The Northern News. — 1896-08-01 (Carlisle, Cumbria, England)

SINGULAR CONDUCT OF AN ARMED BURGLAR.  An extraordinary burglary story comes from Millhouses, Sheffield. At twenty-five minutes past five on Monday morning Mrs. Sylvester, wife of a tobacco merchant, was awakened by a slight noise in the bedroom. It was light, and she was alarmed to see the reflection of a man in the mirror of the wardrobe. She did not saream, but awoke her husband, who, before he could do anything, was confronted by the burglar, who presented a revolver at him, and threatened that lie would shoot if either of them raised an alarm. The wife begged of the man not to fire, and asked him what he wanted. Two pounds was the sum demanded. Mrs. Sylvester got out of bed, and getting her husband's purse out of one of his pt.ckets offered the thief 30s. in gold. The man did not argue about the odd 10s., on the contrary, taking the money, he said, "Well you are honest people and 1 am a professional burglar; take this back," and at the same time he returned to Mrs. Sylvester half-a-sovereign, retaining only the Ll for himself. All this time Mr. Sylvester had been in bed; he had not dared to move for fear the man should carry out his threat and shoot him. On getting the sovereign the man pocketed it, left the bedroom, and departed from the house by the pantry window, the way, it is presumed, he entered the place. Mr. Sylvester watched the man leave the place, and then went off to the police station, whica is only about 250 yards away. As there was no officer outside the station, and lie could see none about, Mr. Sylvester, doubting the wisdom of knocking up the sergeant who lives at the station, or the constable; who lives next door, returned home and let the matter rest until twenty minutes to eight, when he sent his gardener to the police station, and informed P.C. Jeplison of the burglary. The servant, a girl named Emily Wilson, says she saw her door open about half-past five, but she immediately put her head under the bedclothes. P.C. Jephson, after going to Abbeydale View, visited the house of Mr. W. E. Wright, next door to Sylvester's, and soon saw that someone had been there in the absence of the family holiday-making. The pantry window was open. Every room had been ransacked; boxes and drawers had been emptied, and their contents thrown all over the place. A singular feature here presented itself to the constable. Although the thief had been at all the trouble of carrying out a complete examination of the premises he had left valuable jewellery, silver-plated goods, and other things which such visitors consider worth carrying away. So far he is still at large.  A Derbyshire farmer named Walter Flint has met with a shocking death. He was driving to a farm near Alfreton, when the vehicle collided with a trap, and he was thrown out and killed instantly. A lad named M`Knight, son of a Presbyterian clergyman residing near Markethill, county Armagh, was drowned while attempting to cross a stream which had become flooded by the recent heavy rains. At Liverpool Assizes, on Tuesday, Bridget Ford was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment for neglecting her child, aged three years. The child was in a terrible condition, covered with ulcers and abscesses, and died in the Infinnary. Prisoner was committed for manslaughter, but the jury reduced the charge. At Croydon, Charles Evans, labourer, was fined LL or fourteen days' imprisonment, for stealing twelve sacks of leaf-mould, vaine 245., the property of the Archbishop of Canterbury. For the first time since he became Lord Warden, Lord Salisbury spent from Saturday to Monday at Walmer Castle. He will now make regular week-end visits there until he goes abroad, when the Houses of Parliament rise.  Fanny Gane, domestic servant who was sentenced to death nearly five years ago for the murder of her infant child, in the Isle of Wight, but was reprieved, will be released on the sth prox. Orders for two battleships comprised in the Government's naval programme have been placed, one with the Thames Ironworks and the other with Messrs. Laird, Birkenhead. Both battleships will be 390 feet long and 74 feet beam, with a displacement of 12,950 tons.