American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-08-16
An Artistic Burglar.

IN unmerited obscurity to show what 6
field burglary presents for the display of 8
refined order of genius The story de
serves repeating as a story, and will be
recognized by many under the slight dis
guise of altered names.
Some ten or twelve years ago, in town
just so far from Boston that it likes to con
sider itself suburban, and one we will call
d, there came to live a man who prov
ed himself most exemplary citizen
and whom we will call Mr. Herrick. He
was mechanic and worked daily at his
trade In large factory, with steady and
conscientious industry. He was perfectly
upright in his dealings had no vices, and
went regularly to church. He had the
confidence of his employers, the respect
o. his fellow workmen, and by virtue of
a countenance fresh in color and singular
ly gulleless and engaging in expression,
| and Il certain hOmely but ready courtesy,
the warm regard of all the female poprl-
latiOn, high and low. Like most merito-
| rious men he was modest and allowed &C
cident to discover the fac that besides his
skill in his proper handicraft he had a
| kind of general mechanical cleverncss,
especially about locks, keys and fasten-
| ings of all kinds-which last he himself
| attributed to his having worked for awhile
| with a locksmith in his earlier youth
The result was that people whose fasten-
| ings, whether of doors, windows, trunks,
| desks or safes, were out of order, fell into
the habit of employing Mr.. Herrick to
mend them, and he did it promptly, cheap
ly and extremely well, in all these respects
| favOrably distinguishing himself from the
ordinary lock-tinker. And then he was
such a pleasant trustworthy fellow to have
about. ShOpkeepers showed him with a
wink the secrets of their safes, and old
| ladies living in lonely mansions admitted
| him to their most sacred cupbOards, or
brought forth by their brass handles and
set before him their old-fashioned writing
desks. And as he deity Clipped and
| fitted, they cOnversed with him about
the sickness in the neighborhood, the
interest in the church, and even their
| beloved "old times,'' in which he took an
| uncommon interest, and felt all the safer
about the quaint treasures which they
guarded so nervouslv after their secrets
were shared with this respectable man.
But of this man, the community where
| he lived and so deservedly throve, was in
some respects unworthy. 1t was CON-
munity Outwardly Puritanical, not to say
austere, and its influential people were
chiefly of a strict order, both of faith and
practice, but certain small vices abound
ed. Among these was a peculiarly mys-
FERROUS order of petty thieving. Things
vanished out of the most private places,
leaving no trace of disturbance among the
remaining contents of the hiding-places
which knew them no more. Not only did
the Opera-glass disappear from the hall
| table and the prize pitcher from the side
board-but the locket and the gOld-set
miniature forsOOk the secret drawer, the
antique porringer left the top shelf of the
china-clOset, and the single trinket was
missing from among the treasures of the
carefully locked and seemingly inviolate
casket Not week, hardly a day passed,
but some event of this kind occurred with
in the precincts of c., and there were
certain houses where the visitation was so
often repeated that they became marked,
and honest Hibernia considered it as
much as her Character was worth to
take service in them. The criminal, or
criminals, enjoying glorious impunity,
the crime naturally spread and prospered,
and at last assumed proportions of actual
dignity. Such number of postal rob-
berries were traced to C. that suspicion
fell heavily upon two men-a father and
son of previously irreproachable life
who shared the duties and responsibilities
of the local office. Nothing was ever
proved or even formally alleged against
them, but political influence was brought
to the aid of private prejudice, and they
were both removed and virtually dis
graced. The next victim was an ex-
y
between G. and the metropolis, and
occupied that proud position in the affec-
tons and interests of the community which
a Jealous common carrier in suburban
town often attains. BY and by it began
to be whispered that packages intrusted
to him, especially if they remained in the
express over night, were sometimes tam
pered with. Wedding gifts received by
the bride-elect with beautiful blush, and
opened with eager fingers, were found to
consist of a neat box, morocco case and
IA LAYER of tissue paper A fashionable
Young lady came to G. on a visit. Her
immense trunk took an independent de-
tour, as trunks occasionally do. The ex-
pressman traced and captured and duly
deposited it with its owner-straps and
fastenings all right-but when it was
opened its contents were found to have
been subjected to a thorough review and
most discriminating selection. The heavy
silk and the fresh gloves were gone. True
lace had been unerrlngly distinguished
from false and cashmere from Paisley
The eXpressman protested innocence,
paid his legal forfeit, and remained under
il cloud.
This state of things had lasted for about
three years, when there appeared in C.
one autumn evening two strangers, who
profcssed business of importance with
wi
and were directed to the mandatory
where, as was his industrious wont, he
was working somewhat over hours. A
something unusual and significant in the
bearing of these men attracted to them a
following of the idle, and dozen Off
cious fellows stood ready to point out the
tall factory and the fourth story back
room where, bending under a single gas
light, Mr.. Herrick was found at work,
and where the strangers produced Il war
rant, and arrested him for completely in a
late famous but far-distant robbery. A
strenuous part of the officers instructions
had reference to securing Mr. Herrick's
papers, and they accordingly left him I'M
der IL volunteer guard of his dumbiounded
fellow citizens, while they returned to his
lodging for this purpose. Mr.. Herrick had
accepted his arrest with exquisite calm
ness-carefully put away his tools and
ty of the law; but no sooner were the
officers of justice gone than something
extraordinary happened. rush was
made, the gas was put out, there was a
crash of window glass and the sound of a
dull thud far below, and when the aston
ishcd volunteers had contrived to strike I;
fresh light and look about them, their
prisoner was Individually gone. They
leaned far out of the shattered window,
gazing vacantly down upon the hard fro
zen earth of November, and remarking
upon the singular absence of remains he
low; then they turned inward, surveyed
the vacant room, went down the silent
stairways, and made the circuit of the
building inside, returning just in time to
,t.,I of