The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-02-10
BURGLAR UNDER BED
ARMED WITH RATCHET BUT DID
NOT RESIST.
PAL MADE HIS ESCAPE.
ARRESTED LATER IN YAMACRAW
BY THREE PATROLMEN.

Arthur Mitchell and Lincoln Lssene,
I6-Year-OId Negroes Well Known
to the Police, Entered Green Gro
Jefferson street Aroused by
Breaking Glass She Saw Mitchell
Going Through the Cash Drawer
and Screamed for POIice-NegrO
Became Frightened and Hid I'm
der Her Bed, Where He Was
Found by n Citizen.
Burglars were caught operating in
the green grocery of Mrs. S. Somers.
No. 227 Jefferson street, corner of Nc
DonOugh, at 3 O'Clock yesterday morn
ing. The thieves entered the place by
breaking the large panes of a window
on the Jefferson street entrance with
bricks.
The burglars are Arthur Mitchell and
Lincoln Lasene, 16-year- negroes,
well known in police circles. Mitchell
was found with "a hatchet under Mrs.
somers' bed and the other negro was
the robbery by Patrolmen Fogar-
ty, Halford and Godbold. Mitch
ell was pulled from under the bed
by Mr.. Troupe. B. Hodges whose at
tention had been attracted by the cries
of Mrs. Somers and "a negro woman
living in an adjoining house. A tele-
phone message was sent to police
headquarters, and the prisoner was
turned over to Officer Semken who
was sent with the wagon.
The green grocery is separated from
the rooms occupied by Mrs. Somers by
partition, with a door between the
two place. Mrs. Somers sleeps in the
room. with her children, and walked
with start at about 3 o'clock. She
was certain that she had heard the
sound of breaking glass and listened
carefully for any further noise. The
cash drawer has bell attashment. and
when Mrs. Somers heard no other noise
she began to think that she had been
mistaken about the crash of glass. She
had just made up her mind to go back
to sleep when the jingling of money
caused her to make an investigation.
Mitchell had opened the cash drawer
without making any noise, and had al
ready taken about 81 in nickels. He
was raking out in the neighborho6d of
hundred coppers when Mrs. Sonners
crept noiselessly to the door entering
the store. AS soon as she saw the thief
at work she ran through rear door
without wasting time for anything
more than a wrapper, which she held
about her person. AS she went out of
the rear door she slammed it behind
her. Standing in the cold, without
shoes or stockings, she screamed "po-
lice" at the top of her voice. The col
ored woman in the adjoining house took
up the cry from the Jefferson street
side, and Mitchell found himself
hemmed in. The officers do not report
from the Gamewell box opposite the
green grocery and there was no patrol
man in the immediate vicinity when
the burglary was committed. The
thieves had probably waited until they
saw an officer pass before making the
assault on the windows. jsR6gr
The combined cries of Mrs, Somers
and the colored woman caused Mr.
Hodges TO show up in a few minutes
1t was explained to him that the place
had been burglarized, and that one of
the thieves had been unable to make
his escape. Mr.. Hodges agreed to go
through the place. Mrs. Somers
guided him through a rear door and
search was made for the negro
With lighted lamp in her hand Mrs.
Somers searched every nook and cor
ner of the place and finally unearthed
the thief under her bed. She saw
Mitchell with the Ratchet and warned
Mr.. Hodges to Sbe careful in making
the arrest.
The prisoner at first refused to tell
who was with him and not until he
was lodged at the police station house
would he tell anything about his COM
panion. AS soon as he disclosed the
identity of his pal to the officers the
three patrolmen went in search of
Lasene. He had just reached home
and was in bed when arrested The
nickels that We're secured by Mitchell
were not recovered. and. Mrs. Somers
is OF the opinion that they were passed
to the negro on the outside. The DO
lice have not determined as yet wheth-
err the prisoners have been guilty OF
any or the other recent burglaries, but
hope to learn something more to-day.
The officers are confident that Mitch
ell and Lasene have done most of the
burglarizing of stores recently, and ex-
pect to be able to prove this. Some of
the things done in several of the places
after the thefts had been committed
made ii probable that persons of the
mental caliber of the prisoners We're
guilty. sister of Lasene told the pa
trolman who arrested him that they
had eaten the groceries carried home
by the boy Inasmuch as nothing had
been taken from Mrs. Somers' place the
officers are almost certain that the GRO
ceries spoken of came from one of the
other stores entered.