Arizona republican., 1898-06-23
AN OFFICER IN PERIL.
Because a Phoenix Woman Became In
 terested in New Hat,


 A misapprehension and a woman's failure to watch things closely nearly
 made vacancy in the police force last night. A citizen and his wife were slowly walking down Washington |street between First and Second. They noticed a man on the sidewalk look ing furtively up and down the street Then they saw MT. Tribolet come out of his butcher shop and lock the doors They also saw the suspicious looking individual watch MT. Tribolet closely, evidently wanting to escape observa- ticn by him. The citizen and his wife grew interested and stopped to see the play out. AS soon as MT. Tribolet had
 passed out of sight the stranger went to the door of the butcher shop, looked hurriedly around and taking key
 from his pocket opened the door and went inside, closing the door behind him. This on the face of it was as clear a case of burglary as could be committed. The citizen left his wife .o watch the door and give an alarm in case the malefactor should come out. He himself hurried away to tell the story to policeman. He found Off, cer Molloy and the officer reinforced by Constable McClintcck, went to catch the burglar. The citizens wife was still doggedly standing guard. The officer shook the door and called to the criminal that the jig was up. There vas no response. Suspecting that the burglar might try to escape from the rear, Officer Molloy ran around into the alley while the constable, the citizen
 ard the citizens wife kept the des-
 perado bottled up at the Washington street entrance Officer Molloy jumped over the fence. He was surprised that
 he didn't hit the ground as soon as he
 expected. He realized that he was
 falling. He repeated the ten com
 mandments, the Lords prayer and
 part of the Midsummer Nights
 Dream" Before he had gone through
 the latter he landed, as he had conf dently expected to do some time. Af- ter awhile he recovered consciousness, but he couldn't find his hat. Notwith- standing he was hurt all over he man.
 aged in some miraculous manner to
 reach the top of the hole, but he had temporarily lost interest in the burg lary. He wanted in the first place to
 ascertain the character of that de-
  the next place to recover his hat. He discovered that somebody had been digging a cellar without notifying the police and had dug it unnecessarily deep. When the officer returned to tue Washington street entrance he found the blockading squadron still in position, but alarmed for his safety. Officer McClarty came up at this june ture and opened the door with a pass
 key. The shop was empty. The | rear door was bolted on the inside so
 it was evident the burglar had not es-
 capped that way. Another council of
 war was held on the sidewalk. The
 citizen and his wife were asked if they
 had seen anybody go into the shop. There could be no doubt of it. The l citizens wife was asked if he might
 not have come out while her attention Twas drawn away That was impossi-
 ole, she said; she had not removed he1
 eyes from the, door and had almost l foreborne winking. She was asked another question: Had anything un- usual happened during her vigil. She
 pondered a moment and replied that the only thing that had attracted hel at all was a hat of novel and beauti lful pattern worn by woman who ha( come up the street. This was a par. tial solution of the mystery The es lcape of the burglar had probably beer
 simultaneous with the appearance O
 the woman with the new hat
 Officer McClarty went to Mr. Tribo
 ilet's residence for solution of th'
 rest of the mystery. He found an ic, cream festival iA full blast. It hat l been gotten up as pleasant surpris , for Mr. Tribolet by his friends ant , employees. One of the latter light } ened up the mystery. He had gon into the shop immediately after tn proprietor went away. He was afte some ice cream dishes which he ha |. borrowed at restaurant in the after : noon and concealed in the butche |. shop. He didn't want MT. Tribole t to see him get them, otherwise tn :, surprise would not have been as dis ls:. | J I1