The morning call., 1895-01-17
ONLY THE STAFF OF LIFE.
Yet 1t Causes an Exciting Scene in
Polk Street.
John Osborn Sees Thief Stealing His
Bread-An Escape, Pursuit
and Capture.

where's the man who stole my bread
and tried to poke my eye out?" yelled
John Osborn, as he rushed into the grocery
of John Schloen, corner of Polk and Sac
ramento streets, about half-past O'Clock
yesterday morning. Blood was running
down Osborn's left cheek and he had a re,
volver in his right hand.
A minute before Osborn made his ap-
pearance in the store man had run in
with hunted look on his face and begged
the clerk, Henry Dorgelloh, to hide him
as footpad was chasing him with re-
volver. The clerk had just opened the
store and obligingly told the man to hide
behind pile of boxes in the rear.
When Dorgelloh got over his momentary
surprise at Osborn's wild appearance and
language he pointed to the pile of boxes
and said, you'll find your man there. y
In an instant Osborn had the covering
man covered with his gun, while Dorgelloh
went outside and blew his police whistle,
which was promptly answered by Police
men NJ. c. MahOneY and J. J. Conley.
They heard Osborn's story and placed
the man under arrest. They took him to
the North End station, where he gave the
name of George Shaffer and said he was a
stableman. He was afterward taken to
the City Prison and later appeared before
Judge Low. The case was continued till
tomorrow.
The cause of all the trouble was very
simple. 0sborn's baker has been in the
habit of leaving two loayeS daily on the
doorstep at the corner of Jackson and
Webster streets. The loaves were always
delivered at an early hour in the morning,
but when Osborn looked for them for some
mornings back they had mysteriously dis
appeared. So he had to send to the corner
grocery for supply before he could par
take of his breakfast.
This angered him, and he made up his
mind to solve the mystery. He arose
about o'clock in the morning, dressed
himself, showed his revolver into his pocket
and calmly awaited developments. He
heard the baker deliver the usual supply of
the staff of life and a few minutes later,
while peering out of the window, saw a
man coming along the street with an UNI
brella over his head to shield him from the
rain.
The man with the umbrella stopped in
front of Osborn's house, walked up the
steps and coolly appropriated the two
loaVes. Just as he turned to retrace his
steps Osborn opened the front door,
clapped his left hand on the mans shout
der and pointing his revolver at his head
said sternly: $50 l have caught you at
ldSU, en-. OOISlUeI NOurSeH uHO6E arrest.
The man was Shaffer, and thinking that
Osborn was a special officer he made no
resistance. Osborn walked his prisoner
down to Washington street and hailed a
passing car with the object of taking him
to the North End police station.
When the car reached Polk street, and
they were about to leave it, Shaffer sud-
denly poked the point of his umbrella into
Osborn's left eye, jumped from the car,
and dropping the two loaves started on the
run along Polk street.
Osborn was staggered for a moment by
the blow IN the eye, which panied him
considerably, but he was soon in swift pur-
suit of Shaffer. He fired three shots at the
fleeing figure in front of him, but the bull
lets went wide of the mark and struck the
walls of the houses.
The shots alarmed the whole neighbor-
hood, and excited householders hastily
dressed themselves and rushed outside to
see what the shooting was all about. They
saw two policemen escorting a prisoner
and another man, with handkerchief over
his left eye, walking beside them. They
eagerly asked what it was all about, and
were relieved when the simple story was
briefly told them.
Osborn very nearly lost the sight of his
left eye, but it will soon be all right again.