The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-03-04


and curious circle.
Mrs. Bixby was unceTemOniOusiy left
with her teapot. She has had time
for a good, strong, sOul-inspiring cup
while we have been off with the OBJ
servations. We will take up her ease
again if you like. The most and
heaviest OF her troubles Mrs. BiXby,
Of course, bears on her OWL account,
but she has taken a gOOdly number
on her shoulders for our village. With
all its unprincipled usurers, dishonest
dealers and eXorbitant labOrers, it's a
very wicked place, and being widow
lady, Mrs. BiXby fully understands
the depths of its wickedness. She
wants it to reform, butt case il. won't
reform she wants justice, signal and
unsparing, shown it. We have been
getting more and more of the lights OF
modern civilization every year. Last
years license liquor law gave US six
bright and shining ones; yet Mrs.
Bixby saw no improvement. She
felt sure trouble was in store for Us,
as il always was for her, the only diff
ference being that it would fall upon
US as a Just retributiOn; upon her it
came through the evil mindedness of
us dwellers in the Valley Of Destruct-
ion.
Mrs. Bixby believed that we were
approaching the wickedness of SOdOm
aIId GOmorrah,-and she was laboriOus
in devising methods for our destruct-
ton without resOrting to any literal
| fire and birthstone storm. The factory
dam might give away and the flood
destroy US, as III the old days when the
wickedness of man was great in the
earth, and the Imagination of his
heart evil continually; or fire might
consume all our ill-gOtten wealth and
humble the spirit that bOasted itself /;
or the pestilence mightsweep US from
the face Of the earth, leaving but a
name and a heritage.
But if we went by water Mrs. Bixby
and Mrs. BiXby's COW and cosset and
hens would be likely to go too; If we
went by fire her real estate would be
/ likely to depreciate in value; and if
! the cholera took us off Mrs. BiXby, be-
/ ing very susceptible to contagious dis
eases, would, in all likelihood, go
early, without the satisfaction of see
ing righteous vengeance executed. so
all that she feared for the village
threatened to have reflex action on
herself 1t would be possible for bur-
glars to spoil US and Mrs. BiXby re-
main unframed, but burglars seemed
not TO occur to her. Nevertheless we
had burglars.
We are village on the Boston and
Albany railroad, of few years and
small size, but with large prospects
and a taste for metropolitan institu-
tions so when L say that instead of
burglars proving a salutary discipline,
we took a degree of pleasure in having
them you will understand my mean
ing.
We had an account of our expert
ence in the newspaper, and read over
the item with some inward gratula-
tion at our Importance. The manu-
facturers' wives, from the night of the
burglary ceased to speak of their SER
wants as "hired help ;" and before the
close of the first day after the event,
building lots had risen ten per cent
A wholesome awe fell upon all per-
SONS of ten years of age and under
after dark, and older persons were
supplied with a great desideratum of
life, something to talk about. Every
one advanced theories, suggested pos
sibilities and laid plans long, deep
and wide, in adroitness. But there is
q palpable difference between specu-
lating upon burglars with the sun
high in the heavens, and getting out
at night to hunt up the camphOr bot
tie, and running into the arms OF a
big man carrying dark lantern. 80
that, while every one speculated, ev-
cry one purchased patent locks and
patent firearms. Men slept sOundly
through thunder storms, cat-fights,
and the breakingupOf Good Templars
meetings, with loaded revOlvers under
their pillows, and women lay awake
all night to listen to the mice gnaw-
ing through the garnet stairs.
The facts of the case of Villagers
versus Burglars were something as
follows: Potter & Brothers store had
been broken open and thirty-seven
cents, very little of which was cOun-
terfeit, taken from the money drawer.
Two pieces of handkerchief and half
dozen pairs of Stockings were also
taken. The stockings were thrown
into the river,-an evidence of good
judgment of the quality of stockings
on the part of the burglars. Potter &
Brothers sent for the constable, for
there was strong circumstantial evi-
| dence. A gimlet had been found, and
the boot-track pointed toward Pitts
field. Three persons knew men who
had purchased gimlets, and five per-
sons knew men that had been seen
going in the direction of Pittsfield.-
Potter & Brothers would have sent for
the sheriff, but the constable believed
that he was empowered with sufficient
authority 20 act in such cases. The
burglars were not apprehended, but
Potter & Brothers took an inventory,
and sent for five varieties of patent
locks and three qualities of gunpow-
der.
A week after, Miss Samantha Fish
was awakened at dead of night by
some improper person removing the
putty from around a pane of glass in
her parlor window. Miss Fish, being
woman of great spirit, put her head
out of the chamber window and in
quired who was there, no one ans
wered, and Miss Fish being woman
of great presence of mind as well as
spirit, seized the water pitcher and
emptied it into the yard just as the
improper person ran around the street
corner.
Soon after, Potter & Brothers and
Miss Fish were called to share their
hOnors with various people who had
heard persons come up their front
walk and go away again, with various
dogs who are supposed to bark at their
supposed burglars, and with numer-
Gus small boys who had glimpses of
Strange mem about town.
Mrs. Bixby, being a lone woman
with her natural protector lying un-
der the daisies, took the alarm from
nocturnal demonstrations to such a
degree that she had very little pleas
ure in them as judgments. She lock-
ed up her purse in the northwest cor
ner of her upper bureau drawer and
hid the key under the rocking chair
cushion, doubled locked her doors and
fastened her windows; yet went to
bed with weight of uncertainties on
her troubled bosom. She hired big
dog, bargaining to give the dogs
board and ten cents a day for his pro-
lection. The dog took Mrs. BiXby
and all her neighbOrs for burglars, and
attacked them with such vigOr that
Mrs. Bixby gave a man fifty cents to
chain her protector in the barn, and
then hired the dogs owner to take it
away.
After that, Mrs. Bixby declared, do
lorously, that she expected to be rob
bed. Now l tell you cOnfdentially,
that she no more expected it than you
or Iexpect the troubles which We some
times say are sure to come upon us,
but which we should be very much
surprised,-very much surprised in
deed-tO see walk in and take a seat
in our house Familiarity. Yet Mrs.
Bixby said she expected it, and she
probably did look for it in general
kind of a way, as she did for all man.
ner and circumstances of trials.
1t was soon after Mrs. Bixby avOw-
ed her expectations that the Detective
arrived. She found him OH the back
door steps when she came home from
the Society She was suspicious, at
first, that he was an insurance COM
pany man or tax collector, and told
him he might sit down on the steps
and she would bring him piece of
bread and butter.
81 beg PARDON" said he, politely,
"this is Mrs.