MONKEY AND BURGLAR.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 467, 4 August 1898, Page 4

MONKEY AND BURGLAR.

A VICTORY FOR THE APE. j The Paris correspondent of the ' Morning post ' relates a unique capture of a burglar by an ape. According to this correspondent, M. < Duchesne, a retired officer of the merchant * Bervice, living in the Rue d'Alesia, brought I home an ourang-outang with him from 1 Borneo two years ago. The brute has since grown to its full size, and is a terror to the 1 neighbors. Its master refuses to chain it J up, contenting himself with shutting the ' animal in his bedroom before going out. j M. Duchesne did this as usual on a recent ' Saturday, which was the day selected by a ( burglar to make a professional call at M. Duchesne's apartment. Nicholas Bargeve, ' alias " The Devoure'r," had only completed ' his ninth term of imprisonment four days 1 before, and was, consequently, unaware that - M. Duchesne kept a jet. However, when he ; broke into the bedroom the. burglar found ■ himself grasped by two hairy paws. The : ourang-outang bit him horribly in the face, : and was trying to strangle its captive when 1 the burglar's screams brought help. The ape ' retreated to a corner, showing its teeth and ] threatening to spring on the new arrivals. Bargeve was- drawn, out of the room, by his : feet, and after being medically attended to. ' was conveyed to the depdt infirmary. He had gone mad. The burglar must have realised the nature of his assailant, because he imagines himself to have been changed into an ape.