Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-02-13

country neighborhood, about twenty
miles from New York. My family con-
sists of myself and wife, our boy George
William, aged two; two maid-servants
and a man; but in the summer we nave
frequent visitors and at the time OF
which / am about to write my Aunt
Martha was staying with us.
NV house is large and pleasant, and
we have neighbors near enough Tor So
cial purposes and yet not too near
or too many to detract from
the rural aspect of our surroundings.
But we do not live in paradise; we are
occasionally troubled by mosquitoes ana
burglars.
Apainst the first of these annoy
ances we have always been able TO
guard ourselves, at least in measure,
and our man and the cook declare that
thew have become so 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, l
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 small
railway station near our house and SIX
miles away was the county-town. FOR
fire and police protection each house
hold was obliged to depend upon ITSELF
Before the beginning of the burglari-
GUS enterprises in our midst we had not
felt the need Of much protection in this
direction; sometimes poultry was stolen'
Init this was a rare occurrence; and al
though windows and doors were gener-
allv fastened for the night, this labor was
often considered much more troublesome
than necessary. But now great
change had taken place in the feelings
of our community. When the first rob
berry occurred the neighbors were in
clined to laugh about it, and to say that
Captain Hubbard's habit OF sitting 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 passing tramp. But when
n second and third house, where win
dows and doors had not been left open
had been entered, and, in measure
despoiled, people ceased TO laugh, and 4
there had been any merriment at all OF
the subject it would have been caused
by the extraordinary and remarkable
precautions taken against the entrance
of thieves by night. The loaded plsto
became the favorite companion OF the
head Of the house; those who had nc
watch dogs bought them; there were
new locks, new bolts, new fastenlngs
AZ one time there was mounted pa
troll Of young men, which, however
was soon broken up by their mothers
But this trouble was unavailing, ior
intervals the burglaries continued
As matter of course a great man.
theories were preached as to the rea
sons for this disturbance in our hithert
peaceful neighborhood. We were a
such a distance from the ordinary cen
tiers of crime that it was generally con
sidered that professional burglar
would hardly take the trouble to get
us or to get away from us, and that
therefore, the offenses were probabl
committed by unsupported person
living in this part of the country VIII
had easy means of determining whic
houses were worth breaking into an
what method Of entrance would b
most feasible. In this way some fam
lies. hitherto regarded as respectabl
e.
So far mine was the only house OF an
Importance within the distance OF
mile from the station which had not /
some way suffered from burglars. l
one or two of these cases the offender
had been frightened away before the
had done any other injury than tn
breaking Of a window-shutter, but
had been spared any visitatio
whatever. After time we began
consider that this was an invidious dl
tinction. OF course we did not desii
that robbers should break into our houi
and steal. but it was sort of implit
Insult that robbers should think TIL
our house was not worth breaking int
We contrived, however, to bear up und'
this implied contempt and even und
the facetious imputations of some OF o.
lively neighbors, who declared that
looked very suspicious that we shou
lose nothing and even continue to add
our worldly goods while every body ell
was suffering from distractions.
1 did not, however, allow any relax
ton in my vigilance in the protection
INV house and family. My time to suff
had not yet arrived, and it might not
rive at all, but if it did come it shou
not be my fault. / therefore careful
examined all the new precautions
neirhbors had taken against the e
trance Of thieves, and where / approx
Of them / adopted them.
OF some of these my wife and
not approve. For instance, tin pa
containing iron spoons, the dinner-b'
and a miscellaneous collection OF han
ware, balanced on the top stair OF {
staircase, and SO connected with fl
cords that thief coming up the stai
would send it rafting and bounding
the bottom, was looked upon by us wi
I'm \ = - 10.