The sun., 1900-12-11
BURGLAR IN THE CLOSET.
NARY SOOvAv sHrr Hiu ~ VIM
MN BROOw avn kFpr mn.


i
1 Mary Noonan caught n burglar yesterday
and then resort< TO wlre-tapping to call the
/ police by telephone 81 an not to excite the
| burglar up to tho point Of trying to escape.
and perhaps taking his revsnxe out OF her
| on the way out. Mary il servant employed
| by Simon FRANKIE. diamond dealer, OF III
| Fast Seventy-frst street.
She was dusting things In one Of the rooms
| on the second floor yesterday afternoon when
| she noticed a mans foot and about half Of his
| leg on IT,, floor inside q clothes closet. The
| door OF the clothes closet was open only
about three inches.
The servant felt pretty sure that the owner
| Of the leg did not know that she hid seen
| him. When asked afterward why she felt 80
| sure on that point she said she couldn't OK
| actly tell. but that she felt II in her bones
| At any rate she didn't scream and she didn't
rush downstairs for help. Neither did she
Jump at the closet door and shut 1t with a
| bang She dropped her feather duster and
picked up a broom and began 10 sweep that
corner OF the room near the closet Each
sweep of the broom brought her nearer the
door. but the approach was gradual and the
sweeping was done so thoroughly and natur-
| ally that II would not have aroused the most
suspicious Of burglars.
tno broom DTusneO ReHtly
the bottom Of the door. but hard enough
to close II the fraction OF an inch. And then
Mary Noonan became more cautious than
ever. instead of keeping at the bottom OF
tho door. she did just what she would have
done In an ordinary sweeping. She made
lot Of up and down jabs with the broom at
the carpet In tho corner Of the room. Just as
all careful servants do. When there wasn't
q speck OF dust left In that corner Mary be-
gan to brush along the bottom edge OF the
door again and TO add TO the burglars sense
Of security she hummed a tune With Ave
or six moro gentle sweeps that closet door
was shut and all but latched. Then she
jabbed some more along the closet threshold
to get all the dust from the edge of the carpet
and 1t was one Of those jabs that finally did
the trick by going against the door with
sufficient pressure to latch IL and spring the
lock.
That was only the first part of the servants
adventure. She had the bur rglar then but
she wanted the police to have him. There is
q telephone In Mr.. Frsnkers house but il hap
pens to be In the room where Mary was
du sting and right back Of the closet door;
and the closet isn't sound proof. The serv-
ant didn't like the idea Of shouting about her
capture through that telephone and letting
~
did She was afraid he might get out.
1t happened that some telephone linemen
we're out in the yard making repairs on a
wire that runs to another house on the block
The servant saw them from tho window and
knew what they were there for. She went
downstairs, told her story to the linemen and
asked for suggestions. They promptly broke
a wire, attached a testing instrument and
called up a downtown exchange. Then they
got Mr.. Frankel on the other end OF tho wire
in his ONCE at 0s Nassau street and the serv-
ant told him about the leg in the closet. Mr.
Frankel told Police Headquarters and Police
Headquarters told Capt. Brown at the East
SiXty-seventh street station. who sent De-
teotives Boyle and Isenherg to the house.
They found Mary Noonan back in the
room on the second floor still sweeping and
hurmlng tunes. She pointed AZ the closet
doo- Boyle opened IL and found inside
a very much cramped and surprised young
negro who had thought up TO that moment
that as soon as that everlasting sweeping
was over he would be able to collect what
Frankel property no wanted and walk out
The negro said he was Charles Smith
barber Of s24 West Thirty seventh street.
He had almost everything with him but a
BARRIERS pole. Among other things found
in his pockets and for which the police are
now trying to find owners were travelling
rare coins. gold and gun metal pencils. gold
chains, studs md sleeve buttons, breast
pins and scarf pins and an aluminium coat
hanger. None OF the things was marked
hut several OF them were identified by Mrs.