The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-06-25

An Arthstlc bursIar.-A True Nara.
tive.
De Quincy wrote long ago of murder
considered as one of the fine arts, and the
aesthetic side of certain other breaches of
the decalogue has been abundantly illus
trated i'll modern fiction; but ii was re-
served for man whose true name is
shrouded in unmerited obscurity to show
what field burglary presents for the dis
play of a refined order of genius. The
story deserves repeating as II story and
will be recognized by many under the
slight disguise of altered names.
Some ten or twelve years ago, in town
just so far from Boston that it likes to con-
slider itself suburban, and one we will call
G., there came to live man who proved
himself most exemplary citizen, and
whom we will call Mr.. Herricll. He was
a mechanic and worked daily at his trade
in large factory with steady and con-
scientious industry. He was perfectly up
right in his dealings, had no vices and went
regularly to church. He had the conf
dence of his employers, the respect of his
fellow workmen, and by virtue of a coun-
tenance fresh in color and singularly guile
less and engaging in expression, and a
certain homely but ready courtesy, the
warm regard of all the female population,
lllHH anu INV. illDSl
men he was modest, and allowed accident
to discover the fact that besides his skill in
his proper handicraft he had kind of me-
chanical cleverness, especially about locks
keys and fastenings of all kinds-which
last he himself attributed to his having
worked for awhile with locksmith in
his earlier youth. The result was that
people whose fastenings, whether of
doors, windows, trunks, desks or Safes
were out of order, fell into the habit of en-
ploying Mr.. Herrick to mend them, and he
did it promptly, cheaply and extremely
well, in all these respects favorably distin-
gushing himself from the ordinary lock
tinker And then he was such a pleasant
trustworthy fellow to have about. Shop
keepers showed him with wink the secret
of their safes, and old ladies living in lone
ly mansions admitted him to their most sa-
cred cupboards or brought forth by their
brass handles and set before him their old
fashioned writing desks. And rs he deity
Clipped and fitted, they conversed with
him about the sickness in the neighborhood
the Interest" in the church, and even their
beloved sold times" in which he took an
uncommon interest, and felt all the safer
about the quaint treasures which they
guarded SO nervously 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 community
outwardly puritanical, not to say austere,
and its influential people were chiefly of
strict order, both of faith and practice, but
certain small vices abounded. Among
these was peculiar mysterious 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 disap-
pear from the hall table and the prize
pitcher from the side board-but the locket
and the gold set miniature forsoOk the Sc
cret drawer, the antique porringer left the
top shelf of the china closet, and the single
trinket was missing from among the treas
ures of the carefully locked and seemingly
inviolate cask. Not a week hardly
day passed, but some event of this
kind occurred within the precincts of
O., and there were certain houses
where the visitation was so often repeated
that they became marked, and honest Hi
hernia considered it as much as her
character was worth to take service in
them The criminal, of criminals. enjoy
ing glorious impunity, the crime natural
ly spread and prospered. and at last as
sumed proportions of actual dignity.
Such number of postal robberies were
traced TO d that suspicion fell
heavily upon the 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 re-
moved and virtually disgraced. The next
victim was an expressman who drove
brisk trade between O. and the me
tropolis, and occupied that proud position
in the affections and interests of the COM
munity which jealous common carrier in
a suburban town now attains. BY and by
It began to be whispered that packages in
trusted to him, especially if they remained
in the express office over night, were some
times tempered with. Wedding gifts re-
| ceived by the bride-elect with beautiful
| blush, and opened with eager fingers, were