Free at last.(The Goodness Of America)

Hebron Morris, 72, lives with sister Dean Alexander and her son in the same home where, until last year, six generations of his family had resided virtually crime-free. But last June a burglar began targeting the Jackson, Mississippi, house, striking more than a half-dozen times within six months and placing the family (in Alexander's words) "absolutely under siege."

According to the November 21 Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Morris had "been attacked in his garage, his driveway, his back yard ... and all by the same man." On one occasion, the thief waited in a chair on the porch for Morris to return home, then robbed him. To secure the property, Morris had a fence (replete with barbed wire) installed, hired a security guard to escort him to his door, and began sleeping (as did his nephew) with a loaded shotgun nearby.

On November 20, the audacious thief snuck into the garage through one of two holes he had cut during earlier burglaries, and struck again--just as Morris and his sister were exiting the house for an engagement. The thug, Luis Chandler, 32, attacked Morris, stole some cash, and fled.

The outcome would be different this time, however, thanks to alert members of a crew working at a Baptist church next to the home. Maintenance worker Robert ...