Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-17
YOUTHS DEFENSE OF
POSTOFFICE WINS
REWARD At LAST
Florida Boy Who Saved
Government Property From
Safe Crackers Is Appointed
Clerk After Five Years
Wait.

WASHINGTON, Sept 17.-Paul "
souIs has been appointed clerk at a
.oiary of $500 in the Tallahassee, Fla,
.ostofice as a reward for his valiant
s.fense of that office against desperate
20. crackers on January s, 1910 He won
~. 6eht with the burglars with his boy
,sh strength and revolver of the cheap
.st make, which he had won at country
fair.
An executive order for the young mans
snpantment was issued last May by
preddent Wilson, but 1t lay unacted upon
a, Government archives until dug UP re-
.sntly by Merritt o. Chance, chief clerk
Of the Post Office Department.
Tb, reports of the battle read like tales
of the Wild and woolly West in the '40s.
7 NJ sauls, father of Paul. lived on a
small farm outside of Tallahes "a with
his wife and family Of eight children.
Tho elder Sauls was night Waterman in
the Florida post office. and on the night
of January there was sickness in his
family and by special permission of the
postnastsr he sent his son, Paul ", then
lust past his 18th year, to stand guard
over the Government property that night
Paul took the job. unarmed.
After the night clerk left at ! o'clock
and the fires had been stirred up to keep
the young watchman warm during the
night, Paul settled down to wait for the
dawn. After few minutes there came
koa LII
way to the door the young watchman
passed the cot of a friend, who was Sleep
ing In the building. Under the sleeper
was very cheap revolver which the lat
ter had won at a country fair the evening
before Paul took 1t for safety's sake.
who's there?" he called out, before
he slid the doors apart.
Here's a mail sack which we found
on the street, and 1 thought it might
have dropped from the mail cart" came
the answer
Back the doors went. And as they
opened Paul was confronted by a shining
revolver with the command. accompanied
by an oath. for the watchman to hold up
his hands. Paul backed little to one
side, and as he did so the would be
burglar grabbed first one hand and then
the other but the watchman had his
hand on the revolver in his pocket, and
he fired, the bullet going through the
liver and stomach of the burglar. The
latter held on to Paus arms with a
death grip. The second burglar, appar-
emily unacquainted with what had hap
pened In the darkness, and having ample
confidence in his partner, afterward
found to be Tennessee Dutch, one of the
most notorious Of criminals. came for
ward with a rope to tie the boy. But he
mscalculated. With a jerk. Paul got his
hand loose, fired twice and the burglar
fell mortally wounded, both bullets hav-
ing taken effect in his head.
All this happened in less time than II
takes to tell 1t, and Paul was unassisted.
Even his friend, Harrison, whom he left
sleeping on the cot, thought 1t wise to
remain away from the point of contact |
established by the advance guard. And |
he did remain away until the smoke of |
battle had passed. and while Paul still |
watched the property of the government |
and the bodies of the dying men Harr- |
son went In search OF a policeman and a |
Meanwhile the first burglar |
war gradually choking the watchman. |
The burglars head was resting on Paul's |
right shoulder. Paul reached up and |
fired but Dutch shifted his head to a |
resting place on the left shoulder, and |
Just as the head landed there Paul fired |
over that shoulder, both bullets going
through the burglars head. Neither of |
The highwaymen ever regained conscious
ness
Paul remained In the building in the
morning until the post office was opened
went home. sat down to his breakfast
Iaole and modestly announced that he
nad Killed couple of cracksmen. A jury
ater convened over the bodies of the
homicide