Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1893-09-22
vi AT MOTT
( TO LOOK FOR
'rollq CITY HOUSES.


In bluecoat's duties which he dis
likV hasJ 1t is not that he is coward,
for, Pa matter of fact, there are very few
towards on the New York police force. but
the ordeal OF making a target of ones self
in dark and strange dwelling for we'll
intrenched burglar to shoot at is one not
eagerly courted by the bravest.
1t was my good fortune to be spectator
of an episode of this kind one rainy night.
was on my way home at about o'clock
in the morning. The streets were deserted.
On Murray hill the silence was unbroken
save by the steady drip of the rain and the
suffering of the electric lights from their
lofty poles along Park avenue.
TERRIBLE INTERRUPTION
Suddenly there broke on the deathlike
stiffness shrill cry of "Murder Helpl"
uttered with the full frenzy of female
voice. This was decidedly unpleasant, al
though it Is interesting to read about The
cries were repeated with frequency that
was blood curdling Windows were raised
all through the street and heads poked out
into the cherries night. The sound of
quick running and the alarm rap of near
and distant policemen's clubs increased the
excitement, and soon the street was popu-
lous with excited men in many varieties of
extemporiZed makeup. A policeman
rushed by me at this moment, and l fol-
lowed, closing my umbrella as ran.
In side street some twenty doors from
the avenue little crowd of men were
gathered in front of an unpretentious
looking English basement house, which
afterward learned belonged to S. Van
Rensselaer, Cruger, the well known poll
tician and society man. Two women were
hanging half out of the top story window
shrieking at one and the same time. All
that could be made Of their incoherent
cries was a tumble of the words burglars"
and murder"
At sight of the policemen, who now came
running up from several directions, the
women-who were in their night robes
managed to regain few of their scattered
wits. Between frightened sobs they said
that there were burglars in the house. and
that they dared not go down and open the
front door.
POLICE TO THE RESCUE.
One of the policemen shouted up that
the door would have to be broken in. This
seemed to calm the girls, for one of them
presently left the window. In the frac-
ton of minute she reappeared and threw
out bunch of keys. An excited neighbor
procured lantern and four big policemen
entered the house with drawn revolvers.
1t was an exciting moment. Nobody in
the crowd spoke a word. The two white
robed figures still remained at the window
far above. There was no anxiety on the
part of any onlooker to enter the house,
the hall lamp of which had been lighted
by the policemen in their progress.
Expectation was raised high when one
of the bluecoats was seen to mount the
stairs leading from the first floor and dis
appear in the darkness above. He was in
the room occupied by the women a mo-
ment later. The crowd was interested to
see that ne was talking earnestly to them
Then, horrible to relate, laugh rang out
from the window. The men in the street
were getting very nervous and drew away
from the vicinity of the house, as if the
burglar might be expected to dive out of it
| in hurry.
| After what seemed an age to the specta-
tors the four policemen emerged from the
house together, closing the door after
them. The blinds were drawn in the
| fourth story window, and the policemen
prepared to go about their business as if
nothing had happened.
The men were besieged with questions as
| to what had been the result of their inves-
LEGATIONS.
"It wasn't nawthin," said the biggest,
latest and most good natured looking Of
the "cops" "'Nuther case o. scare, that's
ALL"
CALLED VERY OFTEN.
| The fat policeman's genial manner at
tracted me. l followed him when he
sauntered off toward his beat and found
| him very willing to talk. His conversation
| 70 ha int
planned to me that the two women were
Mr.. Cruger's household servants. who had
been left in charge of the house while the
family was absent in the country. Because
they had heard the sound of heavy fall
at that hour Of the night they naturally
imagined that the house had been entered.
"But there was nobody there" continued
the policeman. 1--WE went all through the
house and proved beyond doubt that no
attempt had been made to enter it. 1t was
funny thing, though. One Of the heavy
paintings in the parlor had fallen to the
floor, smashing its glass and frame. Isup-
pose the wire rope had given out"
"Are you often obliged to enter houses
in that way at nightf"
more often than you'd think" said he.
"The general public don't hear much OF
such cases, because, for the most part,
they're false alarms. As rule, you see,
it's the cat or rats and mice that make all
the trouble At the same time the boys
don't like the job, no matter how it turns
out"
Rather an ugly business to go hunting
for burglars in a strange house at dead OF
night"
"Well. should say so. You see, people
seem to think policeman is made to be
shot at. / never went into house yet to
hunt up burglars where the men of the
household were willing to give me any
help. They've no objection to my being
| shot, though.
"Why, the other night was called into
a house under just such circumstances as
these tonight. The servants heard noise
and of course Immediately ascribed it to
burglars. When got into the house the
whole family, men included, locked them
selves in their rooms and left me to 60 II
alone. After had searched in every place
but the cellar the master of the house
grew bold and ventured out Of his room.
He insisted that should go down into the
cellar, and in his excitement forgot to tell
me that he kept his big mastiff there.
"Well, started down, and when got
at the foot of the stairs this big brute
made dive at me. Fortunately the brave
man Of the house spoke to him in time to
n.