Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1855-05-24

to crack. each with peculiar noise Of its
own, and loud enough you are certain, to
waken everybody. had gotten nearly to
the bottom when little dog came trotting
up the entry towards me, yelling furionsly.
A suppressed "come here, sir, you Zip,'
silenced him, for he recognized me; but the
cur started the mocking-bird, and the dogs
in the neighborhood having learned to take
the cue, of course, all Joined chorus for the
third time. Iran along the passage, reach
ed the door, and un ocked it just as the GO
vernon, aroused the second time, opened his
door, and, seeing man escaping from the
house by the back way, of course, cried
(" Thieves! thieves!" and made rush af-
ter me. / was too qnick for him, though
! opened the door. sprang ont, broke for the
door that opened into the room below mine,
and had just reached it when crash! within
foot of my head wen, brick, and another
voice that knew belonged to our next door
neighbor, Tomkins, Joined the governor
in the cry Of Thieves! Thieves! Murder!
J Thieves!' was safe though. Rushing
up the stairs, " sheled'' myself quicker
than ever did before or since, and was in
bed and sound asleep in less than half a
minute. Wasn't there row, though 2
never heard so many dogs before; the mock
ing-bird, of course, was outdoing all previ-
Gus efforts; the chickens even began to
crow. and Tomkins, next door, was halloo-
ing '.Thieves!" and calling for ex-governor"
] could hear screams and all sorts of talking
and noises among the neighbor's, until at
length the old gentleman's voice was heard
in the yard calling "Tom Tom ~
Tom was sound asleep-snorng.
"Tom J" cried the old man, in voice
that would have reused man from an cpl
leptic fit.
/ judged it prudent to wake then. and,
jumping from my bed, raised the window,
and rubbing one eye, and looking partieu-
larly frightened (Which | was asked:
"Why, father, what in the worlds the
matter -
"There's ihieves in the house," was the
reply "get your gun and come down; and
be quick ~
"He's in that room below you, Tom ="
hallooed Tomkins, "I'm certain of it.
saw him as he ran down, and threw a fire.
brick at him. know he didn't pass that
door, Mr.. Jones'"
"Iwas directed to 'look out for myself"
the governor stood sentinel at the door be-
low, armed with club, while Tomkins had
five minutes to collect aid from the neigh
bors, and in less than half the time, so tho
roughly was every house alarmed, there was
dozen or more men in the yard, armed with
guns, pistols and sticks.
The " governor" led the attack. Open
ing the door, he called s. Come out here,
you house-breaking scoundrel II you at
tempt to run or resist l'll'blow your brains
out!" Nobody came, however.
swatch the door," was the order, "while
go in," and was told to " look sharp"
and shoot the rascal if he came up stairs"
A momentary search was sufficient to sat-
isfy every body that the thief was not in that
room.
"lIe's up stairs. them cried Tomkins,
" for I'll take my Bible oath he didn't pass
that door," -
So up stairs they trooped, but had Ii, a
candle by that time, and. there was no bug
bear there. The strictest search, even to
looking unde: boot-jack, didn't show the
iaintest trace Of him. The yard was next
examined, then the house, and everybody
being a, length tolerably well satisfied that
he had escaped, the neighbors dispersed to
their several homes; but | was appointed
sentinel for the rest of the night, and or
dered no, to go to sleep on my post under
penalty Of flogging.
The articles missing, on a thorough in
vestigation next day, were two pies and the
old lady's silver thmble. The ,himble turn
ed up in "A week or two, being discovered
under cor,.er Of the carpet; but the pies
have never been accounted for to this day.
On oath could have given very material
testimonyas to the disposition OF the stolen
fore any court, remained silent.
Didn't the local editors loom, though. One
of them elongated himself through quarter
Of column, and headed the item A Dia-
bolicat and Airocious Attempt at Burglary
and Mardsr,' describing with graphic par.
ticulars, the fiendish attempt to throttle
Miss and her servant" complimented
the goodness and resolution of Il. Tomk ms,
Esq, and perforated with a whitening ana
thema on the want of vigilance displayed
by the police.
Ii was fun for me to see with what wide
awake sagacity the Waterman used to stop
at the front door and listen, during their
| nightly rounds for month after; and you
couldn't have hribed youngster to go I'M
| der the porch on any account after dark.
The excitement died away, though, after a
while; but I'll never forget the night til
ed to get into the house "wi,hout making a
noise"