The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1873-07-10
An Artistic Burglar.

| served tor man whose true name is
| shrouded in unmerited obscurity to show
what a field burglary presents for the dis
| play of refined order Of genius. The
story deserves repeating as u story, and
will be recognized by many under the
! slight disguise of altered names
Some ten or twelve years ago, in
| town Just so tar from Boston that it likes
to consider itself suburban, and one we
will call C, there came to live 4 man
who proved himself a most exemplary
citizen, and whom we will call Mr. Her
rick. He was mechanic and worked
daily at his trade in II large factory. with
steady and conscientious industry He
was perfectly upright in his dealings, had
no vices and went regular to church. He
had the confidence of his employers, the
respect of his fellow workmen, and, by
| virtue Of 4 countenauce fresh in color
and singularly guileless and engaging
| in expression, and 4 certain homelV
| but ready courtesy, the warm regard OF
all the female population, high and low.
| Like most meritorious men he was modest,
and allowed accident to discover the fact
that besides his skill in his proper handi-
craft he had kind of general mechanical
cleverness, especially about locks, keys,
and tastenings 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
| tastenings, whether of doors, windows,
| trunks, desks or safes, were out of order.
! fell into the habit Of employing Mr.. Her
rirk TO mend them, and he did it prompt
| ", cheaply and extremely well, in All
| these respects tavOrably distinguishing
himself from the ordinary lock-tinker.
And then he was such Il pleasant trust
worthy fellow to have about Shopkeep-
ers showed him with wink the secret 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-tashioned writing-deskS And
as he detty chipped and fitted, they con-
verSed with him about the sickness in the
nelghbOrhoOd, the ''intereSt" in the church
and even tiiell beloved old times III
which he took IN uncommon interest and
| felt all the safer about the quaint treasures
which they guarded 50 neryously after
their secrets We're shared with tins rp-
spectacle man.
But OF this man, the community where
I
some respect unworthy. 1t was Il com
munity outwardly Pnritanical, not to say
austere, and its influential people were
chiefly Of a strict order both of talth and
practice, but certain small vices abound
/ ed. Among these was q peculiarly mys-
terious order OF petty thlevng, Things
vanished out of the most private places
leaving no trace Of disturbance among
/ "a it,in. ii Il
places which knew them no more Not
only did the opera-glass disappear from
the hall table and the prize pitcher from
the sideiIoard, but the locirt and the
| gold-Set miniature torsoOk the secret
drawer, the antique porringer left the top
shelf of the china closet, and thr single
trinket was missing from among the
treasures Of the carefully locked and
seemingly inviolaIe casket Not i week
! hardly a day passed within the precincts
OF e.; thd there We're certain houses
where the visitation was 50 often repeated
that they became marked, and honest Iii
hernia considered it as much Us Il char
acter' was worth to take service IN them
The criminal, or criminals. ENJOYING q
glorious importantly, the crime naturally
spread and prospered, and at last assumed
. II bPbl ilpi7 VI tIlull tiIOilltN tpHCil Il
number Of postal rohberes were traced
10 c. that suspicion fell heavily upon
the two men q father and son of previous
ly ilreproachable life who shared the
dntes and responsibilities OF the local
office. Nothing was ever proved, OF even
formally alleged against them, but politi-
cal influence was brought to the aid OF
private prejudice, and they were both re-
| n,nXnl
next victim was an eXpressman who drove
a brisk trade between G- and the
metropolis, and occupied that proud posi-
ton in the affections and interests of the
community which Jealous common
carrier in suburban town often attans
BY and by it began to lie whispered that
packages intrusted to him, especially ifthey
remained in the express office over night
were sometimes tampered with. Wed
ding gifts received by the bride-elect with
a beautiful blush, and opened with eager
fingers, were found to consist of Il neat
box,sa morocco case and u layer of tissue
paper. A fashionable young lady came
to &. on q visit Her immense trunk took
an independent detour, as trunks oc-
casionally do The eXpress-man traced
and captured and duly deposited it with
its owner-straps and lastenings all right
but when it was opened its contents
We're found to have been subjected to a
thorough review and most discriminating
selection. The heavy silks and fresh
gloves We're gone. True lace had been
unerringly distinguished from false, and
cashmere from Paisley. The expressman
protested innocence, paid his legal forfeit
and remained under a cloud.
This state of things had lasted Tor about
three years, when there appeared in G A.
one autumn two strangers who proicsse,i
business of Importance with Mr.. Herrick
They called at his lodging and were
directed to the manufactory where, rs
was his industrious wont, he was work
ing somewhat over hours. A something
unusual and significant in the bearing OF
these men attracted 20 them Il following
Of the idle, and dozen otlicious fellows
stood ready to point our the tall factory and
the fourth-story back room where. bend
ing under a single gaslight, Mr. iIerrick
was found at work, and where the
strangers produced warrant, and arrest
ed 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 under a volunteer
guard of his dumbtounded fcllow-citizens,
while they returned to his lodgings for
this purpose Mr.. Herrick had accepted
his arrest with exquisite calmness-care-
fully put away his tools and submitted
without Il murmer to the majesty of the
law but no sooner We're the officers of
justice gone than something extraordinary
happened. A rush was made, the gas
was put out, there was a crash OF window
glass, and the sound Of y dull thud lar
below and when the astonished volunteers
had contrived to strike a fresh light about
them their prisoner was indubitably gone.
They leaned far out of the shattered win
dow gazing yacantly down upon the hard
frozen earth OF November, and remarking
upon the singular absence of remains be.
low; then they turned inward, surveyed
the vacant room, went down the silent
stairways, and made the circuit of the
building outside, returning just in time to
encounter the disgusted officers of Justice.
Under the auspices of the latter a stricter
search was instituted, but it was vain.