Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-04-22
rHIHF LIVED IN CAVE.

lice headquarters by inspector Johh H. Boyle and Patrolman John H. Swift says the Springfield Union. The capture is one of the most unique, as we'll as one of them ost startling the police of this city has ever made and they figure that they will be able to fasten on Jacobs many Of the petty thefts that have been bothering the residential sections of the city Tor the last year. He is not connected by the authorities with any of the big Jobs done.
 When captured by the police Jacobs had on him two revolvers, every chamber in each being loaded, and long dirk with which he vainly tried to get at his captors. He was well supplied with ammunition in other re- spects, too, for in his pockets were found 56 cartridges ready for instant use. In his hole i'll the ground near Watershops pond were found three watches, two bicycles, a violen valued at $500, more, than 100 preserve jars and any quantity of razors, to say nothing of articles of clothing and oth- er incidentaas. #~
 For over 12 months. as nearly as the police could learn last night, Jacobs has lived like hermit, burrowing like woodchuck into the bowels of the earth, living like an owl that hates the day, and proving about at night to get food and raiment though the food part seems to have been more important fnctor than the cloth- ing. The love of the razors can be &C., counted for easily enough by the police aays Fa sau nfr Ta race that has penchant for raZors. Likewise his desire for interior dec- orations can be readily understood by the police, but when it comes to his method of living. the men at head quarters were completely nonplussed.
 Such combination of the ingredf- ents that go to make up the hermit, bandit, burglar, sueak thief, cliff dwell Ter and general bad man has never been met with in the career of any man. In the pay of the city. Neither have either of the two officers who made the capture ever come across such an habitation for human being. For filth and lack of ventilation the abode of Jacobs had any squalid hut beaten at the start and the wonder Is to the inspector and patrol1nan that he could have lived at all in such surround ings.
 Another thing that puzzles the po- lice is that no one so far as is known has ever been naolested by Jacobs, though pow he may be connected with some of the reported hold-ups Last might he took his arrest coolly and had nothing to say about himself that sNF 1;r,+.a &n II. in placing the ownership of the goods found in the dug-out. The violin was identified without any trouble by Hen~ ny c. Roman of Johnson street. Mir Roman said the article had been stol- en from his house about year ago and that its value was $500 or at least that he would not sell it for that amount. It had been taken apart by. Jacobs and the name of the maker was disciphered on the inside.
 Jacobs has been living In the hole without the knowledge of anyone ex- cepting his own father for at least a year, according to the belief last night. Even if ale had been above ground, he might have remained in the location for many months without hav- ing been discovered, and hidden as he was from view. n passerby could have gone within a foot of the trap door Dy which he went into the hole and out again without taking any notice that the surface of the earth had been fanaDered with. The hole which has served the negro as home was care fully hidden by brush and made to look as much like the rest of. the neigh borl1ood as possible
 Patrolman Swift got wind yester- day afternoon that there was some- thing wrong out in the vicinity of the 'Watershops pond when two boys told him they had come on the cave of a hermit there. The patrolman was waiting for q car in D. F. Keefe's drug store when the boys related to I him that during ramble in the morn ing they had come across a hole in | the earth, and had found there was a trap door leading into it. Hardly be- 1 lieving the story Patrolman Swift nev- ertheless reported 1t to headquarters and Inspector Boyle accompanied him to the place described.
 1 They started out late in the after ! noon. and when they reached the house 1 of Charles E. Jacobs, who is the fath-
 CT of the prisoner, they asked him if
 he knew anything about hermit in l that section. The elder Jacobs at
 once inparted the information that there was no hermit, but that his son
 had dug for himself a home instead of trying to build one like other people, l and he pointed out the spot. He also
 informed the officers that the son was
 a worthless fellow. and that he had
 been obliged to put him out of the
 house about eighteen months ago.
 When the spot was pointed out the
 officers made their way to it and called
 out to young Jacobs to come up. His
 answer was in the way of a sulky
 growl as to what was wanted and ii
 was several minutes before he poked 1 his head out. As soon as he did the l inspector sat on his neck, and 1t was
 lucky that he did. for Jacobs hard a
 wicked-looking dirk all ready for use Patrolman Swift went through the
 fellows garments and found the two l revolvers. one of 32 caliber and the other p. Jacobs submitted quietly 1 enough to the handcuffing operation and was brought, to headquarters