Year: 1875

=
man in Worcester. The facts are
thus related by the Gazette:


Yesterday afternoon a young
lady was alone at her fathers res
idence in the north part of Ward 2,
her father being out of town and
her mother out for an afternoon
drive. She has for several years
been familiar with pistol practice,
and to while away an hour she
took her weapon to the garden
and fred it several times, it not
having been before discharged
since last autumn. When she re-
turned to the house she cleaned
and reloaded the pistol and laid it
on table in the passage leading
from the main hall of the house to
the dining-room, after which she
sat down in a sewing.room to her
work. Soon after she heard a
door shut and footsteps crossing
the dining-room. Knowing that
she was alone in the house she
was alarmed, and started to see
who had entered the house, when
she was met at the door of the
room by a burly and evil-looking
tramp, apparently about forty
years Of age, of a stout thick
build, with sandy, matted hair and
beard, and wearing a black slouch
hat pulled over his eyes, and dark
shabby clothing. As he approach.
ed her she accosted him with


What do you want here?


He answered that he wanted
something to eat.


She replied, if you want food il
W ould be better to ring the bell
or knock at the door than to come
into a house in this way.


Well, If you don't want me in
here you'd better keep your doors
Hooked, was the dogged answer.


The lady then told him if he
wanted food he should have It,
she would 60 and get him some
thing.


He answered that he didn't
want anything to eat, he wanted
money.


She told him she had no money
for him, but he could have all the
food hc needed, and she passed
by him through the hall toward
the dining-room, with the intent
to get possession of her pistol.


He again repeated his assertion
that he wanted money, and she
told him to stay where he was and
she would bring him some food.


He followed her in spite Of a
second injunction to stay where
he was, to the pantry beyond the
dining-room.


AS she went through the pas
sage she grasped the pistol with
out his observing it, and cooking
it put it in her pocket. As he
approached the pantry he said:


You're all alone here, amt you?I


She replied, No, / am notl


He said, Yes you are, l know
all aboutitl ie


She took a plate Of biscuit from
the shelf and handed it toward
him telling him he could take as
many as he wanted, when he said:


l told you / didn't want any
thing to eat, but / want them
rings on your hand, and you'd
better give them to me without
any noise or fussl step
ping toward her with his. great
dirty hands, as she describes them,
stretched out to grasp ber. She
fell back, and drawing the cooked
pistol from her pocket presented
It full in his face, with a


Stand back


The DEVIL ejaculated the rascal,
no little disconnected by the unex-
pected resistance.


Seeing his demoralization the
lady quickly said:


Yes, and you'll see him pretty
quick If you don't get out Of
herel and you'd better not try
your games in this neighborhood
either, for all the women know
how to use these things.


The fellow retreated while she
kept him covered with the weapon
until he was outside the door,
when she locked il, and as he went
hastily down the street she sank
to the floor exhausted and faint
with the strain Of the encounter.
When asked why she did not
shoot the scoundrel outright, she
said she did think Of it, but her
pistol carried only one cartridge,
and she knew that il she fred and
missed him she would be at his
mercy, and she saved her bullet
as her last chance. She is a frail,