistol few days ago. because
she objected to having one around
loaded. Then she remembered that
she had hid it in the basement-room,
on top of shelf. Wait, boys, I'll get
it, she said. Going down stairs she
passed another robber, the pal of the
one under her bed, though she was un-
aware Of it at that time.
After stumbling around in the dark
she managed to find the pistol and
hastily rushed up stairs with it. In
the meantime her husband suspected
that something was the matter, be-
cause she had consumed too much
time in getting drink of water. The
robber became suspicious also and was
pulling himself from under the bed,
and had almost assumed sitting posi-
ton, his face toward the bed and the
knife still clutched between his teeth,
when the old doctor was in the act of
springing to the door, Without a mo-
ment's hesitation the doctor tumbled
right on the robber and at the same
time dealt him Il powerful blow in the
face. They both fell on the floor, the
doctor on top and gamely punching
him at every opportunity. 1t was
short and desperate struggle. The
rsbber attempted TO cut the doctor, but
the latter knocked the knife out of his
hand. In tumbling around the robber
got out his pistol and pulled the trig-
ger, but the old doctor seized his wrist
in time and the ball struck the ceiling.
With a strong effort the robber extri-
Gated himself from the doctor and ran
for the door.
The son, who had the pistol his
mother brought him, thought that his
father was dead and resolved to kill
the murderer at all hazards He met
the robber face to face in the door and
fired point blank at his breast. In
stead of falling the robber rushed out.
The doctor, hearing the report of his
sons pistol thought the robber had
shot his wife in going out. In few
seconds the brave old couple were safe
in each others arms, and the next
morning the body of the notorious
robber and desperate, 'Hoosier' Bill
Rodifer, was found in the back yard
with bullet through his breast. Now,
gentlemen, don't you think that old
woman had pluck in wonderful de-
gree, and that her husband was worthy
in eyery Way to be her ate?',-N Y