The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-03-16
FIRES ON THIEF
A Young Woman BraVely Defends Her.
self Against a Burglar
She HEARS IN HER ROOM

The Burglar Said to the Young Wo-
man as She Woke from O Deep
Sleep, "You Keep Quiet or I Will
Shoot YOu," but He Was Shot by
Her.
Keep quiet or I will shoot you"
This, says the Charlotte Observer,
was the greeting that Miss Mabel
Clanton received when she awoke TO
ind a man in her room at her home
four miles south Of the city ~ ths
| Yorkville road Wednesday night. The
burglary occurred about 1880 and
| only meager details could be secured
by telephone.
Miss Clanton Is the daughter Of
Mr.. j. B. Clanton, a prominent cit
izen of the county. She had retired
early and awoke to hear a noise In
the room. Upon rising to a half
sitting posture, unable in the dark
room to ascertain if the midnight
intruder was white or black she was
greeted by the threat to keep quiet.
Retaining her presence Of mind
| Miss Clanton shot in the direction of
the voice and the intruder went out
| 90 fho -y3nIn- Tho rNnro unc m
| the second floor and she jumped up
at once and went to the window out
of which the man had gone. Upon
reaching the window she saw the
fleeing form and shot again. She
states that she thought she hit the
man at the second shot.
On some vines toward the rear Of
the house a hat was found that was
dropped by the burglar in his flight.
Chief Christenbury was called at
once and in an automobile went to
one Of the county convict camps and
procured bloodhounds, and a hunt
was instituted for the intruder.
After the officers had been noti-
fed an investigation was made in
the room where the man had been
and several rings and other pieces
Of jewelry were found to be missing.
No estimate could be made at the
time as to the actual amount of
the loss. Every possible effort Is
being made to apprehend the guilty
party. Much excitement prevailed
among the few people who were on
the streets and heard Of the affair.
The officers arrived a few min
utes after midnight with the hounds,
the trip to the camp and return be-
ing made in an automobile. An in
slant investigation of the supposed
hat, brought to light the fact that
1t was no hat at all but the heavy
handbag in which had been placed
the several rings and other pieces
Of ~Jewelry, all Of which were re-
covered.
The dogs were taken Immediately
to the spot and leaped forth towards
the adjacent woods. Miss Clanton
stated to Chief Ch%ristenbury that she
was almost positive that she hit the
miscreant the second time she shot.
She could not tell, however, whether
he was a negro or a white man in
the darkness.
When he leaped from the window
following the first discharge of the
pistol-an automatic .32 caliber-
he yelled either in fear or In pain.
Leeper Springs, colored, was ar
rested the next morning as a sus-
pect, charged with being implicated
in breaking into the Clanton home.
The dogs took up the trail and fol-
lowed it across the big road about
= quarter of a mile to Springs cab
In, where they stopped and bayed.
The darkey was Immediately taken
into custody. He denied all COM
plicity and is hardly believed to have
been the principal in the affair. AS
to whether or not he was waiting
outside on watch is purely a mat
ter of surmise. Springs is said to
| hear q oood mama