The Detroit times., 1914-12-30
NAN HAS FIERCE
BATTLE With
HOME
Gleason Murphy Grapples With
Intruder Whom He Finds
Looting Residence
FORCES ROBBERS HEAD
THROUGH CABINET GLASS
Thug Finally Fights Himself
Free and Escapes Just as
Police Arrive

Gleason Murphy. OF the H. X. Nc
Cam Advertising Co.. No, 400 Boyer
bldg. battled with burglar in. his
home. No. so Van Dyke-pl., Sunday
night. and though he has slight
wound from a file. In his forehead.
and his right hand is In cast, as the
result OF bone being broken during
the battle, he laughs about the expert
ence now, and says II struck him as
being very funny, a moment after the
burglar extricated his head from the
broken glass OF the china cabinet. and
fed through the rear door.
That the burglar had female &C.
complete Is the theory Of Mr.. Murphy,
who says that whispers were heard by
Mrs. Murphy, first attracting her at
tention TO the burglary, and that one
OF the voices was that or woman.
Shortly after 3 o'clock. Sunday
night, Mr.. and Mrs. Murphy returned
home from visit 10 the home of Har-
~ Leonard, across the street, and
were reading, In an upper room, when
Mrs. Murphy remarked to her husband
that she thought she heard muttered
conversation, downstairs.
The two Murphy boys. aged one
year and five years. and the nurse,
were all asleep. Mr.. Murphy decided
that the nurse was having a night.
mare. as the low muttering was in a
woman's voice.
A few minutes later, he heard q
door creak. downstairs, and went to
investigate, not thinking, even then,
Of burglars, but believing that the
wind was blowing In an open window.
He walked through the front room.
turning on the light. and then passed
into the dark kitchen, finding the
window open. He closed the window,
and passing through hallway to the
dining room, was just opposite some
portieres when he met the burglar,
face to face. The intruder and Mr..
Murphy just glared at each other for
fully 10 seconds. Mr.. Murphy says.
Then the burglar struck at Mr.. MUIR
phys head, with the file. Mr.. Murphy
closed with the burglar, and the fight
WAS on
The two men were evenly matched
as TO height and weight, and as they
battled through the dining room. there
was one long series OF crashes.
Mr.. Murphy hurled the burglar
backward. to the sideboard, splitting
all the silvorware into a heap on the
floor Then the tide OF battle turned,
and Mr.. Murphy was forced back,
against the dining room table, which
was overturned
Gradually, Mr.. Murphy forced the
burglar back toward the wall. There
was big crash as the burglars head
broke through the glass door OF the
china cabinet, and cut glass In the
cabinet was totally wrecked.
II had him." said Mr.. Murphy, with
chuckle. Il remember the satisfac-
ton OF feeling that there was no way
he could get his head ont OF that
cabinet, with me holding him down.
And then the rug began to slip, and
the follow fought his way out, inch
by inch. and then | saw him dash for
the back door that he had left un.
locked. | sat right in the middle OF
the floor and had a good laugh. 1t
struck me as very funny. Then the
blood started to run into my eyes
from the cut In my forehead, and that
was the first | knew that I was hurt.
1t was a good battle"
Meanwhile, Mrs. Murphy had called
the police, who arrived in Just four
minutes. but the burglar had made a
clean getaway. She had also called
Mr.. Leonard, and three young men
arrived as reinforcements, just ahead
of the patrol crew.
And the Murphy children and the
nurse slept all through the battle, and
the crashes OF cut glass and silver
ware. No thunder was taken