Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1855-06-16

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down to his room again.
$50 far, so good | now had to go down
stairs reach the back door, unbar it, get into
the yard. make for my room which was in the
second story Of a back building that stood
unconnected with, and about n dozen yards
from the main one After giving everybody
another half hour to settle down again,
started. Boys. did you ever try to get up OF
down pair of stairs, at midnight. without
making noise You may try all sorts Of
ways, but every step is sure to creak, each
with peculiar noise of its own, and loud
enough, you are certain, to waken everybody.
| had gotten nearly to the bottom, when a
little fiste dog came trotting up the entry to-
wards me, yelling furiously. A suppressed
Come here sir, you Zip silenced him, for he
recognized me but the fiste started the
mocking bird, and the dogs in the neighbor-
hood having learned to take the cue, of course
all joined chorus for the third time.
81 ran along the passage, reached the door,
and unlocked it, just as the governor reused
the second time, opening his door and seeing
a man escaping from the house by the back
way, of course cried "Thieves Thieves y
and made rush after me. | was too quick
for him though, opened the door, sprang out,
broke for the door that opened into the room
below mine. and had Just reached it, when
crash within foot of my head went a brick,
and another voice that / knew belonged to
next door neighbor Tompkins, joined the
governor in the cry Of Thieves Thieves !!
Murder .irhieves!' ] was safe though
Rushing up the stairs, / shelled myself quick
cr than l ever did before or since, and was in
bed and sound asleep in less than half n min
ute. Wasn't there row enough i never
heard so many dogs before the moeking bird
of course, was outdoing all previous efforts
the chickens even began to crow, Tompkins
next door was hallooing "J'hievos !" and call
ing the governor | could hear screams and
all sorts of talking and noises among the
neighbors, until at length the old gentlcman's
voice was heard in the yard calling Tom !
Tom y
Tom was sound asleep-snoring.
'Tom " cried the old man in voice that
would have reused man from an epileptic
| fit.
81 judged it prudent to wake then. and
jumping from my bed raised the window, and
rubbing one eye, and looking particularly
frightened, (Which ] was,) asked:
"Why, father, what in the worlds the
matter?"
"There's thieves in the house ~ was the
reply; get your gun and come down, and be
I quick ~
"lles in the room below you, Tom !" hal
! looed Tompkins, I'm certain Of it. | saw
him as he ran down, and threw fire brick at
him. / know he didn't pass that door, Mr..
Jones'"
| 81 was directed to "looli out for myself"
the governor stood sentinel at the door be-
low, armed with a club, while Tompkins had
five minutes to collect aid from the neighbors
and less than half that so thoroughly was
every house alarmed there were dozen or
more men in the yard, armed with guns, rs
tolls and sticks.
"The governor led the attack Opening
the door, he called, Come ont here, You
house-breaking scoundrel. If you attempt to
run or resist, III blow your brains out !" No
| body came, however.
! "'Watch the door, was the order, while |
go in : and | was told to look sharp, and
shoot the rascal if he came mp stairs 4
momentary search was sufficient to satisfy
everybody that the thief was not in that room.
"He's up stairs, then cried Tompkins, for
/ III take my Bible oath he didn't pass that
door,
80 up stairs they trooped, but l had lit a
candle by that time, aud there was no bug
bear there. The strictest search, even in
! looking under boOtjack didn't show the
/ rantest trace of him. The yard was next
examined, then the house. and everybody be-
| ing tolerabiy well satisfied that he had esca-
| ped, the ,neighbors dispersed to their several
homes, but was appointed as sentinel for
the rest Of the night, and ordered not to go
to sleep on my post under penalty Of fog
| ging.
"The articles missing, on thorough inves-
| tigation next day. were two pies and the old
ladys silver thimble. The thimble turned up
in a week or two, being discovered under the
corner of the carpet but the pies have never
been accounted for to this day. On oath,
could have given very material testimony as
to the disposition of the stolen property. but
as the case didn't come before any court,
remained silent.
Didn't the local editors loom, though
One of them elongated himself through a
/ quarter of column, and headed the item, a
! Diabolical and Atrocious Attempt at Burgla-
I ry and Murder" describing, with graphic
| particulars, the iendish attempt to throttle
/ Miss - and her servant, cOmplimented the
GOODNESS and resolution Of Il. Tompkns,
Esq and perforated with whitening ana
thema on the want Of vigilance displayed by
| the police.
1T was fun for me to see with what wide
awake sagacity the watch used to stop at the
front door and listen during their nightly
rounds, for a month after; and you couldn't
have bribed a youngster to go under the
porch on any account after dark. The ex-
citement died away though, after while
but III never forget the night l tried to get
in without making noise"