Amador ledger., 1909-01-08
ROBBERY AND
BURGLARY.
Residence of Mrs. French
Entered.
Burglar Gets About $3.50,

Peek hill was entered with felonIous
intent on Thursday evening last, and
money in gold coin distracted there
from to the amount of about $3.50.
That evening the masquerade ball of
the Native Daughters was in progress
in Loves hall. The residence Of Mrs
French is occupied not only by her
own family, consisting of herself and
son Johnny, and daughter, Violet,
but also by Mr. and Mrs Hicks. All
the members of both families we're in
town that night, attending the
masquerade ball. Mrs French had
just returned that day from two
weeks visit in San Francisco. 1t
was while the house was thus left
unoccupied that the burglar grasped
the opportunity to bear down upon
the premises and capture the deposit
of gold coin. Mrs French had fixed
as the hiding place of her accumu-
bin built in the wall OF the pantry.
She had stored there in purse the
sum of Si00-some of which belonged
to her children, representing the
savings of years, and no one outside
of the family knew gifts whereabouts.
Mr. Hicks and Iwife, shortly after
unmasking at the. ball. which occurred
between IL and II o'clock, started
TO return home. Reaching this vicin-
ity Mrs Hicks noticed light in
the house, and called her husbands
attention to the fact. He at once
surmised that something was wrong
as he knew that Mrs French and
family were still at the ball. On
entering he saw man hurriedly
escaping through another door. He
drew a pistol and fired at the in
truder, but without effect. The
stranger made good his escape.
Hicks, realizing that a robbery had
been committed, returned TO town
andsnotified Mrs French of the facts,
and also the officers. Mrs French,
also deputy sheriff Connors and city
marshal Huberty repaired to the
scene, and investigated. The purse,
with portion of the money still
therein. and loose loose $40 pieces
were fund on the floor IN the room.
Apparently the robber had been dis
turbed while in the act of taking the
money, and in the excitement attend
ing his discovery, and the danger of
being the target for a pistol ball.
dropped the purse and the loose gold
pieces.
An examination of the premises
disclosed the fact that the house had
been ransacked thoroughly. Beds
and bedclothIng and articles of furni-
ture were in confusion. indicating
an exhaustive search before the Enid
ing place of the coin, was unearthed.
The t1onr bins under which the money
was concealed, we're broken from the
wall by sheer force. Mrs French re-
covered between 500 and 500, and
estimates that the booty secured by
the robber was about $3.50.
The following day a close eXamina-
tion of the house corroborated the
statement of Mr. Hicks that be fired
one shot at thetburglar, the marks of
the bullet being found on the back
of chair. The perpetrator is be-
lieved to have got away luntouched.
The officers have so far failed to
get any clew to tthe perpetrator of
this crime. Mr. Hicks story as to
his whereabouts that night, before
going home with his wife. was con-
tirmed in every particular.
The occurrence carries a moral
not to leave valuables slowed away IN
hiding places in dwellings. Banks
occasionally prove unsafe, but as a
rule they are much safer as the
custodians of savings than private
dwelling houses.
The burglar made an entrance
through one of the front windows.
lie first broke pane of glass and
then undid the catch of the window
by inserting his hand inside, so as to
be able to raise the lower SASH TO
get through the opened window sash
was All easy matter. The print of his
boot was plainly disoernable on the
white paint of the window sill. On
Monday night the inmates of the
house were alarmed by what they
another attempt at robbery.
There were four in the house at the
time, between and 8 o'olbck, name
~, Nh and Mrs Hicks, and Johnny
and Violet Love Mrs French was in