The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1894-04-20
HUNTING A BURGLAR.
THE EXCITING EXPERIENCE OF A
GRAND RAPIDS MAN.

to Finish-With Revolver and Dark Lau-
tern the Householder Took to h War
path-An Unreasonable Wife.
at is dreadful to be suddenly awak-
med at night by a large, coarse burglar
without any innate refinement, said the
Union street resident, land when my
wife awoke me Thursday night, and in
one Of those whispers women Invariably
use after the lights are out. and which
always cause a mans backbone to crawl
mn behind his ears. told me she was sure
there was a burglar in the house, l re-
member requesting her to go down and
refer him to the Charity Organization
society, because l was sure to get the
grip If ! left my warm bed and went
parading around the house without stop
ping to put on anything but a defian
oppression"
"Did she .gof"
"She did not, although explained to
her that II she would merely step down
stairs and speak to the burglar in a con-
~ciliatory way he would probably go
away quietly, and there would be no
trouble. l told her that if ! should sud
denly come face to face in my own house
with a crude, uncouth robber who had
not been invited there, and who had no
letters of introduction, my fiery temper
would probably get the better of me,
and there would be an awful hand to
hand struggle. which would like enough
inspire in me such a fiendish longing
for warm. red blood that l would thrash
around for weeks afterward killing re-
spectacle people on sight. Il have al
ways striven for a higher mission III
! life than to go around shooting large,
ragged holes through the vitals of my
fellow men, and for that reason / ex-
planned to my wife how even "A burglar
might have loved ones dependent upon
him for support, and that life was prob
ably just as dear to him as it is to a
member of congress.
but you cant talk any sense into a
woman's head after she has become
imbued with the idea that there are
burglars in the house, and at length,
rather than have any trouble over the
matter, 1 arose, and grasping a revolver
and lighting my boys dark lantern
started out to find that burglar and e
plain to him that he must have been mis-
led by the number on the door and got
into the wrong house. l did not &c
down on a gallop, because l preferred
to give the housebreaker a chance to
realize his danger and escape with his
life while there vas yet time. 1t seemed
harsh and unfeeling to coldly shoot a
man to death when l did not even know
what ward he voted in, and 10 l slam
med things around and created consld
cradle disturbance on the way down
stairs.
Il looked under the door mat and
turned my searchlight on the hatracl
without finding a burglar and was just
on the point of returning up stairs t.
! consult with my wife as to whether sht
4 cared to have the parlor carpet mussed
up with his blood il l should find hin
when l caught a glimpse of a form
robed in a long ulster start back from
the landing and dash up stairs. M
first impulse was to let the burglar stay
up there if he cared to. because / coult
have got along on the ground foo
well enough the remainder of the night
and l do not want to seem inhospitabl'
to any one, but l realized that 1t was my
duty to protect my family, and l tool
after him. Well, sir, l had no idea Their
was SO much fun in merrily rompin,
around the house with a burglar afte
business hours. We made the first cir
init Of my family residence within II
oconds, and though 1 could not tocu
- ~ dark lantern quickly enough to ge
= FOOD look at the housebreaker l coult
tSll by his ,hoarse labored breathing ant
the way in which he reached out ant
covered space that he was a good dea
annoyed by the turn affairs had taken
II had never seen a burglar act tina
way before, and it did a good deal to
ward restoring confidence. 1t seemed t
me that a burglar who had no NOR
sang froid and nerve than that had bet
ter go home and take in plain sewinI
rather than try to exc out a precariou
existence in the midnight maraudin,
line, and the reflection served to put 9
much boyish zeal and enthusiasm int
my mad pursuit that the hem of the onl,
garment with one exception that l wa
wearing at the time began to fray out
On the third lap we plunged heavil.
over the baby's crib in the nursery, ant
my wife covered up her head in the be-
clothes and screamed, and the dog tool
after both of us, and there was troubl
all around.
ION the next round the burglar gaine'
a tribe on me, and when he reached tn
kitchen he unbolted the back door AM
dashed out into the night, with a pierc
ing wall, and I after him. We tor
around the house twice and then dow
the sidewalk to the next house, wher
the burglar made a break for the bari
in the rear. l found him covering il
n corner of q box stall, with hand
appraised, and as I stood over him will