The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-07-29
AnAdreninre with a BurgIar.
From cassell's Magazine.

From Cassell's Magazine.
went TO Covent Garden Theatre one
nioht last season. We were let out at II,
md I set off to my lodgings. knocked:
here was no answer. l knocked again: a
was thrown up, and my landlady's
head appeared.
"Who are you?" she screamed.
sLet's in, please; it's mel I answered.
srThen Mr.. Me if you don't come home
aforo ten, you may stay out till mornin'. l
never wait up for my lodgers-my door is
closed at ten u and then the window closed
with q bang.
mo gor' thinks I. 81 have no money.
I'll go to a railway station, and wait N the
waiting-room till morning" which resolu-
ton [ proceeded to carry out by walking
for the Bank.
1 turned into Moorgate street. and was
Just thinking whether l should go to the
London. Brighton, and South Sea Coast,
or the London Bridge Station. L stopped
To think. There was a cOnfectioneI's shop
inst in front of me. Oh, that it were open.
/ had three-pence left.
Inst at this moment a tall, broad shonl-
dered man came up 10 me, and viewed me
from top to toe. Hooked at him. He was
dressed in dark clothes; a.pea-jacket and a
clap-trap cloth cap, with a peak lying level
on the forehead, gave me a feeling OF awe.
The thought forced itself. upon me that he
was a garroter. He spoke first.
sfYo1're Nj. Sam?" and he laid his finger
on his nose.
best to agree with him, although my nam
was Tom.
eThen come alongr" and away we went.
did Butler give We e'er a plstolf" he
asked.
NO" said I, beginning to tremble. "He
said he wanted them himself"
sJust like him. He told me I'd find you.
standing in Moo-gate street, between twelve
and one, opposite the confectioner's, with
your right hand in your pocket"
sI'm in for i'll" thinks l. but l must go
through with it. Bat whatever Will 1t come
to at all at ALP
He led me through a labyrinth ofstreets,
walking rather fast, till we emerged upon
the CITY Road. Then he made straight for
the Angel. and from thence took a cab for
Fleet street! What object he had in doing
this I cannot say. He did not offer to ex-
plain: in fact, not q word passed be-
tween us till we got out at the top OF Lud-
gate Hill.
From thence we went into a back street,
and out of that into another, no matter
which, and suddenly stopping opposite a
shop, he exclaimed:
sfThere's our crib r.
sis it?" says /.
Whereupon he produced from his pock-
ct a rule. The shop was evidently q tall
or's as il had bars standing out, like the
rupgs on a Jacobs ladder, from each SIDE
of the door. TO exhibit stock upon. My
friend stepped on the first of these, which
was three feet from the ground, and speed,
ily measured the height of q large glass
fanIght over the door; then, stepping
down again, he measured the breadth OF
; the door, and as the fanlight was square, ht
muttefed to me, by way oil giving me III
|. dimensions:
|. esThree and a half by two highl' AND
chuckled quietly.
Then he crossed the road, and l follow
. led, he explaining that We mdst wait TIL tn
! policeman passed. He hove in sight aoou
ten minutes afterwards, while we walked
mast him. Then We waited till he return
ed. This time we did not pass him, bu
watched him from a corner at a distance.
ssTwentv minutes and a half between go
, ING and coming" exclaimed my compan
ion. s.And a handy beat; for he u
the conner ere"-pointing to one a httl
3 beyond the shop-'hnd goes down thi
: street next ours"
The impression began to steal over m
a that l was committing, or helping to com
K NIT. a felony, and that if caught L nigh
oct into trouble. 1 thought of running TO
= +: but the remark my companion made q
moment. to the effect that it would b
3 La short run e deserted him Qor he seem
e ed to see I didn't like the job), deterre
me. dared not explain that he had mad
e. a mistake. for 1 felt sure that he must hav
d mistaken me for some ally of his own. :
d must 90 through with it, thinks L. she.
70 leave me outside to watch, and I'll hook
q then!" So l went on.
Is He crossed the street again the momer
le the policeman was past interfering wit
le us, and producing a piece of stout blae
+ cloth, he applied the rule thereto, L hole
IN ing it against the shutters while he set oil
r sthree and a half by two thereon. III
done, he cut it within two inches OF t.
ID measurement all round; and then produ
IN ing a treacle-pot from his pocket, /
Of smotbered one side of the cloth vii
&c treacle. and desiring me to hold it,
Sc mounted the shop door, so to speak, agail
ny a d 1 gave him the cloth, which he imm
OF diatelv elapped on to the skylight, the tire
st Gle making it adhere firmly to the glas
X Then. looking at his watch, he cried:
oBv GOSH he'll be here this minute
z and awav he walked. A glance behind u
as we turned the next corner. Not yet
sipht. We stopped and waited, but Il
policeman came not. My friend muttert
an oath, adding, "IIl 60. Comealong; b
keep yoLr weather eye openl" And {
- we went.
s.Perhaps he is watching us?" 1 su
. gested. But the idea was discarded as n
in the nature of a policeman like that Oh
we saw"
We arrived at the shop. He mounts
e, again, and drove a string through a hole
:, the cloth. Then he ran a diamond roul
:. the edge of The glass. "A gentle pat, al
= it v way. Now I saw the use OF t
= cloth and the string. He could hold t
=; glass by the string, and he slowly let
ipl down into the shop, and producing q Ion
shaped pad, he laid it along &
bottom of the fanlight to cover t
~ glass edge, and threw n leg in
the opening, and got astride of it
Follow me" he muttered, and duck
nrt his head under the door-head. But befo
90. he could draw in the other leg, L mount
%. the ladder, and, seizing it. gave him a p'
which kept him from going in, at the sal
time yelling, 'Police ! Thieves Murde
Policer'- at the top of my voice. And
l. and behold ! the policeman appeared
y the corner at that moment. A horrit
al oatn from within, a pistol-bullet WHISTLE
past my head. and I ran for death and ii
Sc [ did not stop till 1 found myself IN Bro
street.
In the next days papers 1 saw the
ne count of the capture of a burglar by q I
he licenan, who watched toO burglars fro
ec- IL - 81 q, q, o1tor fbh bar,,