Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1912-05-14
R0BBER IS
CAPTURED

| A bold, bad burglar attempted
Sunday night to enter and ransact
the cafe in Williams owned by Fred
Johnson with the result that he is
languishing in the county bastile
with several wounds upon his head.
The attempt to rob the popular eat
ing house in our neighboring town
occurred Sunday at about midnight.
One Of the clerks sleeps in the sec
ond story of the building in which
the cafe is located. He had closed
the eating house early in the even
| ing and retired to his room. Some
time between - and 1 o'clock in
the night he was awakened by a
noise on the first floor of the build
ing. He listened for sometime and
heard it again This time the bell
on the cash register was rung. The
clerk got out of bed, dressed hur-
riedly and seized an unloaded revol-
yer that was lying on his dresser
With this he descended the. stairs.
The room into which he first enter
ed revealed nothing in the shape of
a man. He looked through another
room with no better results. How
ever, he noticed that one of the win
dows in the place was opened. This
fact assured him that some one was
present. He went through every
part Of the building without finding
the burglar, but just as he was about
to return to his room he heard a
slight noise in a small closet open
ing from the main room of the cafe.
He went into this closet, looked be-
hind the door, where he found a
man, and a fight Immediately ensu
ed. The clerk had the empty gun
ir his hand and used it to good ad-
vantage. Several times he struck
the thief with it. Finally he man
aged to strike a blow on the top of
the mans head that made quite a
wound. BY this time another bust
ness man, a butcher who happened
to be passing the cafe, heard the
noise and rushed to the scene.
He picked up can of I've that was
standing on nearby shelf and
threw it with all his strength at
the burglar, striking him on the
wound in his head. The I've spilled
over the wound and also in the face
of the cafe clerk. However, the
burglar had had enough by this
time and stopped fighting. Mr.
Johnson, the proprietor, who also
sleeps above the store, was then
called and the captive was held
while the clerk sought the town
marshal. The policeman was soon
found and placed the burglar under
arrest. He was taken to the Jail in
that place where he was kept until
yesterday morning, when he was
brought to this city.
The mans head is severely beaten
up and the I've in the wound made 1t
doubly painful. The clerk who dis
played his courage in the robbery is
also in a rather serious condition.
Much of the I've thrown by his help
err in the battle with the midnight
visitor few in his face. One of his
eyes was almost closed and his
cheeks are painfully burned.
The identity of the robber is not
yet known. His work would seem
to bear the fingermarks of a novice,
as he could not still the bell on
the cash register while attempting
to rob it. The money secured by
the man amounted to only about
twenty cents. Mr.. Johnson general
ly keeps large sum Of money in
his store, but Sunday evening had
removed it before closing the place.
The hearing for the man has not
yet been arranged.
Lumber. Above all Building Ma