The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-09-20
TIE DEVIL" WINS AGAIN.
On Sunday He Bagged Two Bold Bad
Black Burglars.

Black Burglars.
Two negro robbers came TO grief yes
tcr,lay and in their pursuit. capture and
incarceration the News and Observer $
devil" played very conspicuous part.
II was one Of those episodes in which
fate and the devil were head "agn
the guilty parties, and rapid transposi-
ton from eating stolen pie and pastry. i'll
n quiet country home, to peering through
the harsh iron grating of the county Jail
was the result.
Sunday afternoon, Mr. Joe Smith,
of the News and Observer force, hitched
up his team and started out with his
wife and children on a visit to Mr.. j.
w. Norris, who lives at the Bobbitt
place, about 2l2 miles from the city, oil
the rock quarry road. When they reach
ed Walnut creek they met Mr.. Norris
and his Wife, who were out for n walk.
Joe took them up i'll his conveyance and
the journey was continued to Mr.. Norris
which was shortly reached. Though the
house had been vacated only a short
time, the robbers had made a pretty good
search. oyer-turning things promscuouS-
ly. Trunks were ransacked and their
contents scattered over the floors. The
thieves had also taken all the cooked
provisions in the pantry. The trail was
hot. Mr.. Norris had observed two
strange negroes walking away just as he
arrived at home. although he entertained
no suspicious ut the time. He forthwith
put out i'll pursuit of the thieves. He
was not long in finding them. He came
upon them, a negro man and a negro
woman. down in the woods, sitting on Il
log and eating the very things they
had stolen from his pantry. They claim
ed that the eatables had been given to
them. The guilty parties made their
way to their cabin and Mr.. Norris went
back to his home The robbers were now
spotted" and our devil and Mr.. Nor
ris made n flying trip to the city for
an arm Of the law to fetch in the offend
ers.
A warrant was sworn out before JUS
tice Roberts. but Constable Upchurch
was engaged with the rioters in East
Raleigh and could not be secured. Or
ders were left for the constable to fol-
low, and Joe and Mr.. Norris armed with
the mighty instrument Of law. put the
whip to the steed and burnt the wind
back to the cabin where the negroes
were located. Our "deviF' was in his
element. He summoned to himself all
the magisterial appearance possible,
cleared his throat and in deep. impress
sive voice, read the awful document,
bearing the insignia of the court of
Roberts. But the dusky culprits would
not wilt. They would not heed the COM
mands to consider themselves under ar
rest" In fact they positively refused to
be taken into custody But our "deviP
is made out of the right stuff and was
not to be baked. He dispatched Mr..
Norris to nearby neighbors to augment
their forces. Seeing this manoever on
the part of our hero, the negroes weaken
ed. and consented to be taken in DURANGO
vile
So our "devil' and his team made an
other trip to the city, this time with the
culprits. 1t was to be an evening Of
adventures, and capricious fate kept it up
to the last. Just before reaching Wal
nut Greek, some of the harness broke,
and being on the down-hill, the horse.
conveyance and ALL were precipitated
into a deep gully. The wagon was some
what smashed, as well as the negro
man, but the others escaped injury.
Constable Upchurch hove upon the scene
just after the catastrophe and joined the
party. The team was gotten in shape
again and the journey continued Con
stable Upchurch placed the guilty pair
in jail, and thus ended the thrilling ex-
perience in which our devil" added fresh
laurels to himself.
The robbers will be tried to-day before
Justice Roberts.