Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-11
WOMAN GAVE ALARM
CraWIed Over Roof to Warn
of Burglar at Work.
FIERCE STRUGGLE IN DARK
Grocer Grapples With Intruder and
Is Nearly Worsted.
POLICE COME TO HIS AID
Prisoner Pleads Starvation in Ex-
tenuation-Houseb Kit
He Carried, Complete.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

! Special Dispatch to The Star.
| NEW YORK, February 11-Mrs. Fannie
| Ewart of $40 State street, Brooklyn. at
the Adams street police court this morn
1ng-where man who gave his name as
Daniel Anderson, twenty-nine years old,
was arraigned on the charge of house
breaking-told of her perilous journey in
the darkness across slanting roofs which
resulted in the mans capture.
| She saw a stranger trying to force his
way into the rear of a neighbor's house
Mrs. Ewart told the court. She crent
along an extension, which reaches from
the second story Of her home to the
neighboring houses, and awakened Henry
Mehr tadt, whose grocery store on the
| first floor was the strangers objective
Mr. Mehrstadt told in turn. of being
awakened by Mrs. Ewart tapping on the
window. and described the struggle below
stairs with the intruder, which the ar
| rival of the police ended just as the
grocer's strength was exhausted.
Pleaded Poverty as Excuse.
Anderson pleaded poverty as his excuse.
He had come from Chicago recently 20
get work as a painter, he said, and had
failed. To avoid starvation, he asserted.
what he could.
A complete kit of burglars tools, in
GLIDING steel saw. two glass cutters
and a powerful Jimmy were found on
him. 0
The merest chance brought to Mrs.
EWarts attention the man at work on
the darkened rear door Of the erocerv
shortly before midnight. She happened
to stand by an open window for a n.y.
ment before retiring when a faint rasp.
ing sound came to her ears.
MIS-; EWart leaned out and peered down
into the lines Of back yards which stretch
away with their high board fences. Three
buildings away her eyes fell upon a
shadowy form outlined against Mehr-
stadt's door. The rasping seemed to come
from there.
The woman realized what was in prog
ress. Instead Of shouting to drive the
man away, she determined to make an
EFFORT to capture him. Right below 1er
window the steep roof which connects
the buildings of that block was fastened
to the Ewart house. Mrs. Ewart Jaw
there way to effect her purpose.
Burglar Did Not Hear Her.
She stepped carefully down and COM
menced the painful journey which would
carry her within three feet OF the busy
mans head. The steady singing of the
saw through the steel lock did not cease
for moment. The faint sound of 1t
probably prevented the burglar from hear
ing the woman pass close above She
reached Mehrstadt's seccnd-story window
In safety and aroused the grocer by tap
ping on the window.
Just at that time the last thread of steel
was cut through below The wielder OF
the little saw stepped inside.
Mehrstadt grasped the situation at once
and sent his twe!ve-year-old son George
quietly down the fire escape to police
headquarters only two blocks away. Then
he lighted lantern and crept down the
stairway to the grocery.
Not sound was heard below. AS Mehr-
stadt stepped from the bottom of the
stairway and raised the light for a Sec
ond, blow on the head sent him stagger-
ing. The lantern was extinguished
Then followed a desperate fight In the
darkness. The grocer soon began to get
the worst Of it. The blow had dazed him
and his opponents clutch on his throat
could not be broken.
Mehrstadt was nearly exhausted when
three detectives appeared on the scene
They threw themselves upon the strug-
Cling men.
Even then the intruder put up Stub
born fight, aided by the gloom within the
room. The newcomers had their hands
full to get him under control.
The detectives took Anderson to head
quarters and searched him previous to
locking him up.