The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1883-10-17
DANGERS OF BURGLING.
A WESTERN MIDNIGHT RAID.
A Frightened House.brcnker and the story
lie Told when lie Cooled Down n Little.
lFrom the Milwaukee SUM-

From the Milwaukee SUM-
II is the general impression among
people who have ever thought OF the
matter at all, that burglars, those enter
prising citizens who enter houses at
night to rob, in the dark, not knowing
Int dozen revolyers may be pointed at
them, are the bravest men in the world.
On the contrary, they are the most cow
arlly. There is not one burglar out OF
hundred but would desert before he
would go into battle, if he were sol
der, and the business OF burglar is
not half as dangerous as braking on a
freight train, working around printing
press, or holding position on police
force. The man who goes to Sunday
picnic, with an excursion from city,
takes his life in his hand and is in more
danger than any burglar is in entering a
house ut night. The boy who attends
mn elevator in factory, or the girl who
works sewing machine in an establish.
mcnt where shafting and belts run over
head, is in more danger Of being killed
than a burglar is in the practice Of his
calling.
Not long since, n citizen, who was
troubled with heart disease, was lying
awake after midnight, when he heard a
burglar eiiecting an entrance at a win
dow Of the sleeping room. Being lone
some he kept still and allowed the visitor
to come in, thinking he might be good
company. As the burglar entered the
room, the citizen raised up in bed,
placed pillow in front OF him, pointed
a long bony finger at the intruder, and
told him to hold up his hands. The
burglar did so, and in one hand was a
revolver. The citizen told the burglar
to throw that revolver ont Of window
into the street, which was done at once,
aud it could be heard to drop into the
road. The burglar trembled like leaf,
and begged the citizen with heart disease
10 spare his life, MS he was the sole sup
port Of an old mother. The citizen told
him he need have no fear, and ordered
him TO turn up the gas, which he did,
and the two men looked at each other.
The burglar was sharp.faced boy of
twenty, a coward if there ever was one.
The citizen told him to bring pack of
cards off n stand, and sit down on the
foot Of the bed. The citizen shuilled
the cards and dealt out couple Of
hands, and told tho burglar he would
play him game Of seven up to see
which was the biggest fool, and to allow
the visitor TO collect his nerves, which
were badly shattered. At first he trem-
bled so he could hardly play, but finally
! got interested III the game and forgot,
apparently, where he was. The citizen
apoloSizcd for not having clothes on
that would he more appropriate, and
otherwise made the burglar feel at home,
and after they had played a couple OF
games Of seven up, and the third had
been sawed off on the burglar, the citi
zen began to talk to him about his pro-
fcssion. Said he;
"Now, | have heard great deal about
burglars but never saw one until you
dropped in this evening, and | mus
thank you for helping me to pass Al
evening that otherwise might have beer
lonely. ! have always regarded burglars
rs men who were brave even to rashncss
but you seem to be about the worst COW
ard ever saw. When You came in
with your revolver, and / pointed my
finger ut you, which / assure you wa!
not loaded, you held up your hands n
high as you could, considering that th
life was scared out Of you. / had III
weapons, and you were armed. VIII,
didn't you shoot? What did You sur
render for, and act the coward? BY thi
act you have brought reprooch upon
class of men that are supposed to b
brave. What have You got to say 70
yourself, anyway Take cigar there
and light it, and tell me all You kno,
about the burglar business, or may b
tempted, invalid as | nm, to hit you wit
pillow
The burglar looked Mt the invalid,
who was big enough to eat him raw, nc
iiccd that he had no weapon, SCENE
ashamed of himself, then he took ciga
and lit 1t, and said;
"Wril, boss, this is the rawcst deal
ever got, and have been in goo
many tight places. You seem to be ur
armed, and you don't know but / al
loaded down to the guards with firearms
aud yet You have more gall than an
man ever met. You seem candid an
honest, and yet | feel rs though if
made move you would pull pair O
navy rcvolyers from under the bed
iIothes, and that, by touching sprin,
on the fooi-board Of the bed with you
foot, n battery of artillery would rol
ont and take position. | don't know
now but you have touched an elcctri,
button that connects with the police sta
ton, and | feel as though platoon o.
police might march in the room at any
moment. So you see, you have me com
pl, tcly in your power.
II don't mind telling you, in conf
dence, though wouldn't have You give
it away, as it would injure me in my
business. that / am the worst coward
that ever lived. was always that way,
so much so that my folks could never
induce me to learn trade in which there
was any danger of getting hurt. Every
trade seemed full of danger to me, 30
took to sneak thieving, and from tha
fell to doing burglar work. 1t is tn,
safest business in the world, cxcep
being he-milliner. 1t is not once in ,
thousand times that anybody ever hurts
q burglar. Ninety.nine out of hun
drcd houses have no revolver, and j
there is ono it is not loaded, and if it j,
loaded, the man does not shoot it.
man had rather shout to burglars to e
away than to shoot them. Once in
while reckless, blood-thirsty maj
shoots one of IFS. but such men ar,
scarce, and ought to bo arrested. Tn,
most danger we have is in falling ovcl
chairs, or cutting our fingers on thes,
wire screens. If the people would care
fully remove the chairs from room
and have the screens arranged to swing
| open. we would have nm easy time Al