The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-21
MURDERED BY BURGLARS
Girl Shot Down While Going to
Her Fathers Rescue.
Residents of PittsGeId, Mass,
Aroused by the Fearful Tragedy
Hundreds of Armed Citizens ScOur-
ing the Nearby Country for the
Desperndoes-Detnii of the Crime.

III lIISFIELl, MASS, aug. SU.--A lTaBeuy
/ that has no parallel in this city took place
this morning at the residence of Robert l..
Fosburg, a contractor, who has just moved
here from Buffalo, n. Y. In the first
hours of the morning his daughter, Miss
May L. Fosburg, handsome young woman
by masked burglar.
The shooting took place on the second
floor of the house where the members of
Mr.. Fosburg's family were sleeping. Three
men had entered the house in search
of plunder. Awakened by light in the
house, Mr.. Fosburg attacked an unknown
burglar who was masked with a pillow
case and armed with a revolver. The
struggle with the burglar aroused the rest
of the family, and Miss Fosburg, Who was
sleeping in an adjacent room. stepped out
of her apartments apparently to investi-
gate the noise that came from the room
CT her parents and was instantly shot
through the heart by one of the three men
who had entered the house.
The murder of Miss Fosburg was not
known until the burglars had flown. Just
as they were leaving the house Miss
Beatrice Fosburg. the second daughter of
Mr.. Fcsburg. turned on the electric lights,
and lying en- the floor of the hall with
stream of blood pouring from wound in
her breast lay Miss Fosburg dead.
The news of the murder reached the
police station at about 1880 o'clock and
Captain White ordered out every officer on
the force. In addition the fire department
n pts-D
aroused. The police procured a quantity
of shotsuns and armed posses went out
under the direction of local officers. Dur
ing the day a score or more hoboes and
suspects have been gathered in by the
police drag net, which extended a dozen
miles in all directions. The police do not
believe the right men have been appre-
hended.
Some time after / o clocl Mr. Fosburg
sr., was aroused by the flashing of a light
in the hall His door was open into the
hall. The light flashed and went out: it
flashed again nearer his room and went
out. Mr.. Fosburg sat up quickly in bed
Mrs. Fosi urg was sleeping at his side. The
light flashed again and Mr.. Fosburg slid
up into a sitting position on the edge of
the bed, and as he stood up on the floor
man stepped into the doorway and thrust
an ugly looking revolver into his face
3.
years, is agile and strong. With great
presence Of mind and show of great
courage. he struck the arm of the man
holding the revolver and the weapon fell
with a thud to the fiocr. The man was
masked in long white mask, with great
holes cut in II for his eyes. Instantly the
two grappled, and as they did so a second
man appeared on the scene, masked like
the first. He struck Mr.. Fosburg with a
sandbag or slungshot on the shoulder
and neck, and Mr.. Fosburg fell backward
into his sleeping room. carrying the first
masked burglar to the floor with him.
Mrs. Fosburg was, during the mean
while, aroused by the struggle on the
threshold and in the room. and she wert
to the aid of her husband. The fall and
struggle of the men had, until now, been
without a sound except a word that es-
capped from the second burglar as he struck
Mr.. Fosburg with the sandbag
''Therei" said the burglar. Mr.. Fos-
burg clung to his man desperately. despite
the terrific blow on the head and neck.
The noise Of the fall and the struggle
vibrated through the house and aroused
the rest of the inmates.
Robert S. Fcsburg son of the COR
tractor hurried from his sleeping room to
the scene, and Miss May Fosburg, the
eldest daughter of the contractor. was
aroused and stepped to the door of her
room. Just as she reached the foor
shot rang out The younger Mr.. Fosburg
appeared in the hall at this instant and
caught the body of his sister Just as she
fell. Laying her on the floor OF the hall
he sprang upon a third man who at
tempted to escape down the back stairs.
He grabbed the man by the coat, and
they fought despe. lately.
The third man was unmasked. He was
smooth faced and wore short. black sack
suit. The men were engaged in a struggle
when suddenly the younger man was
struck from behind by the sandbag that
had been used on his father The force
of the blow caused him to release his
grasp and the man with whom he had
been fighting ran down the back stairs
and out Of the house.
In the mean time the other burglar had
succeeded in releasing himself from Mr. |
Fosburg. sr and with the burglar who had
shot Miss Fozburg they stepped out of a
window leading to the top Of the veranda. |
around which is a railing They clung |
fer moment to this and dropped to the |
ground and escaped.
The fight on the second floor had aroused |
the whole family, and just as the burglar |
with whom Mr.. Fosburg, ir., had been |
struggling, ran Miss, Beatrice Fosburg, |
another daughter, found the button and !
turned on the electric lights Lying with |
Ipturned face on the floor Of the hall was |
Miss May Fosburg. her night gown satu- |
rated with blood from the wound in her 4
breast. She was dead. the bullet having |
struck her in the heart A derby hat and |
a shoe. which the burglars left behind, are |
in the possession of the police.
The shoes were made by Hannah & Son,
Of New York. Another article found was |
a revolver. This was secured from under |
the bed, where it fell when Mr. Fosburg |
knocked il from the hands of his assailant. |
1t is a 44-calibre Colt bulldog revolver
with heavy, short barrel 1t is fully |
loaded.
r. s. Fosburg, who had the struggle |
with the unmasked burglar, said he grabbed |
him by the throat and choked him He |
thought the fellow must bear the marks |
of his fngernails, for he broke them in |
his grasp on the throat of the burglar.
Then some one struck him from behind |
and he was obliged to loosen his hold.
and the man ran down stairs and out O!
doors. The man was without a mask. /
He had short cropped hair, and was OF
very dark complexion. He might have
been a cnlored man.
The chief of police believes that the men
who did the Job are still in hiding in the
borders OF the town and will try to escape |
under the cover OF darkness. More than
a thousand men responded to the call and
were armed with Wnchesters and shot
guns.
Assuming Large Proporfious