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

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17.-Paui "
eous has been appointed u clerk Mt a
salary of $500 in the Tallahassee, Fla,
,ostoaice as a reward for his valiant
sofense of that office against desperate
.ofo crackers on January 8, 1910 He won
ne Nght with the burglars with his boy
,.b strength and revolver of the cheap
ost make, which he had won at a country
fair.
An executive order for the young mans
commitment was issued last May by
president Wilson, but 1t lay unacted upon
4, Government archives until dug up re-
Gently by Merritt o. Chance, chief clerk
NJ the Post Office Department.
Tho reports of the battle read like tales
of the wild and woolly West in the 'iOs
+ NJ, Sauls, father of Paul, lived on u
small farm outside of Tallahassee with
his wife and family Of eight children
The elder Saus was night watchman in
the Florida post office, and on the night
Of January there was sickness In his
family and by special permission of tho
postnastcr he sent his son, Paul ", then
lust past his 18th year, to stand guard
over tho Government property that night.
Paul took the job, unarmed
After tho night clerk left at 1 o'clock
and the fires had been stirred up to keep
tbe young watchman warm during the
night, Paul settled down to wait for the
dawn. After few minutes there came
n knock at the basement door, On his
way to the door the young watchman
passed the cot Of Il friend, who was sleep
ing in the building. Under the sleeper
was a very cheap revolver which the lat
ter had won at country fair the evening
before Paul took il for safoty's sake.
who's thcrc?" he called out, before
he slid the doors apart.
Here's a mail sack which we found
on the street, and | thought it might
have dropped from the mail cart" came
tho answer
Back tho doors went. And as they
opened Paul was confronted by shining
revolver with tho command. accompanied
by an oath, for the watChman to hold up
his nands. Paul backed a little to one
side and as ho did so the would he
burglar grabbed first one hand and then
the other but tho 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 Pauls arms with n
death grip. The second burglar, appar-
emily unacduaintcd with what had hap
pened in the darkness, and having ample
confidence in his partner. aftCrwurd
found to be Tennessee Dutch, ono Of the
most notorious of criminals. came for
ward with a rope TO tic the boy. But he
miscalculatcd. With q Jerk, Paul got his
hand loose, fired twice and tho burglar
fell mortally wounded. both bullets hav-
ing taken effect in his head.
Al this happened i'm less timu than it
takes to tell it, and Paul was unassistcd.
Even his friend, Harrison, whom he left
sleeping on the cot thought it wise to
remain away from the point of contact
established by the advance guard. And |
he did remain away until tho smoke of |
battle had passed, and while Paul still |
watched the property of the government |
and tho bodies OF tho dying men ITarri- |
son went in search of a policeman and a |
physician. Meanwhile the first burglar |
war gradually choking the Waterman. |
The burglars head was resting on Paul's |
right shoulder. Paul reached up and |
fired, but Dutch shifted his head to n |
resting place on the LETT shoulder, and !
Just as the head landed there Paul fired
over that shoulder. both bullets going
through the burglars head. Neither of
The hiShWaymeu ever rcgained conscious
ness.
Paul remained in the building i'm tho
morning until the post Office was opened,
went home, sat down to his breakfast
table and modostly announced that nc
had Killed a couple Of craftsmen. 4 jury
ator convened over the bodies of the
I'ad men returned verdict of iustinablc
homicide