The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1882-10-11

least noise take your hammer and give
it three raps on the wall will at once
understand that by that is meant a
precautionary signal. It's quite as good
as any telegraphic apparatus. 1 hear
the three raps good. l wake up at
once, and, springing out of bed put on
my clothes. lam prepared for action,
as 1t were. Then, should your fears
continue, you keep on rapping. l
understand at once that the danger is
imminent. Then / seize my revolver,
cock it, runs downstairs, bound over
the fence, and my presence at once
disconcerts the robbers. They en-
deavor to escape; L shoot two or three
of them, and you and your charming
granddaughter are saved"
at very dreadful, but quite kind
and thoughtful of you, and 80 In
genious. do believe that if knew
that some one was watching for my
safety half my fears would be dis
sipated." The old woman really looked
quite grateful. $50 you think you
could hear me?" she asked
"Of course 1 could. sleep on one
ear" | replied. at is true the idea is
perfectly my own, but as introduced
by me it is quite practicable, for it has
been put on trial; III fact, by means of
the hammer system we might dispense
with the police entirely. Once, when l
lived in quite deserted neighborhood
"a long row of houses in a suburban
portion of the city-I organized ham
mer alarm. l had to do it for self
protection. There had been robbery
after robbery in the row, and the
police were afraid to interfere. Every
body in that row went regularly to bed
with a hammer. 1t was very hard on
the thieves, for, as bad luck would
have it for those rascals, they tried to
break into one house just at the end
of the row. In six seconds every inmate
in the row had been informed that Il
burglarious attempt was being made.
You might have heard the three taps
working along from house to house in
the stiffness of the night. Everybody
turned out under my lead. We made
a Gordon, swept the street, and captured
six or seven of the robbers. / don't
remember the number of them exactly,
only that they were the most blood
thirsty rascals known in the annals of
crime"
The old lady, whose hair fairly stood
up by this time-or would have stood
up If she had had any-was profuse in
her thanks. Just what | wanted took
place. l was invited next evening to
take tea, and the old lady in person
showed me her garden, so that l might
understand the lay of the land.
Now, 1 had reconnoitered the premi-
ses before, not that l thought any
thing ever would happen, but really
out of consideration for the young
woman. The fence was not very
high one, though adorned with spikes.
To facilitate my climbing, rolled a
big barrel near it. l could step on
that and then with slight effort could
scale the fence. / showed my plans of
succor and the old lady approved of
them. l bought "a tack-hammer, pre-
sented it to her, and explained to her,
in detail, the method of signaling.
The tea was very pleasant one,
and the young lady agreeable l went
to bed that night quite happy and quite
forgot all about the signals. In fact, a
week or so elapsed and nothing oc-
Cured to break the quiet of that really
peaceful neighborhood.
/ am sound sleeper generally, but on
a certain night not long afterward
there was such terrible storm Of
wind and rain, with rafting of win
dows, that my usual rest would not
come. At ,last l went off into half
dreamy dose, when suddenly close TO
my ear l was awakened with a start
| heard the three ominous taps on the
wall L never listened to anything so
dreadful in my life. Was l awake
| waited while. 1t was the precau-
tionary signal, but not the positive
alarm. Rat-tat-tat-went the DEVILS
tattoo on the wall, then | knew that
danger was imminent. Hooked out of
ohe window, and it was raining cats
and dogs l shuddered Still the
cursed rapping of the hammer rever-
berated through the room. l huddled
on my clothes. | never had a revolver
in my life, and, had l owned one, would
not have known how to shoot it off. |
wished / had not lied 50, but l always
was romantic. The rapplng continued
like mad. Suppose these were real,
true for true robbers next door What
could a single, poor, inoffensive, un-
armed young man like me do against a
whole gang of bloodthirsty house
breakers2 / know that they would
murder me for interfering with
their legitimate business.
thonght once l would open the
window and yell "Murder thieves r'
but my window looked on the yard, and
the wind was bowling so that had there
been a whole squad of police below not
one of them would have heard me. II
was dreadful to be walked up that way
TO walk to sudden death, and so unpre-
pared as knew 1 was. l cursed my
officiousness l was dressed somehow
of lacf q nj want cloudy cbf1rarin,, 4 o,,,,,