The morning call., 1894-06-08
A CRUEL TRICK.
Two Cunning and Sue
CessfuE Burglars.
HOW THEY DUPED A LADY.
She Gets a Note to Go to the
Receiving Hospital.
SAID HER HUSBAND WAS DYING.
The Note Was a Blind, and During
Her Absence the House Is Robbed
of Nearly $3.50.

A cunningly devised trick with an els-
ment of cruelty in it was successfully
played upon Mrs. John Stevenson, 1928
Post street. yesterday afternoon.
Mrs. SteVenson's husband is proprietor
of fancy goods store, $50 Market street.
Between l and o'clock a messenger boy
called at the house, handed her letter
and hurried away. She opened it, and the
contents nearly made her faint. 1t pur-
ported to De signed by DR.. SOmers of the
Receiving Hospital, and told her to go to
the hospital at once, as her husband had
met with a terrible accident.
The frenzied woman hurriedly dressed
herself and made her way to the Receiv-
ing Hospital. She inquired if her hUs-
band was there. and Steward MOgan made
a hasty examination of the record book,
but the name was not there. Then she
showed the note she had received, and
Mogan al once saw that it was not signed
by DR.. Somers. An unknown man had
Deen taken to the hospital In the morning
either uncous cious from too much liquor
or something else. NJ RS. Stevenson was
shown the man, aud, of course, saw il
was not her husband.
She was advised TO go to her husbands
store. On reaching there she wa more
than gratified TO see him safe and SCUM d.
She explained to him what had brought
her there aud showed him the note she had
received. Mr.. Stevenson was puzzled bnt
thought some one had been playing a cruel
practical joke upon his vile.
Mrs. 5 eyenSon went home, and her IL
year-Old boy Eddie, whom she had left in
charge of the house, told her that shortly
after she had gone two men had come In to
the yard where he was playing. They
said they had come from the Receiving
Hospital to tell his mother hat Mr.
Stevenson was not 80 badly injured as was
at first thought.
Mamma has just gone to the hospital
to see papa" said Eide.
81 am sorry for mar" said one of the
men. ~ on run to the drugstore and
telephone to your mother at he hospital
that your father is not so badly hurt and
we VIII walt till you come back"
Eddie was too young 10 see through the
trick, and gladly hurried off TO the drug
store as requested. When he came back
one of The men took him into the parlor
and engaged him in conversation tor a
minute or two and then left.
After listening 10 Eddie's story Mrs.
Stevenson suspected robbery. She ran
upstairs TO a room where box made by
her husband to mold the chidren's toy
banks was kept, and found 10 her borrOr
that ii had disappeared.
All the children had been taught the
great pIIDCiplt Oh eCOEOiuJs ana Ddu placed
all their savings in their banks. One bank
contained S1S5, another S6j another S27,
and another about So 90 while Mrs. Stew
enson had $50 of her own savings in the
box also. There were besides several
trinkels and articles of jswslTy In the box,
and the chiidren's baukhoOks of deposits
they had made in savings banks. She
made a hasty examination of the other
rooms and found that nothing else was
missing.
1t appears that after Eddie's return from
! the drugstore and while one of the men
/ engaged him in conversation in the parlor
! his confederate slipped out OF Iho rear
/ door into the yard and sntaked off with
/ the box under his arm. One OF the neigh
| boris boys saw man coming out of the
| front gate with a bundle under his arm
/ and watched him till he turned the corner
! of Buchanan street. norlhward. Then the
! other man came out the house and walked
! fast IN the same direction.
Mrs. Stevenson immediately notified DO
! lice headquarters Of The robbery, and Il is
expected the two men will soon be In
custody. Her son Eddie and the neigh
boris son could readily identify both men.
From the fact that the men had the
| house all to themselves for several min
uteS and that none of many valuable art-
cies we're stolen, il looks as If the robbers
must have been aware Of the fact that
thre was a 6OX somewhere In the house
containing the children's toy banks.
The trick played upon Mrs. Stevenson is
not new one, but this is the first time it
has been practiced for some years.