The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-07-23
MAN AT WINDOW
WAKES WOMAN
and IS shot AT
Mrs. Gertie James Thinks
She PuHctured Pr0wler
at Her Home.
WIDOW ANGERED BUT
UNAFRAID SHE SAYS
Sorry She Didn't Chase Man
To His Lair, She Tells
Police.


Mrs. Gcrtie James was awakened
last night at about 1890 o'clock bv
hearing some one tampering with the
screen on her kitchen window of her
home at p North Spanish street.
She quietly arose from her bed and
Slipped through the house to investi-
gate. When she reached the door lead
ing from the dining room to the kitch-
en-, she could see the form of a man
standing ut the window. She then
went to the trent of the house and pro
cured a revolver from a bureau
drawer and VIXEN she returned to the
kitchen she could see the stranger still
standing at the window.
She called TO him and asked him
what Re was doing but he made no re-
Spouse. She then told him to go away
or she would ring for the police, but
the stranger disregarded her threats
and continued to stand at the window,
trying to reer into the darkened room.
He could not see Mrs. James as she
moved about the premises, and when
she slipped to the side door for the
purpose of shooting at him, he was
thoroughly surprised.
When she reached The door she sud-
denly threw it open and stepping Just
outside fired one shot point blank at
the intruder. The man gave a leap in
to tie shadows and disappeared
through the alley.
Mrs. Jalnes lives on Spanish street
on premises adjacent TO the Southeast
Missouri Motor Co. garage, and Clar-
ence Pott, clerk at that institution,
heard her call out to the stranger to
go away, and the next instant heard
the shot. He said that the man fell
among some loose boxes as he entered
the alley, making a loud CHATTER. He
thought from the sounds of the re-
treating footsteps, that the party ran
out of the alley on to Themis street.
Mrs. James said that tire man was
plainly visible to her, although she
could not recognize him. He wore Il
dark coat and did not seem to regard
her entreaties and threats with the
slightest concern. She said that his
utter indifference aroused her anger
rather than frightened her, and that
when she fired the shot, she tried to
hit him, and she regretted that she
had not put on her shoes so that she
could have pursued him when he re-
treated down the alley.
Her little daughter, Bculah, was
aroused Turing the excitement and
was greatly frightened. Mrs. James is
widow and lives IN the Spanish
street house with her little daughter
and a brother, Clarence Broderick,
who was absent from the house when
the shooting occurred.
Mrs. james says that she cannot
understand now she missed the man as
she took deliberate aim and fired di-
rectly at him. Young POtt at the
garage. is of the opinion that the shot
was effective and is inclined to think
that when he heard the Gathering
sound, it was due to the fugitive be
ing hard hit and stumbling as he
scrambled through the alley.
As soon as Pott heard the shot he
hurried to the James home where he
found Mrs. James still holding the
smoking gun in her hand, and express
ing deep regrets that her brother Clar-
ence was not at home when she dis
covered the intruder at her window.