The Portland daily press., 1892-12-20
SHOT His Man.
Officer Met a Burglar on Mr..
Coombs's Steps.
THE BURGLAR FIRED AND so DID
MIR. FIRTH.

The Burglar, Who is Wounded In Two
Places, Was Captured-Mr. Firth Has
Several Bullet Holes in His Clothes.
"Damn you, hold up your hands or
I'll shootr' The speaker was deter
mined looking young man standing on
the piazza of the house of Ardon W.
Coombs, Esq. His remark, rather more
forcible than polite, was addressed to
Police Officer Firth.
1t was about 2.30 this morning, when
Officer Firth, as he was passing the corner
of Congress and Mellen streets, heard a
peculiar tapping sound somewhere in
the vicinity. he started down Mellen-
street, and had got as far as Mr.. Coombs'
house when he saw man on the porch.
The stranger did not wait for the officer
to begin the conversation. He had an
ugly looking revolver in his hand, and
held it in a way that indicated that he
meant business. Then it was that he re-
marked, 'Damn you, hold up your
hands or I'll shoot"
Mr.. Firth at first supposed the man
might be crazy. At any rate he did not
hod up his hands, and, seeing the fellow
hesitated, the officer told him to come
down onto the sidewalk. A few more
words were exchanged in the course Of
which the man on the steps rem rked
that if Mr. Firth attempted to take off
his gloves he would kill him. Finally,
the young man said: Nov, you get out
here, or with an OATH I'll shoot" Firth
again told him to come down from the
porch. The man instead turned and
vaulted over the fence railing to the
yard. The officer sprang over the fence
after him,
Pulling His Gun
as he did so. The burglar ran out into
Mellen street and, reaching the middle
turned. This time, his courage
did not fail him, and the report
of pistol echoed through the quiet
street. Mr.. Firth felt twinge of pain
under his vest. The young mans pistol
| was again up level with his shoulder,
| when second shot rang out. This time
| the officer did the shooting, and he prov
ed the better marksman. The shot
told. but the burglar, although hurt,
cluug to his revolver. The officer fired
again.
sTm done; don't Shoot" said the
stranger, and his pistol fell to the ground.
Mr.. Firth soon had his hand on the mans
collar and the two revolvers in his pos
sassion.
/ Both shots had taken effect, but the
man was able to walk to the City Hotel
from where the officer telephoned for
the patrol wagon. On the way to the
hotel. his prisoner said to Mr.. Firth,
pointing to ring of plain gold: ''Take
that ring off may hand, will you, and
keep it.
i You're Cool One"
ssWhat do ycu mean" said Firth,
.shaven't you met that kind before?'
ssNo, most of them are chumps," said
the man, evidently referring to previous
experiences with policemen. MI. Firth,
however, declined the souvenir of his
bravery.
In the lighted lodging room of the
station, the burglar was seen
to be about twenty-eight or thirty years
i old. He did not look like bad man but
he did look like pretty determined one
He is of medium height and slender
build, with dark hair and "a light NOUS
tache. His features are regular and not
unrefined, and it was noticed that his
voice and language were those appa-
rently of person of education. He
| wore q dark chinchilla overcoat, dark
hat and dark colored clothes of good
shane and material. His underclothing
was also well made. The man was per-
fectly self possessed. AS he sat on a cot
in the lodging room, he said in reply to
questions that his name was Fred Erving.
"Where do you belong?n asked Depu-
ty McCallum.
"That's pretty hard to say" replied
the man.
swell, where do you make your
| home?"
s'I suppose in Washington"
s'Are you known there?'
"some people know me-"
''Where were you before coming to
Portland?'
'I can't answer all your questions, you
know" was the reply to this question
The young man did say, however, that
| he had been here two weeks, boarding al
the Chadwick House.
DR.. Sullivan, the city physician
reached the station soon after the pris
oner. By his direction, the
n blood-stained clothes were taken from
the man, and his undershir
cut away. On the mans right shouldel
i Was Bullet Hole,
and there was another through the b
eeps of the right arm. The doctor
probed the wounds The wound in the
, arm was not serious, the bone being