Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1889-09-27


1yLers .i,.ss ny dIothes or the apartment, but
without the chloroform he might wake up
and become Troublesome, and then we might
have to silence him, and midnight murders
are not the most pleasant things to have to
provide against"
"Well, the womenln
''They won't bother us reckon. don't
intend they shall know anything about it till
George Chalmers, after coming to himself,
goes to look for his pile, by which time Wen
be safe enough out Of the reach Of all.n
''lFithout any blood on our handsTa
''That's the way want It,"
'But sooner than be taken or discovered,
samF'
"Why, you know, Ben, I'd cut every
throat and burn down the house with the
bodies In it, Taken or discovered Heavensl
Death sooner than eitherp
'That's So It would be bad thing for
US, and a horrifying thing for our families
and friends In any case we must wear our
masks. suppose we're to enter the general
sitting room hrstT'
THAT'S the best His room adjolns 1t on
the south. When he fastens his door at all
It Is with the key, which hen likely leave In
the lock. I'll turn that with my nippers II
he does. III use a skeleton key Il be don't
It's good night for us-dark, windy and
rainy-so that a slight noise won't be heard.
The two evil plotters got under a shed and
waited TIL the time hxed upon for their bur
glarious work.
j There were no shutters to the windows-
only inside fastenings
/ To enter, they decided to cut out middle
pane Of one Of the two familyroom Windows
pass an arm through, remove the fasteningS
and crawl through the lower half.
3 They cut the pane with diamond near the
sash, but In trying to get control Of 1t they
pushed It inward and it fell into the room
with sharp crash and jingle.
The noise disturbed the sleeping host With
out fully waking him, and he mumbled out,
whats that4" in tone that showed he was
sound asleep again by the time the words
were fairly uttered
Then the two burglars, their faces conceal
ed by black masks, worked their way into the
room, each assisting the other, and flashed
light all around them from the bulls eye Of
the lantern they carried.
To their surprise they found the door Of the
young mans sleeping room partly open In
stead Of being shut and locked, and they
were disposed TO take alarm at 1t till they
heard his steady, heavy breathing.
Then both, after another sharp sweep Of
AANAa~ANeaAI
vanced to the bed of the sleeper-one pre-
pared with the chloroform to seal up his
senses, but both ready to murder him rather
than fail in their purpose.
Just at that critical point of time another
human figure, unseen by them, came silently
gliding through the darkness and stealing up
behind them.
1t was the tramp.
In his hand he held a rope with moose at
one end not unlike lasso.
He stopped so near the two midnight
providers that be could have touched them,
and poised the hand that held the rope, while
every nerve secretly quivered with intense
excitement
1t was moment big with fate for all con-
cerned-
A single mistake, the slightest error, might
cost his own and other human lives.
The robbers, both intent upon their evil
design, did not look behind them.
They stopped close to the bed Of the sleep
ing man, one looking over the shoulder Of
the other.
The forward one held q handkerchief In
one hand saturated with chlorof0rm, and in
the other hand the lantern, whose light he
streamed full upon the face Of the sleeper.
Just as he reached forward to press the
handkerchief to the nostrils Of their intended
victim the second robber, armed with knife
and revolver, prepared for deadly assault.
brought his head close up to his companions,
the better to note the slightest movement
at that moment the tramp sldlllfully threw
his moose over the heads Of both.
Then, with a vigorous backward spring, he
frightened the moose around the necEs Of both
and ierked them down-stumhling founder
ing, crashing smprised, terrified and almost
strangled
Surrender and throw down your weapons
or IN beat out your brainsi' cried the tramp,
as he jerked and pulled upon the rope, In or
der to strangle the scoundrels into submis-
sion.
The answer was three pistol shots from the
man who held the revolver, neither Of which
hit the tramp, but one Of which entered the
brain of bis companion and ended his wicked
work for this world
The noise reused the sleeper, who started
up In alarm, with loud cries Of murder and
for help.
This in turn set the women 10 shrieking,
and the late silent and peaceful dwelling be-
came for the time a bedlam Of horrors
keep quiet, Mr.. Chalmers, you shall not
be harmedi" said the tramp, as, still pulling
at the rope, he pounded the head Of the living
robber with the butt Of his revolver, till he
sank under the blows. ~Nowget Light, i" he
continued, ''or turn the light Of the villains
lantern upon their faces, and zee what your
tramp has done for you.n
1t took some minutes more to make George
Chalmers, his mother and sister understand
the true state Of the case-that the man to
whom they had given shelter had saved them
from being robbed, if not murdered.
PINT THAT xvae thai. ffrvthor on,o1ay,,a,,k
and horror to discover that the dead burglar
and the living burglar were two Of their
neighbors, with whom they had long been
intimate, and whose regulations stood high
as well-to-do, upright, honorable men.
When they came to pour out their profuse
thanks to the tramp for his courageous aud
timely interference in their behalf, he quietly
respOndedi
"YOu have much to thank me for, IL is
true, because you would certainly have been
robbed, II not murdered, II had not been
under your roof but you have to thank me
for it In a different way than you suppose.
Pm not here by accident, but design. Pm no
tramp, but detective. I've had my eye on
these villains for some time, but needed
proof before arrestinR them. BY chance
overheard plot to rob George Chalmers on
the night he should get paid for bis cattle,
and worked out the rest, as Jon see. This
villain, Samuel Jennings" nodding to ths
now tightly bound living robber, "must
either 90 to the state prison or the galloWs.h
Neither, you miserable scamp cried the
man, with q long string Of biasphemous
oathS
BE never did-for on the day Of the coro-
neris inquest on bis companion, he was found
hanged and dead.
The whole affair made great sensation In
its locality.
On removing his false hair and beard, the
tramp detective was found to be 9 young
and handsome fellow.
a warm friendship sprang up between him
and George Chalmers, and shortly after, Q
still warmer one between him and Mary
Chalmers.
1t seems enough to merely add that she is
now his happy, grateful and loving Wife-
Emerson Rennetf IN SATURDAY. HiOhf =