The record-union., 1892-11-26
The FESTIVE BURGLAR.
He Tackles jeremiah Lenhart in the
Latter's Home.
A Struggle Ensues In Which Three
Intellectual Shots Are Fired
at the Intruder.

Jeremiah Lenhart's residence, on
Fourth street, between \ and o, was eu-
tered by a prowler and burglar between
and o'clock yesterday morning and
Jerry and his wife had an experience not
soon to be forgotten.
Mrs. Lenhart was awakened by slight
noise made by the opening of a door, and
in the room, which was lighted by the
street lamps, she saw the form of a man
with a dark lantern in his hand.
She was so badly frightened that she
screamed, and the man at once sprang
toward her, evidently to silence her, and
reached across her husband, who was
awakened at the same instant.
Lenhart at once grasped the arm of the
burglar, and after a sharp struggle sue
ceeded in reaching his revolver, which
was under his pillow.
lie had no sooner drawn the weapon,
however, than his hand was seized by the
| burglar and the revolver was thrown up
ward just as Lenhart pulled the trigger.
Then followed a struggle in which Len
hart was at a disadvantage being in bed
and hampered by the bedcovers. He re-
tanned his hold upon the revolver, how
ever, and as soon as released by the
burglar he fired two more shots as the
man escaped from the room.
None OF the shots are thought to have
taken effect, and the man escaped through
the back rooms of the house and out the
window OF the pantry, by which he had
entered.
The burglar is supposed to have been
IN the house on Wednesday night. as the
flash of a dark-lantern was seen about
midnight by Lenhart, who arose and
probably frightened the fellow away.
STORE RAIDED.
Burglars also entered the store of f. II.
L. NeDber, on l. street, near Twelfth.
They helped themselves to canned goods,
ETC., bul got no money.
WHAT SHALL BE DONE?
Has not this sort of business gone about
far enough? or, do the people of this city
propose to do nothing to rid the commu-
nifty of the gang of burglars and garroters
that now intest it?
1t is painfully apparent that the police
are not equal to the emergency. The
dives are nightly filled with loafers and
eX-conVicts, who roam the streets day
after day and week after week. getting
! the lay Of the land' and familiarizing
themselves with the movements of citi-
zens that they may know whom to at
tack and when to do it,
Under the present vagrancy law any
man can be sent TO Jail whom the police
! know to be an idler and vagrant. Some
! time ago the Police Commissioners made
an order directing the then Chief of Police
to instruct every officer to carry mem
Orandum book and note therein the de-
scriptions tnames when obtainable),
movements, habits, etc., of every suspi-
cious-appearing person found on their
respective beats and to arrest such per-
sons for vagrancy If they could not give
good accounts of themselves.
! 1t is don btful if even the SlipbtaSt at-
tempt has been made to carry out or en-
force this order. Three intelligent officers
could within less than a week have the
record of every suspicious character in
the city and then keep track of every adj
/ ditiOnal newcomer without difficulty.
! The people willingly pay the taxes nee
essary to maintain jails in which to i'm
| prison the criminal element, and these iails
should be used for that purpose freely
and without hesitation. 1t is cheaper to
/ feed criminals on bread and meat than to
have them plundering the premises of
the people.
Probably $1,000 would not cover the
amount OF money stolen from citizens of
this city within the past month, not a
| cent of which has been recovered. This
sum would feed great many prisoners
for long time.
And people must not imagine that
the frequent robberies they read of in the
These are usually ones that the reporters
learn of from the victims themselves. af-
tel first hearing rumOrs thereof on the
streets. But scarcely a day passes that
numerous cases are not reported direct to
the police and of which the public never
! hear.
These are filed away and labeled, "For
! officers only" Frequently that is the
last ever heard of the matter. If the daily
list of the thieveries that are perpetrated
in the community were given publicity
the people would be surprised at the
showing.
There are some public-spirited citizens
who are never slow about getting together
and devising ways and means for carry
ing into effect important enterprises and
reforms, but the matter Of ridding the
city of its criminal element, or Of taking
steps to place thugs and burglars where
they can do no harm, appears to have
| been overlooked.
That the thing can be ACCOMPLISHED by
perfectly legal means, there can be no
doubt The RECORD UNION has fire.
quently suggested plans that might work
effectively, but perhaps some Of our lead
ing citizens have better plans. 1t can
hardly be possible that no one has given
| thought to the subiect-but it may be So