Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-02-20

insensibility. After the lapse of several
hours the person under the influence of
the drug would recover consciousness
without assistance. But in order to pro-
vide against all contingencies my friend
prepared a powerful antidote, which
would almost Immediately revive one
who had been made unconscious by our
potion.
The scheme that / had devised may
possibly have been put into use by 9TH
ers But of this | knew not. | thought
it good scheme and determined to ex-
pertinent with it, and if possible to
make trap which should catch a burg
lar. l would reveal this plan to no one
but my friend, the physician, and my
wife. Secrecy would be an important
element in its success.
Our library was large and pleasant
room on the ground floor of the house,
and here l set my trap. 1t was my habit
to remain in this room an hour or SO
after the rest of the family had gone to
bed, and as / was an early riser | was
always in it again before it was neces-
sary for a servant to enter it in the
morning.
Before leaving the library for the
night placed in a conspicuous position
in the room a small table, on which was
a tray holding two decanters partially
filled with wine, in the one red and in
the other white. There was also upon
the tray an open box of biscuit and
three wine glasses, two of them with a
little wine at the bottom. / took pains
to make it appear that these refresh
ments had been recently partaken o..
There were biscuit crumbs upon the
tray and drop or two of wine was
freshly spilled upon it every time the
trap was set. The table, thus arranged.
was left in the room during the night,
and early in the morning | put the tray
and it's contents into closet and locked
it up.
A portion of my narcotic preparation
was thoroughly mixed with the contents
of each of the decanters in such proper
tions that glass of the wine would be
sufficient to produce the desired effect.
1t was my opinion that there were
few men who, after night walk and
perhaps some labor in forcibly opening
a door or a window-shutter, would not
cease for a morent in pursuance of
their self-impoSed task to partake of
the refreshments SO conveniently left
behind them by the occupants of the
house when they retired to rest. Should
my surmises be correct | might reason
ably expect, should my house be broken
into, to find an unconscious burglar in
the library when | went down in the
morning. And | was sure. and nv wife
agreed with me. that if [ should find
burglar in that room or any other part
of the house it was highly desirable
that he should be an unconscious one.
Night after night | set my burglar
trap and morning after morning |
locked it up in the closet. / can not
say that I was exactly disappointed
that no opportunity offered to test the
value of my plan, but it did seem pity
that | should take so much trouble for
nothing. 1t had been some weeks since
any burglaries had been committed in
the neighborhoed, and it was the gem
eral opinion that the miscreants had
considered this field worked out and
had transferred their labors to better
paying place. The insult of having
been considered unworthy the attention
of the knights of the midnight jimmy
remained with us, but as all our goods
and chattels also remained with US we
could afford to brook the indignity.