St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-10-21
Seem to Be Having Their Own
Way Right Along in the
City.
The Residence of H. R. Bige-
low Receives a Call at the
Dinner Hour.
AS Usual, the Officers Request
That the Facts Be Kept
From the Public.
Several Forgers, Not at All
Clever, Beat a Great
Many Merchants.

The reign of terror in the bosoms of
the dwellers in the Sanity City, occa-
stoned by the known presence in our
midst of shrewd and daring crooks who
walk the streets and enter houses day
or night as they feel minded without
let or hindrance, is not yet over. In
fact, it is just climbing into the heyday
of its strength, and the festive crook is
but now saying to himself: 'This is a
goodly land, and, as | am monarch of
all l survey and my reign there is none
to dispute, L will settle me down here
and partake of the fat of this land and
ENJOY the fullness thereof"
Thus speaking, he is here, and it
seems that he has come to stay. for
there doesn't seem to be policemen
enough disengaged from political work
to disturb the placidness of his dreams.
OF course the police hear of his opera
tions-after they are accomplished
but so fearful are they that some citizen
might capture crook or two that they
carefully suppress all reports of the
operations and descriptions of the oper-
ators. This may be thought to be good
policy, but the teaching of experience
is the other way.
The most recent exploit of the burg
ling burglar to come to the surface has
for its scene the large and handsome
residence of Horace r. Bigelow. at 2SS
Walnut street. corner of Exchange. The
scene was dressed with screaming girls
and flying bullets. 1t was at dinner
time, about $3.50 Wednesday evening,
and the Bigelow family were all gath
cred about the dining table, their facul-
ties engrOSSed with the business in
hand, and not thought being given to
the coveter of others goods. But the
class of crook
Known as the Porch Climber,
the most daring and dangerous of house
breakers, was about, and he was pos.
sessed of ''hankering" for some of the
wealth contained in that fine house. He
dextrouSly climbed the columns that
support the porch on the Walnut street
front Of the house, and made his way
into one of the rooms of the second story
through the window. expecting to enjoy
an undisturbed inspection of the
premises. But the second girl was also
about. 1t was her time of day to fill the
water pitchers, and perform certain
other duties about the sleeping rooms
of the family. Now it so happened that
she and the festive porch climber ran
together i'll the first room that he Wis
tied. Of course. this was not in accord
with his schedule, but knowing that
there were several able-bodied men
about he did not deem it the proper oc-
caslon to lecture the girl on her error in
lnterrupting his tour of inspection at
that point. He may have been assisted
in arriving at this conclusion by the
fact that the girl threw up her hands
unmlndful of their contentS-and let a
scream out of her that should have been
heard at police headquarters. He
Sprang across the room ''as light as
feather" as the girl described it to the
GLOBE, slid down the roof OF the
porch, and, preceded by his companion,
who kept watch on the outside with a
whip in his hand. disappeared in the
direction of the river. 1t was here that
the flying bullets came in. The lung
power of the girl had aroused the fam
lily from the feeling of contentment and
safety that good dinner engenders,
and. as there have recently been four
other burglarles in that neighborhood,
burglars" was the thought that flashed
through every mind. The male mem
bers of the family rushed for weapons,
and young l.. S. Bigelow was the first
door, he was just IN time to see the
crook recovering from his jump from
the roof of the porch to the ground and
Sent Two Bullets
after the fleeing forms. 1t is not likely
that his shots hit the burglars-thev
never do-for there was no hating on
the part of the pair, who were quickly
lost to sight in the gathering darkness.
"A seach OF the house by the family
showed that but the one room had been
ranSacked, and that but $50 worth of
Jewelry was missing.
The affair was reported to the police
that evening, aud it is said that young
man named Murray found revolver IN
the street. where it was dropped by the
fleeing crooks. and gave it to Chief of
Detectives Mason, but all knowledge of
the affair was carefully kept from the
public. When the reporter of the GLOBE
called at the residence yesterday
daughter of the house, who gave the
above information in response to
queries, prefaced it with the statement
that ''they," meaning the police, did
not want aything said about the affair.