Birmingham age-herald., 1895-01-30
MORE POLICE WANTED.
Doings of Midnight Prowler in the Heart of the Residence
 Portion of the City.

At 3:30 o'clock yesterday morning as
 three members of the AGE HERALD force,
 who were vending their way homeward
 after their nights toil, reached the corner
 of Twenty second street and Seventh ave-
 nue, they were startled by woman s voice
 calling to them out of the semi darkness,
 asking them to please come to the rescue,
 as a man was attempting to break into her
 house and she and her little children were
 alone and unprotected. The three persons
 addressed promptly responded and made
 thorough search of the premises, but failed
 to find any one in or about the place. The
 lady was perfectly composed, but her little
 children were terror stricken, and 1t was
 almost impossible to quiet their fears. The
 lady told the men that while sleeping in
 the room with her children she heard some one come upon the porch and attempt to
 open door. Failing in this he went to
 the inmates were sleeping and
 there attempted to gain an en-
 trance to the building. The lady had
 small pistol and snapped three cartridges at the would-be burglar, but they failed to fire. She then hailed the man and, as she from the three men she hailed them with the above results.
 One of the men knowing the lady offered
 to remain until daylight as protector in
 case of return of the scoundrel. The It, tie ones gladly accepted the offer, but the mother, knowing the man to have family situated similarly to herself and little ones, promptly declined with thanks, saying g that she did not suppose the would-b be bur | glar or burglars would return.
 In this, however, the lady was mistaken as within an hour after the departure of the men the scoundrel again returned and boldly entered the house, opening every door save the one to the room in which the lady and children were, and after going through every room made off.
 This was an occurrence which has been expected to happen by these three weary night toilers, as it has been subject of nightly conversation with them as they meandered homeward. Night after night have they dreaded this self same path, and never during the past nine montbs have | they met a guardian of the peace, com | monly known as policeman, after leaving | Third avenue and Twentieth street, possi- | ply excepting an occasional meeting with | one of them at the corner of Fourth avenue | and Twentie street.
 | There are in the residence portion of this
 city hundreds of families whose heads are | forced, in order to gain livelihood, to l leave them unprotected at night and at the mercy of hellions who would not hesitate l to murder to accomplish their designs, or
 worse, commit arson to cover their deeds | of devitry.
 | Should this be?
 There is a police commission in this city whose sworn duty it is to provide men fol | the protection of homes and citizens. How | well they have carried out their obligations ! can be seen by the above, whicn, with the i present feeble police protection, is but the | precursor of what is 10 come, and, perhaps, | worse. To add to the poor police protec' tion the electric lights in many places have | been cut out, thus affording still greater opportunity for the midnight pro wler bent | upon deeds of larceny, burglary and, per. haps, murder and arson.