Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1916-01-07

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Middleton was in the city and not ex-.
pected at home for several days. ],
being. the only man present, ventured
to suggest to Mrs. Middleton that the
man would not be SO gullible as to
trust himself in the hands of a stran-
ger and nothing would come Of it, but
the lady declared that she believed
many robberies were committed by
connivance of the servants and this
was case in point.
After the matter had been duly dis
cussed by all except its perpetrat0r.
who had maintained modest silence,
Georgia as soon as she got me alone
told me that she believed the man was
a jailbird who had escaped or had end
ed his term and that she had completely
deceived him. She asked me to assist
her in carrying out her scheme. told
her that the police would be only too
glad to be interested in it with a view
to capturing the man red handed. l
volunteered to sound them and learn
what they would prefer to do. 49,.
did so and was told, after giving
them Georgia's description of the man,
that he was probably Red Mike, who
had recently been discharged after do
ing term in state prison. They beg
,ged me to secure them an opportunity
to trap him. suggested that they put
a guard around the Middleton grounds
and take him as he entered, but they
said that by this course they would
have no charge to make against him,
whereas if he were permitted to enter
the house and was caught there carry
ing away property he could be sent
back to prison for another term.
When reported these facts to
Georgia she asked me to grant the re-
quest Of the police, but declared that
the matter must be kept from her
mother. did not like to be mixed in
a matter of discrimination, but Georgia
said It could be managed with her
mothers knowledge Of it. I finally left
her to do as she pleased. She deter
mined to communicate with her father,
who, returning from the city, after
hearing the story and giving his daugh-
ter the usual scolding upon one of her
unusual FRANKS, decided to give the
police the opportunity, if it occurred,
to get in criminal who was bent on
making a dishonest living.
On the night of the expected bur-
glary we amused ourselves as usual
till about II o'clock. when we all went
to our rooms, agreeing that all lights
should be turned off at II. The rob-
berry was to be committed at !.
turned off my light at the appointed
, time and sat in the dark in my clothes.
Z, Ny room overlooked the clubhouse
where the ladder that the burglar was
to use was kept, and the window
through which he was to enter was on
1.-THE same side Of the house. Shortly
lSbefore o'clock began a watch upon
the clubhouse, but when ten minutes
after the appointed time had elapsed
and all was quiet made up my mind
that it was Georgia who had been
fooled instead of the criminal.
At seventeen minutes of 2, when
was about to give up the watch and
=
clubhouse. The door had been purpose
ly left ajar by the police, who were in
a room overlooking the clubhouse. I
! saw the figure carrying something
which presumed to be the ladder,
though it was too dark to discern what
he was raising one end against the
house. Then saw him slowly mount
the rounds.
had left my door open so that l
| could look into the hall and now went
to take position at the door. It was
not q minute, though it seemed longer,
after this change that the electric lights
on that floor were turned on, the po-
lice sprang from the room they occu-
pied into the hall and thence into the
room the burglar had entered. I ran
to the door Of the room they were in.
reaching it just in time to see them
seize the man and take from him q
box, which one Of them opened. It
was filed with pebbles. 4, s>.s. hi. ...,...
The household was up and about. No
one had gone to: bed, and as the burglar
was led out through the hall he passed
us all When he came to Georgia
saw him start, for he saw her, not in
cooks apparel, but dressed as lady.
He scowled at her, but with police
man on either side Of him and hand
cuned he had no opportunity for re-
proaches. So he uttered no word.
Georgia, having played her prank,
now regretted that she had been instru-
mental in returning man to prison
and began to urge her father to use
his influence to prevent the rascal
being prosecuted. But Mr.. Middleton
told her that the matter was not in
his hands. The police had caught the
robber red handed and had the neces-
sary evidence to convict him.
y, Nevertheless. Georgia did not give up.
She hired a lawyer to defend the man
she had trapped, and the thief got
of, on the ground that he had been per