The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-02

at night to a case with which was not |
acquainted.
I had not disregarded my usual habit
when 1 had placed my thermometer and
stethoscope in my pocket previous to ac,
companying the girl; therefore it reposed
there fully loaded, fact of which my
assailants were unaware.
In much quicker time than it takes to
narrafe the incident was again pounced
upon by all three, the man with the
sponge in readiness to dash 1T to my
mouth and nOstrils.
But as they sprang forward to seize me,
I raised nay hand swiftly, took aim and
fired straight at the holder of the sponge,
the bullet passing through his shoulder
and causing him to drop the anaesthetic
as though it were live coal and to spring
several feet from the ground.
Cod I'm shot!" he cried.
But ere the words had left his mouth I
fired a second chamber, lnf1lctlng a. mas
ty wound in the neck Of the fellow With
the black beard. -.
"shoot! Shoot" he cried to the third
man, but it was evident that in the first
struggle when l. had been seized, the fell
lows revolver had dropped on the carpet,
and in the semidarkness he could not re-
cover it.
Recognizing this, I fired a pot shot in
the mans direction; then opening the
door swiftly, sprang down the stairs into
the hall. One of them followed, but the
other two, wounded as they were. did not
care to face my weapon again. They saw
that I knew how to shoot ana propaoly
feared that 1 might inf1ict fatal hurt.
AS approached the front door, and was
fumbling with the lock- the third man
flung himself upon me, determined that
T should not escape. With great good
fortune however, 1 managed to unbolt the
door, and after a desperate struggle, IN
which he endeavored to wrest the weapon
r J11 Of Ia G. ~
ping him by the throat, and after nearly
stransling him, flung him to the ground
and ESCAPED into the street just as his
associate. hearing his cries of distress,
dashed down the stairs to his assistance.
| Without doubt it was the narroWest es
cape Of my life that have ever had at
the hands of malefactors and so exclted
was T that I dashed down the street nat
[less-for I had left it in the house-until
| 7 emerged into Lisson Grove. linen, ant'
only then, it occurred to me that, havlng
taken no note of the house, l should pe
| unable to. recognize it and denounce IT, &c
the police, But when one is III peril OF
one,s3i1ife all other thoughts or instincts
are submerged in the one frantic effort OF
self-preservation. Still it was annoying
to think that such scoundrels should DE
allowed to go scot-free
/ Rreathless, excited, and with nerves un'
strung. 7 opened my door with my latch'
1,ev and returned to my room, where the
: reading lamp had burned low, for 1t hac
heen aIight all through the night. mlxet
) mvself a stiff brandy and soda, tosset
} it off, and then turned to look at mysel
in the glass. ,,.,
The picture I presented was disrepu
, table and unkempt. My hair was ruined
nv collar torn open from its stud an
one sleeve of my coat had been torn OUT
On, that the lining showed through. ma
q nasty scratch across the neck too, IN
) Aicted by the fgernails OF one OF Tn
E bIackguards, and from the apralson o,oo .
had flowed and made a mess OF my co!la
3 Altogether presented a very brlillan
f ,nd entertaining spectacle But m
Y watch ring and scarfpin were in the1
: n1.ces If robbery had been their me
1 tive, as no doubt it had been, then the
:, had proRted nothing, and two OF them ma
: been winged into the bargain Inc ON
:, mode by which their identity could .
0 chance be discovered was in the event
s those wounds being troublesome. In ths
e case they would consult a medical MAJ
hut as they would, in all probability, go
n a doctor in a distant quarter of Londo
e and further, as it would be impossible II
e the police to warn every medico in Londc
II the hope of tracing them by such meai
e was but a slender one.
y Feeling q trife faint sat In my chal
i Iresting for a quarter of an hour or s
e then becoming more composed put o.
IN the study lights, and after refresl
= ing wash went to bed.
! The mornings reflections were som