One hundred and nine years ago today Brooklyn barber Joseph Lapis exercised his Second Amendment right and kept his shop from being burglarized. The previous morning he and his brother John entered their establishment in the bottom of 164 Hamilton Avenue and saw that during the night someone attempted to break in.
Believing that the footpad(s) would return that night they set out to protect their combs and mustache wax by going out and purchasing a shotgun. Joseph also procured a cot and set it up in the rear of the shop so that he could spend the night.
Long about 3:30a.m Joseph was awakened by the sound of somebody tampering with the lock on the front door. He grabbed his gun and approached the door. He listened for a few more seconds, then placed the barrel against said door and pulled the trigger. He heard a guy let out a scream and then all was quiet. The barber then got dressed and went to the police station and told them about the ordeal.
A patrolman was dispatched and went to the shop. He entered the building and on the landing of the second floor found would be yegg John Alba lying unconscious with a wound to the chest. Alba was taken to the hospital where he denied trying to break into the shop but remained mum on how he came to get a chest full of buck shot.
Since you can’t go around shooting burglars Joe the barber was arrested but back then people figured burglars got what they deserved and he was paroled the same day.
"He must have done something. They don't kill you for nothing." - Chicago Gangster Ted Newberry. Rubbed out January 7, 1933
2 comments:
"...you can’t go around shooting burglars..."
Well that's a stupid law.
I suspect these days it would entail a little more than having a cup of joe with the boys while they fill out the paperwork then send you home.
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