Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-08-10
NEGRO HIDDEN IN CELLAR
He Badly Frightened Mrs. James Il.
Gallagher and Her Aged Mother.
LIVELY TIME ON ROCKFORD ROAD
Park Guard Wiley and Culprit
Forded BrandyWine.
EVIDENT INTENT TO COMMIT ROBBERY

sch! he has nearly killed mel"
This remark was made by Mrs, Cath
crime MoMahon, an aged woman, to a
reporter OF the Gazette at noon yester-
| day, when the latter saw her lying on
| the lounge gasping for breath, at the
| residence of her son -in-law and olaugh-
ter, Mr.. and Mrs. James H. Gallagher,
No. ~ Rockford road, where she makes
her home. She had been frightened
almost to death by negro who had
secreted himself in the cellar of the
house, having touched him in his hid
ing place without knowing it.
How the negro got in tho cellar, how
long he had been there, or just what
his object was cannot BIO told by any of
the people who are familiar with the
circumstances surrounding tho case,
but from what can be learned, the sup
position is that he entered the house
either early Tuesday evening while the
rear doors were unfastened, before the
members of the family retired, or got
i in at one of the cellar windows about
3o'clock yesterdaymorning,8 and it is be-
II leved that his object was either rob-
berry or more serious crime. At any
rate. he was seen in the cellar endeav-
oring to hide himself and after he real
lied that he had been discovered
escaped through cellar window, pur-
sued by crowd of angry women and
children.
The negro is described by those
who saw him as being about q years
of age, rather light in color, short and
stout He wore light coat, but
nobody appears to know just how to
describe the remainder of his clothing.
So far as is known-that is, so far as
the people know who saw him-he is a
stranger in the vicinity of Rockford,
and his queer actions make his visit
and his purpose unusually mysterious
During the early part of the morning
Mrs. Gallagher and her mother were
busy ironing ON the ground floor of
their cosy home, and at about 1890
O'Clock, the ironing being finished,
Mrs. Ga. laeher went about her usual
household duties on the ground floor
Of the building, while her mother, who
was assisting with the work, went to
the cellar with crock OF yeast. She
put it in safe place and returned to
the kitchen for the second crock. which
she also took to the cellar. She had
scarcely placed it on the floor when she
accidentally touched strange object
under the cellar steps, and as it was
very dark there she could not distin-
guish what it was. She was badly
frightened, however, suspeoting that it
might be man in hiding, and rushed
up the steps. When she reached the
dining room she swooned away. Her
daughter and othors who we're in the
house at the time, carried her to the
lounge and administered restoratives.
She was unconscious for about 10
minutes, but at the expiration OF that
time she revived sufficiently to tell
thpua nh hap that thopa III q aithar
man or a statue in the cellar. She i'm
mediately tainted again and those
about her we're alarmed, fearing she
had been SO badly frightened that the
result might be serious.
After the old Indy had spoken the
cause of her fright was plain to those
who heard her, and while Mrs. Gal
lagher and several others attended her,
Miss Bessie Coucil, who lives in the
hdioining house and was in Mrs. Gal.
lagher's house at the time, thought she
would make an Investigation. Accord
ngly she started down the cellar steps,
but she had only descended short
his5anoe when she heard a rustlina
noise among some papers, and, looking
down, she saw negro in the act Of
climbing out the side cellar window.
<She gave the alarm and Mrs. Gallagher
Eieaving the side of her mother, who hac
2Again revived, ran to the side door
(which was near the cellar window. She
feached the door Just in time to see ths
negro run past toward the rear of thu
yard.
Mrs. Gallagher and several othel
n Eomen who saw him started in pursuit
Ehe negro ran through the gate leading
to Mrs. Tillie Braddock,s yard, which
b in the rear of the Gallagher property
l5nd on through Mrs. Braddock's YARD
Z {p the front fence and finding the gait
6losed did not take time to open, tn,
xomen were so close on his heels, bu
Inmped the fence. The women FOLLOWED
i'm down the road upon which Mrs
BraddoolS's house faces for about 20
Isrds, but he was exceedingly fleet
Ipoted and got out of their sight b.
ping through barn yard and aroun'
u be barn.
n Several children, however, kept a
&c chase until the'negro reached Kent
y bere, where Park Guard Henry M
N Filey also started after the negro Th
ark guard had Invested himself of hi
bat 10 do some work and was in goo
him for sprinting race. The neer
BAD start on him, but the Office
osed up the gap between them in goo
X1tyle until Adams street and the Par
0rive had been reached, and at tha
W1Ipnt the officer having overtaken hi
Nan caught hold Of him. The negr
-. las not TO be captured so easily, how
~ Ter, and he quickly slipped out OF hi
ice Dat, leaving the garment in the han
IN the officer. The officer made anotht
rs lab for him, however, and this tim
1plled his shirt off.
,e W The negro having loss clothing
~ lofty him appeared to make fires
az X|||M|trt Qn6 hn fouar1 the brand,
m inc. The officer was following close
A I'd when the negro plunged into tt
ket eter he followed. The stream is sha
rth .5 Nv at the point opposite Adams stree
XDd it was not necessary to swim,
|3e negro and officer waded across, Il
IRE liter making several efforts to cate
Id Of the former before they reacht
~ b north bank, but he did not suceee,
Ia as the negro was on the north sic
2st, he got some distance away fro
'|e officer and In a few minutes escape
n, a oircuitous route through Il
" Rods.
ycr I As soon as the plucky park guard fe
Rt there was no use continuing u
ase unaided, not knowing the eya
g. lection he would have to go, he ha
bed to the police station, his clothil
liking wet and carrying the clothil
/. had pulled from the negro and /
!, tied the matter to Capt. Chamber
-u' did not know just what the neg
s wanted for, but had been i