The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-11-06
BOY HAS DESPERATE
 FIGHT WITH A NEGRO. .ROBBER IN HIS HOME.
Drexel Fesperman Slightly Injured and Negro Escapes With 75 Cents, But
 Leaves Silver Behind

negro burglar entered the resi- dence of E. l.. Fesperman, 1101 Twelfth
 avenue, north, yesterday morning at 4:3Q o'clock, and secured 75 cents in cash and was about to get away with all the silverware and a set of Bsasac novels, when he was interrupted by young Drexel Fesperman. A battle en- sued in which Drexel was slightly in jured by blows on the head from the burglars fists.
 Young Fesperman was sleeping on the back porch of the house and was
 awakeRed by noise in the library. He jumped out of bed and started to in vestigate. As he entered the door of the library flash light was trained
 on him and the negro clutched at the boys throat. For fully three minutes the burglar and the boy struggled in the darkness. The negro finally got grasp on the boys neck and was grad
 ually choking him into insensibility when Drexel by a superhuman effort disengaged himself and screamed for help. In speaking of his experience to an Age Herald reporter, the lad said: "rhe room was very dark and the negro was of powerful build Before realized what l had walked into the the flash light loomed up and I was in the grasp of the man. When he finally got a hold on my throat I re- alized I was battling for my life. cannot tell how I managed to squirm out of his grasp, but by some miracle did and fell to the floor in a semi dazed condition. The negro kicked me in the ribs viciously. I screamed for help once more and I heard the foot steps of my father as he began to de- scend the steps,
 "The burglar likewise heard the foot steps and ran into the hall and thence was rhalf-crazed with pain and fol- lowed him out and then as far as the alley. He carried a bag on his back that seemed to be heavy. It was evil dently some booty he had obtained from another house. When I returned from the street my father was down stairs and was delighted to see me back. He thought l might have been mur- dered by the burglar"
 In the struggle the table was over | turned and the silverware which had been carefully piled up fell to the floor | with q crash. A full set of Balzac was 1 strewn on the floor and the entire room presented a scene of the widest con- | fusion. The burglar gained entrance to l the house by the means of a stepladder. l having climbed through window of l the library. The window was prized open and the job appeared to have been | done by an expert. It is thought likely . the burglar had a confederate on the outside.
 | A house in the course of construction
 1 was burglarized at 1119 Twelfth ave-
 lnue. north, sometime during the night
 and all the carpenters tools were stolen.
 | Two negroes were seen in the house
 about 10:S0 o'clock by two boys who
 screamed at them. The negroes ran out
 of the house and disappeared The tools
 were found missing yesterday morning
 at s o'clock when the carpenters re- ported for work. It is believed the
 burglary committed at the house of
 MT. Fesperman yesterday morning was done by the same two negroes. The
 police department was not notified yes- terday morning. Young Fesperman say ! ing We know the city hasn't enough policemen anyway, and besides the
 lburglar got away"