Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-25
ROBBED, THEN SHOT.
ALI Allegheny Aroused Over a Burg.
larry and Probable Murder.
MILTON PEYRIE is TIE VICTIM.
His House Broken Open and Bullet Pene'
trates His Shoulder.
LIGHT TOWERS RoUNDLY CONDEMNED

Milton Petrie lies at his home at No. 81
Fremont street, Allegheny, with bullet
hole through his right shoulder, and though
he may recover, life hangs on but slender
thread. A pocketbook with $50 has gone
with the robbers who fred the probably
atal shot, and the Allegheny detectives are
hunting high and low for some clew to the
perpetrators of the deed.
The robbery was committed at o'clock
yesterday morning. 1t is believed three
men did the job, and from appearances they
we're sleep professional burglars. Saturday
evening three suspicious men were seen
lettering about the neighborhood One was
tall, rather heavy-set man, with heavy,
dark\mustache, and the other two were of
slighter build. sThe street is so poorly
lighted that it was impossible to get better
description.
Mr.. Petrie keeps grocery store. The
storeroom is on the lower side of the house
and the entrance to the residence on the
upper side. The rear window Of the store
is right at the L of the house, and person
in the back yard could see Mr.. Petrie take
the money out of the cash register. The Ft.
Wayne car shops are in the rear, and an ap-
prUach from that direction could be made
without any danger of being detected, as
the electric light towers do not cast the
faintest glimmer in that locality.
HOW THEY GOT IN.
The burglars came in the back way, and
by deftly using an auger, section of
panel of the kitchen door was taken out
large enough for man to stick his hand in
and run back the bolt Only one man en-
tered the house, while the other
two stood watch. Quietly the man
found his way upstairs, and extinguished
the lamp that is always LETT burning in the
hall. He must have been perfectly ac-
quainted with the house, for he at once
found Mr.. Petrie's bedroom, and took that
gentleman's trousers, with the pocketbook
in them.
The burglar was crawling out on his
knees-so that if a shot were fired itwould
likely pass over him-when sister of Mr..
Petrie discovered him. The man, who had
by this time secured the pocketbook,
dropped the trousers and was getting down
stairs. Mr.. Petrie awakened at once.
Lighting q lamp he hurried downstairs,
dressed only in his undershirt. When he
reached the kitchen, at the end of the
hall, he could but indistinctly make out
the form OF man. The robber ordered him
back, but Mr.. Petrie raised the lamp so
that the light would not blind his eyes.
The burglar caught the movement, and
cried: mo, you don'tP" and at the same
instant fired
The first ball took effect in Mr.. Petrie's
shoulder, and, striking the shoulder blade,
curved down and came out six inches further
down his back. The wounded man fell on
his left side, but not before the burglar fired
a second shot. which extinguished the lamp
in Mr.. Petrie's hand.
% FIRED FoUR MORE SHOTS.
Mrs. Petrie screamed for aid, and at the
same time two more shots were fired, but
both passed through the kitchen door and
lodged In the wall. The burglars, thinking
their victim dead, then fled out through the
Fit Wayne yards, and were lost in the
darkness.
As soon as possible Mrs. Petrie rushed to
her wounded husband and tried to stanch
the flow of blood. Drs. Beatty and Butler
in short time arrived and dressed the mans
wound. The shooting was done with 49,
calibsr revolver.
Mrs. Petrie was interviewed, and said she
heard the noise of the boring, but thought
it was mice. She did not awaken until her
husband started down stairs. She said an
attempt had been made to rob the store
about year ago, and since then Mr.. Petrie
has kept in his room the money taken in on
night
BETTER LIGHT WANTED.
No trace of the robbers was discovered up
to late last night. To escape was easy,
through the Ft Wayne yards, on account
OF the intense darkness. No one saw the
men, and it is impossible to find whittier
they went On this account the police are
condemning the tower system of
lighting. which makes it possible for man
to escape under the very noses OF the officers.
Said Chief Murphy yesterday:
SIT is wonder there has not been more
crime, because while one side of street is
light enough, the other side is so dark that
an officer cannot see man across the street.
The whole lot of towers ought to be torn
down, and the lights placed on mast-arms.
The whole system is wrong, and the proper
way would be to tear down every measly
tower, and make the idiot that invented the
scheme swallow the iron work."
Detective Glenn held the same IDEAS and |
said the lights should be arranged as they
are in Pittsburg, which he considered the
city in the country. "There,"
be says, So man cannot run a square with
put someone seeing him. 1t is impossible to
give proper police protection with the pres
emit lights"