Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-02-20
nlu,Y POST IHfELLIGEICER.
TRAPPING A BrRCLAR.

TAPPING A BIRCLAB.
An amusing case was recently tired IN
the Superior Court of Norwich, CoIln-
George Avery is typical country gro,
Ger. and his store in the qniet village OF
Groton has almost as varied SOCK OF
foods as was crowded into the ARK. ne
e tall and lean, and pfosaic ana metn-
odical in disposition. be never snhes.
No one ever accused him OF numoI y,
ehrevdness. 1t intervals OF severa
yeare his store has been entered AZ DILL
bvtbisves and small Sums OF money Law
been stolen from his till. Two OF snIec
months ago be lost quite sun OF MONEY
and some valuable goods IN tn.s TaJ
~. Avery said nothing; but ne took q
made and went down into his ceiial auu
heoan TO dig hole directly beneath ni5
money drawer. At odd times ZOE s1se.a =
DAYS thereafter, when trade was gun aau
the male gossips had fallen asleep on
the cracker barrels up stairs, Mr.. avery
toiled at his excavations. When ne na9
fnished his work with the shower ne mao
a DIT four feet square and eight ieet oeop;
From the top of the hole TO the nooi Oh
the grocery was distance OF ABOUT ten
feet. Mr.. Avery next purchased some oI
the most smoothly-matched yellow pine
boards in the market, and WIN them
made seamless shaft reaching from the
floor of the grocery 70 the bottom OF !ne
nit. He next out square noie III .ne
door under the till and rugged In Trap
similar to those used on gallows Irames'
directly opening into his ten 1901 snaI.'
He invented q reflex action spring tnat,
after the descent of the trap. wouio saAe
the door back into position, wnefe II
would be held by . snap-catcn. MI.
Avery was now ready for his next Dui-
Rlar. He arranged his trap during tns
dsy no that neither he nor his clerk wouio
fall into The bowels Of the earth, but IN
vsrisbly 1t. it baised when ne shu. up
store tor sue night. He waited seVefai
weeks with no result.
On the night Of January "a henry
johnson and a partner, wandering ras-
Gals from New York, decided 70 enter
Mr.. Ayery's store for pillage. Inc get
ting in was simple process. Ihey Or
etIv removed . pane Of glass and John
son entered. He trod safely across the
store and passed behind the counter.
He approached the till. He placed MS
hand on the drawer knob and too1 u
step forward. Instantly the trap shot
downward with a rattle and bang, and
Mr.. johnson went down straight as
plumb into the chasm. His descent was
60 sudden and rapid that he hadn't time
TO utter q cry to his companion. Inc
latter heard the noise of the trap as II
struck against tho side OF the shaft, and
at once made off. The trap. as soon as
it had disposed of its victim, rose swiftly
and noiselessly into its place, and the
automatic hasp fastened It.
Mr.. johnson, speaking to reporter
concerning his downfall, said:
~ thought was going to the bottom
of the earth. Twas surprised. struck
all in a heap. 1t was total darkness.
picked myself up after while and found
that was lame, but no bones were bro
ken. ] then began to think OF some
means of getting out. thought was
In the cellar and felt around. My hand
struck against the side of the pit. l
found there was q smooth surface all
around me. Az high up as could jump
Il was solid ~ steel. kicked against
the sides, bat it WAS no use. cussed
the demnition hole. Then thought /
might dig under the boards, and l went
to work with q will; but after digging
for half an hour Win my hands and pill
ing MP 1Iuund of earth behind me. the
u;!sd M earth began to run back into
The hole. l gave up the task as hopeless
and waited for developments. Twas now
anxious to be caught. Any way to get
out of that blasted pit, which was blacker
than midnight"
At an early hour on January Sd Mr..
Avery camo down to his store, opened It
and at once saw that burglars had paid
il visit and that the trap had been
sprung. Mr.. Avery went about his morn
ing duties with his usual cOmpOsure,
sweeping out the store and setting things
10 rights. He did not 90 to the shaft to
80 whether the burglar had escaped. he
had perfect confidence in the trap. After
an hour or two, and after returning to
his home and eating breakfast, he called
the neighb0rs into tho store and told
them about his trap. He added that he
had good reasons for believing there was
Q burglar in it. All went to tho mouth
Of the shaft, and Mr.. Avery raised the
lid. They peersd down and dimly de-
scrisd Mr.. johnson, begrimed with soil,
sitting complacently on the dirt pile at
The bottom. He looked up at the crowd
and called ont:
this oussed trapw
Mr.. Avery replied that there was no
hurry. A constable WAS called in, ropes
were prepared, and after quarter Of an
hour JOHNSON was drawn up and landed
on the grocery floor. He made no effort
TO sscape. He was taken TO New London
and lodged In the county Jail. He plead
Al nuiltv II, tina Anna n n I'm RI Ia oh a rue