Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-11-15
Mrs. Fred Robertson Has Des-
perate Encounter With
Masked Robber
HUSBAND FINDS HER sENsELEss
Furniture and Rugs in Hall Show
Signs of Struggle-Mrs. Robertson
Able to Tell PiecemeaI Story of the
Assault, AItho Can Barely Talk =
Marks On Throat Tell Of Choking.

Clicked and beaten by a burglar,
and rendered unconscious by blow
on the head from the butt of revolt
yer, was the experience of Mrs. Fred
Robertson, 213 North Second avenue,
clock Wednesday evening. AS a result
Mrs. Robertson is suffering from a
nervous collapse, and is confined to
her bed today, scarcely able to talk.
Great black and blue marks on the
woman's throat show the effect of the
mans hands, and a badly wrenched
| right arm and shoulder indicate the
rough struggle that lasted for several
| minutes, in which the burglar success
| fully wrested revolver from the wom-
| ans hands, and rendered her uncon-
| scious by blow over the head.
Finds Wife Unconscious.
When Mr.. Robertson reached home
from his place of business Wednesday
evening at o'clock, he was astonished
to find his house topsy-turvey. and his
wife lying unconscious in the hall
Rugs on the hard wood floor were dis
heveled, the furniture was overturned,
and marks on the floor plainly showed
terrible struggle. Mr.. Robertson
telephoned for physician, got his wifs
to more scomfortable position on a
bed, and awaited the physicians efforts
to restore her to consciousness. It was
late in the night before the woman
could tell in dazed way the particu-
lars of the assault. The details were
only brought out in piecemeal, as Mrs.
Robertson suffered all night from the
nervous shock, and today is in stats
Of nervous collapse.
Mrs. Robertson's Story.
From Mrs. Robertson's story it seems
that she went upstairs shortly after I
o'clock, after neighbor, Mrs. A. G..
Buchanan, had left the Roberts IN
home, to put her little daughter to bed.
She might have been upstairs fifteen
minutes when she turned off the light
and started downstairs. AS she app
preached the stairway she thought she
heard a noise down stairs, and hest
ldlSus oGlAS OH d1O1lC III lAAC 4AoAoC SIN
took the precaution. to go to bureau
drawer for her husbands revolver.
Armed, she went down stairs. The
cause of the noise was in the hallway,
in the shape Of man. Mrs. Robertson
was naturally frightened. Her first
thought was to shoot, but then she
thought possibly the man might be her
husband.
Took Little Time to Find Out.
It took but little time to find out that
Mr.. Robertson was not in the house.
Mrs. Robertson called to the man, ask
ing II he were Fred, and in reply was
met with demand for money. The
man said he would kill her If she did
not give him all the money in the
house. Almost fainting Mrs. Robertson
gasped that there was no money in the
house. but scarcely before she had
time to speak the man grappled with
her in an effort to secure the gun.
Hard Struggle Follows.
A hard struggle followed, altho how
long It lasted Mrs. Robertson is unable
to state. She remembers a choking
sensation, and blow on the head.
After that she recollects nothing. She
felt the revolver being wrested from
her grasp, and the blow on the head
followed. It is presumed, because of
this, that the butt of the weapon was
used by the burglar in rendering the
savage blow. The struggle began in the
hall and for brief moment was
transferred to the parlor, then back to
the hall. The parlor rug showed
where the encounter. had taken place,
and marks on the floor were evidently
made by nails in the. mans boots.
Comb Saves Woman's Head.
A heavy back comb, worn by Mrs,
Robertson, evidently saved a more Sc
we're wound on the head. AS it is the
use of the weapon only caused an
abrasion. A lump today shows where
the blow was received, and the comb,
broken, was found on the floor. The
revolver was picked up from a corner
in the parlor after Mr.. Robertson re-
turned, and Mrs. Robertson's watch,
which she wore at the. time, was lying
under the parlor table. The pin to
which IT was attached was found in the
sitting room.
Gives Partial Description.
Mrs. Robertson was able today to
give a partial description Of her assail-
ant, altho it furnishes no clue to the
identity of the would-be thief. Ac-
cording to Mrs. Robertson the man
was short and stockily built, and wore
a smooth face. She was unable to see
but little of his face, however, as he
had a stocking foot cap drawn low
down in order to produce a mask. A
thorough examination of the house
does not reveal anything to be miss
ing. There was only small sum OF
money in the house, barely 81.
Entrance to the home was effected
undoubtedly thru the kitchen door,
and the man left the house the same
way This was the only door unlocked,
and the cellar windows were all in
tact.
Whether the man was frightened
away for fear that he had committed
a murder, or whether he thought he
heard some one coming, is, of course,
not known, but it is presumed that he
feared that after the noise and the as
sault on his victim, he had better be
making his getaway. The noise, how
ever, did not attract the attention eth
er Of neighbors or passersby.
Mrs. Robertson suffered all day from
the effects of the nervous shock. Aside
from the bruises on her neck and head
she is suffering from the wrenched
arm and shoulder. Her throat is so