Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-02-22

+FHEEf A-Ef 49, s
shore, but they had either left their
revolyers in the house or had none, the
revolver being too noisy a weapon for
burglars as a rule.
Whatever the cause, they did not fire,
and l did not wait for it, at least that
close. A hundred feet out, 1 began to
be myself once more, and l stopped
rowing.
"Why don't you come on?" I shouted
back, half Historically.
Hold on" they yelled, and l could
hear them running up and down the
shore in the darkness.
ooh. you're ALI right" I laughed
shrflly. III come back and take yo,r
off in the course of a few hours" and
then fearful that they might get theil
guns [ rowed away as fast as [ could
for the mainland.
| think | made that three miles IN
half the record. and when L found the
first policeman he was for running me
in as a lunatic or a sleep-walker, but
! story a force of ten men boarded Il
tug and we returned 10 the island. By
this time the first gray streaks of
dawn were showing in the summer
sky, and as we cautiously ran up to
my wharf it was almost light enough
to see the house.
We saw no burglars, however, nor
any signs of them, though [ knew l
had them penned UP on the. island,
and escape was impossible. We wait
ed until daylight and then. deplOyed
as skirmishers, the pol cemen began
to move across the island, expecting
any moment to flush 4 burglar or get
a shot from ambush.
AS we came up to the house Il Of
the burglars appeared in the doorway
and was covered in an instant by a
dozen guns.
Come in, gentlemen; come right
in" he said cheerilT I'VE were eX
Eecting you and we've got a nice break
fast ready"
The mans c~1olness almost gave me
the Mysteries, for l knew by the sound
of his voice that he was the fellow who
wanted to Elk" me.
But he was uttering the truth-they
did have a nice breakfast for us tout Of
my larder), and not that only, but they
had found that Henry was not dead,
and they had washed him and done
what they could in caring for him,
and had done it so well that he is
alive today with an ugly scar on his
, neck as a mementO.
There were four in the lot and we
O had them handcuffed, and then
we sat down to breakfast and enjoyed
it, though l must confess that by this
time the condition [ was in physically
was not pleasant.
you're a queer gang" said the lieu
tenant of police to the leader, who had
invited us to the breakfast. What did
you do this for?"
THE breakfast, you mean"
"And all the rest of it, said the
officer.
"Well. cap'n," he replied, cts like
this: We wuz here fer de swag, kill
er no, and we thought we had killed
the fust one, and, of course, the other
one had to go, to stop talk. Then
, when he got away and had us penned
I'D like rats we came to the conclusion
that we had better git out the best
way we could. The n we thought
was dead only needed repairs, so we
repeared him, and we knOwed you'd
be here bimeby to look fer us, and
-.oIolI- o4x-.S ox,+ ca 90 WV IN thA
morning you might be hungry. SO,
Begin the gents pardon fer trespass-
in, we turned in and fixed you up a
nice breakfast. Now wasn't that about
the white thing to do?'
I had had enough to put most men
in a bad humor, but this candid state
ment struck my funny bone somehow,
and [ laughed until the tears ran
down my cheeks, and even the police
man smiled.
Of course, the burglars had done the
best thing possible for themselves, and
the very unique plan they had adopted
of necessity was in their favor, and
they only got ten years apiece, Henry
testifying so earnestly to their polite
ness and care that that part of it was
not taken into the court at all.
But I can assure you that l did not
go back to the island again. 1 gave
it to Henry, as it stood, and he lives
with his wife, respected inc admired,
/ do believe, by every burglar in the
guild, for he holds them in the highest
esteem.
oh, yes, l almost forgor. When this
story came out in the paper, and my
part of it was set forth, as only report
ers know how to do such things, Isa-
belle, of course, heard of it, and one
moonlight night she said to me-:
Major, I thought one you were not
the kind of a mar for a woman to mar
ry, but I've changed my mind"
I feel under obligations to those bur
glars myself.
A GENIUS.