Year: 1876

A Man OutwIts and Outfights Midnight


Robber-A terrible Struggle for LIE


now Daby Was Utilized.


he number of midnight robbers who


aro ahoat in the country just now will


give additional interest to the following


details of a fight with a burglar in


Binghamton. n. Y: Shortly after mid


night, Mr.. George A. Kent, whose resi-


dence was the scene of the struggle,


thought he heard noise in the house.


Mr.. Kent slowly raised up in bed and


stepped out on the floor. lie walked


into the sitting room and deliberately


turned up the light which was burning


in the chandelier in the middle of the


room. He looked around but there was


no sign of any intruder. Mr.. Kent


thought he had been alarmed without


cause. AS he did so the form of a


masked burglar appeared in the door


way between the two rooms. In mo-


ment the thought flashed through Mr..


Kent's mind that if he surrendered he


might get chance TO reach his revolver,


which was on a shelf in closet at the


foot of the bed. He threw up his hands


and exclaimed: "All right. Take what


you want. L won't disturb you." The


burglar lowered his arm, and NJ. Kent


said "Just let me get back into bed and


then go to work" The burglar evident


ly supposed Mr.. Kent had given up, and
at once turned his attention to business.


He took up Mr.. Kents clothes, which


were lying on chair near the bureau,
and ransacked the pockets. A few small
articles he threw on the floor, but trans


ferred gold watch and chain and


pocket book to his own pocket. Tie


bureau drawers were next opened and


few articles taken. AS may well be
imagined, Mr.. Kent found it very hard


work to lie still and see his
property appropriated. 1t required all
his self possession to keep quiet, but he
could do nothing without his revolver,
and that was out of his reach. Mira.


Kent, who had borne up bravely, began


to show symptoms of alarm and fright,
and Mr.. Kent requested the robber to be
quick and get through. "We will be
quiet, said Mr.. Kent, " if you will only
clear out. Go quietly and shut the door
behind you" At last the burglar finish
ed his work aud went into the sitting
room. In an instant Mr.. Kent put his
foot on the floor, intending TO get his
revolver, but the burglar opened the
door in an instant. Mr.. Kent laid down
and the door was closed again. How to
get that revolver without giving notice
of his movements Mr.. Kent could not
think. But bright thought struck him.
He reached out his arm and pinched the
baby, who was lying in crib nj the side
of the bed. The baby began TO cry, and
Mr.. Kent sprang from his bed and seized
the revolver before the burglar was aware
of it. He threw open the door i'll the
sitting room. The burglar stood in the
middle of the room. Mr.. Kent fired in
stantly, and the burglar at the same time
raised his arm, exclaiming, with an oath:
"Now I've got you" !" The burglar then
rushed behind the stove, and succeeded
i'll lodging the bullets of his would-be
captor. After Mr.. Kent had fired three
shots, the villain then rushed from be-
hind the stove and grapp!ed with Mr.
Kent, trying to get his revolver away
fight. The two men rolled around on
the hoorin desperate battle for iife. Mr.
Kent tried TO uso his pistol, and fred
two more shots, one of which struck
the stove, and the other struck the rob-
Der in the right arm, just below the
elbow, and lodged i'll the fleshy part of
the limb. Mr.. Kent exerted all his
TO throw the man and dispatch
him, his own life depending on his kill
ing his assailant. He called to Mrs.
Kent to get the poker or stove-lifter and
break the rascal's head. Mrs. Kent
rushed TO her husbands rescue, and
caught the man by the hair, in an effort
to distract his attention and save her hus-
band She tried TO find the iron handle
used for shaking down the stove, but the
he first entered the room, evidently in
tending to use it as weapon. At last
after struggle which seemed endless to
Mr.. Kent, he got his antagonist at an
advantage, and throwing him upon the
sofa standing near the kitchen door,
pressed the revolver against his side and
fired the sixth shot. The bullet entered
the body of the desperate and defeated
villain just below the right breast, pass
ing upward. The wounded man fell
over on the sofa, and Mr.. Kent, exhaust
ed with the struggle, let go of him.
Mrs. Kent approached him with the
poker and he sprang through the dining
room door. Mr. Kont followed him, but
did not fire again, although he had one
shot left. The burglar escaped through
a side kitchen door, which he had un.
when he came in. But he ap
piled for assistance for his wound at a
house near by, where he was arrested.
He had an accomplice, but he was such
n coward he fled at the first indications
of Il fight, otherwise Mr.. Kent might not
have been 80 successful.