The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-26
TOTS FOOLED OLD SANTA
THEY DISAPPEARED AND MRS MI
CHAEL sHRIEKED FOR POLICE.
Officers, with RevOlvers Drawn,
Found the "BurgIa rsn-YOung-
sters s'PIayed 'POssum."

1t was the night before Christmas and
Mrs. Josephine Michaels, who lives at 6515
North Illinois street, was sitting up later
than usual to prepare the Christmas for
her two little girls, aged eight and six
years. With her was young woman, a
roomer. The children had gone to bed, but
had not failed to hang their little stockings
near the chimney in the kitchen. They
were asleep in the room between the
kitchen and that occupied by Mrs.
Michaels. The lady carried dozen or
more mysterious bundles and packages
back through the hall into the kitchen, and
everything was arranged just as if Santa
Claus were a reality and had been there
himself. The two women laughed low and
enjoyed in anticipation the fun the whole
thing would be for the children in the
morning. Silently they slipped back into
the front room, and donned their night
dresses for bed.
Mrs. Michaels was all ready to retire
when she took a last look into the middle
room to see if the children were comforta-
BILE. They We're not in their bed. Mrs.
Michael screamed, while the other woman
shrieked and startled a solitary pedestrian
across the way. He ran to the corner of
Washington and Illinois streets and told
Patrolmen Griffin and Moore that burglars
were at work up the street The patrolmen
ran till they reached the place, where they
found the two women in the street yelling
at the top of their voices and Mrs.
MichaelS almost crazed with hysterical
fright. The women were still dressed only
in thin night robes, and Mrs. Michaels was
barefooted She carried in one hand a
lighted lamp and in the other a vase. She
never explained how she happened to take
the lamp to go in search of a policeman out
in the street under an electric light. But
she held to both articles grimly, and
shieked:
''They have stolen the children. My God!
My God! The burglarsi ] heard them.
heard them. They stole them while they
slept"
The patrolmen led the way up the stairs
and into the front room. The children were
not there. In the middle room the little
bed showed the impressions of the two lit
tie bodies which had occupied it, but the
children were gone. When the patrolmen
had made this much of a search, with no
results, Mrs MichaeTs grief became pain
full to witness. She almost raved, and there
was serious danger of her mind giving way
under the strain.
And we had Just finished fixing their
Christmas surprise for them, too, she was
heard to say between means and groans
and ShriekS and sobs.
The patrOlmen asked where the stockings
were, and Mrs. Michaels led the way to the
kitchen. The door was closed, and for the
first time it was noticed that there vas a
ray of light coming from under the door.
The burglars must have stolen the chill
dren's presents, too, and perhaps they were
still in that room. The door was thrown
open quickly by the two big policemen, who
stood ready with their pistols to make a
desperate fight against the burglars or kid
napers. But the burglars did not show
fight. They sat in the middle of the floor
with the childrens Christmas presents
piled up about them. One of them was
nursing big, red-faced doll, and the other
was delving into box and ever and anon
bringing out piece of candy ard disposing
of 1t in the most natural manner They
looked up and laughed when the door was
opened, and Mrs. MichaelS ran to them and
embraced them lovingly. They were the
children.
They had played possum'' while their
mother was arranging the presents in the
stockings, and just as soon as they thought
their mother had retired to her room for
the night they slipped out into the kitchen,
closed the door softly and began to cele-
brate Christmas Mrs. Michaels's tears of
joy washed over the stains made by those
brought out by grief.