Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-02


am householder in a pleasant country
neighborhOod. about twenty miles from New
York. My family consists of myself and wife.
our boy, George William, aged two; two maid
servants and a man. but in the summer we
have frequent visitors and at the time of which
am about to write my Aunt Martha was stay
ing with us.
Ny house is large and pleasant. and we have
neighbors near enough for social purposes and
yet too near or too many to detract from
the rural aspect of our surroundings. But We
do not live in a paradise; we are occasionally
troubled by mosquitoes and burglars.
Against the first Of these annoyances we
have always been able to guard ourselves, at
least in measure. and our man and the cook
declare that they have become used to them
that they do not mind them; but to guard
against burglars is much more difficult and to
become used to them would, 1 think, require
great deal of practice.
For several months before the period of this
narrative our neighborhood had been subject
to visits from burglars. From time to time
houses had been entered and robbed and the
offenders had never been detected
We had no police force, not even a village
organization. There was a small railway
station near our house and six miles away was
the county town. For fire and police protec-
ton each household was obliged to depend
upon itself.
Before the beginning of the burglarious
enterprises In our midst we had not felt the
need OF much protection in this direction.
sometimes poultry was stolen, but this was a
rare occurrence, and, although windows and
doors were generally fastened for the night
this labor was often considered much more
Troublesome than necessary. But now a great
Change had taken place in the feelings of our
community. When the first robbery occurred
the neighbors we're inclined to laugh about it,
and to say that Captain Hdbbard's habit of sit
ting up after the rest of his family had gone to
bed and then retiring and forgetting to close
the front door had invited the en-
trance of q passing tramp. But when
q second and third house, where windows
and doors had not been left open had been
entered and. in measure, despoiled, people
ceased to laugh. and if there had been any
merrlment at all on the subject it would have
been caused by the extraordinary and remark
able precautions taken against the entrance of
thieves by night. The loaded pistol became
the favorite companion of the head of the
house; those who had no watch dogs bought
"-SA-f eACAS were new LUCAS, new DOllS, new
fastenings. At one time there was a mounted
patrol of young men, which. however. was soon
broken up by their mothers. But this trouble
was unavailing, for at intervals the burglaries
Continued.
As matter Of course great many theories
were preached as to the reasons for this dis
furbance in our hitherto peaceful neighbor-
hood. We we're at such distance from the
considered that professional burglars would
hardly take the trouble to get to US or to get
away from US, and that, therefore, the offenses
were probably committed by unsupported per-
sons living in this part of the country who had
easy means of determining which houses were
worth breaking into and what method of en-
trance would be most feasible. In this way
some families, hitherto regarded as respectable
families, had fallen undersuspicion.
So far mine was the only house of any i'm
portance within the distance of a mile from the
station which had not in some way suffered
from burglars. In one or two of these cases
the offenders had been frightened away before
they had done any other injury than the break
ing of a window shutter. but we had been
spared any visitation whatever. After a time
We began to consider that this an invdious
distinction. OF course we did not desire that
robbers should break into our house and steal.
but il was a sort of implied insult that robbers
should think that our house was not worth
breaking into. We contrived. however, to bear
up under this implied contempt and even
under the facetious Imputations of some of our
lively neighbOrs. who declared that il looked
very suspicious that We should lose nothing and
even continue to add to our worldly goods
while everybody else was suffering from abb
stractiOns.
/ did not. however allow any relaxation in
my vigilance in the protection OF my house and
family. My time to suffer had not yet arrived.
and II might not arrive at all, but if it did
come IL should not be my fault. / therefore
carefully examined all the new precautions INV
neighbors had taken against the entrance of
thieves, and where l approved them adopted
them
OF some Of these my wife and did not an
prove. For instance. tin pan containing iron
spoons, the dinner bell, and a miscellaneous
collection OF hardware, balanced on the top
stair OF the stair case and connected with
hne cords that thief coming up the stairs
would send it rafting and bounding to the
bottom, was looked upon by us with great dis
favor. Inc descent of the pan. whether by
innocent accident or the approach of burg
lar might throw our little boy into fit. to say
nothing of the terrible fright it would give my
Aunt Martha, who a maiden lady of middle
age, and not accustomed to a chatter in the night
A bull dog in the house my wife would not
have, nor, indeed, dog of any kind. George
William was not yet old enough to play with
dogs, especially sharp one and if the dog was
lot sharp II was OF no use to have him in the
house. To the ordinary burglar alarm she
strongly objected. She had been in house
where these things went off of their own ac-
cord, occasiOnlng great CONSERVATION, and be-
sides, she said that If thieves got into the house
she did not want TO know il and she did no
want me to know it; the quicker they found
what they came for and went away with il the
better. OF course she wished them kept out
II such thing were possible. but, if they did
get in our duty, parents of the dear
est OF little boys, was non-interfercnce
She insisted, however. that the room
in which the loveliest of children
slept, and which was also occupied by our
selves, should be made absolutely burglar
proof, and this object, by means of extraordi-
nary bolts and chains, / battered myself ac-
complished- NY Aunt Martha had a patent
Continuance for fastening a door that she al
ways used, whether at home or travelling and
IN whose merit she placed implicit confidence
Therefore did not feel il necessary to be
anxious about her; and the servants slept at
the top of the house, where thieves would not
be likely to go.
They may continue TO slight US by their alb
sence." said my wife, but | do not believe
that they will be able to brighten us by their
presence"