The Irish standard., 1894-12-29


D BU Il LA r,
11iss Dangerous Career with the
Jimmy and Iark Lantern.
He sEncountered Burglar Alarm System
N Of AstonishiDg Effectiveness In Western
\ s5Cnnnecticut- Thrilling Experiences
!, RE- IS e OF House Breaker.
II s. One might late I went into house
III village in western Connecticut,
3eutering by a cellar window, as
usually did when ! was late, so as not
to disturb the folks. Il looked around
the cellar and located the stairs and
started up. About three-quarters OF
the way up they made a sharp turn to
the left. had my jimmy in my right
hand and my lamp in my left, SO as to
be all ready, expecting to set my lamp
down on the Top step and gently pry
the door open; and ] was going along
,comfortab bly,. enough when just as |
was stepping up at the turn a rope
stretched across caught me under the
chin and toppled me over downstairs
There was only the stone wall of the
cellar on one side and no rail on the
other, SO there was nothing to grab to,
and just tumbled down. AS bumped
-alolg something scattered along down
with me, whang-banging down the
steps over me and under me and around
me, chasing rae all the way down, and
when finally got to the cellar bottom
that thing was lying across my chest.
It was the coal shovel, which had evil
IDENTIFY been stood up against the rope,
and which had Jared loose, said the
retired burglar to New York Sun
man.
'sBut the worst thing of all was that
my lamp was broke. lost my jimmy
on the way down, but hung to my
lamp; but now the light was cut and
the glass was broke and the slide was
jamrned around in front and 7 could
not turn it. felt around till l found
my jimmy. and then waited to see If
I'd woke anybody up. didn't hear
anybody and SO started again, and
this time felt my way up the stairs
carefully to the door. found it uf-
locked and had got it open about an
inch, I should think, when ! heard a
little bit of a scraping on the other side,
and the next instant the dreadfulest
racket that anybody ever heard the
falling of a dishpan that must have
been hanging on the other side on the
door knob or key, and at the same time
what imagine must have been the
ootato-masher-I don't know, because
r didn't look for it. dropped from the
top of the door upon my head.
s'''This door to the cellar opened from
little square hall or entry way That
had, as learned by feeling, door to
the left, to the kitchen, suppose, and
sone to the right, guessed, into The
front hall. waited again, but no
sound from upstairs, SO turned to the
right and opened that door and
stumbled the first thing over a chair
close by in the hall and almost broke
my shins. felt along and found a
row of chairs standing close together
from That door clean to the front door.
sat down in one Of them and nursed
my shin and waited. Still no sound,
and tried again and got along all right
4 this time and turned elf to the left end
into the parlor and back from that
into the dining-room, for wonder
without falling over anything, and
began to feel encouraged, But in shc
a xyy1c El77f
plated spoons and forks, which, CT
course, could tell by the touch just as
we'll as though I'd had all electric
light If they had any silver they had
it carried upstairs, as some people do
at night.
81 turned back into the hall and
CROPPED my way through the rows OF
chairs to the foot of the stairs To
make sure of the Crst step in the dark
Istepped high ana stepped into pan
of water on the bottom step, That
made me mad but it didn't r..;slze any
noise, and I,stepped out of it and start
ed on up At about the third step my
leg struck string that was strung
across these stairs, and set a bell a
ringing that was hanging on it: and
kicking that string started down on
I me from above, loosened suppose by
another string tied to the one I had
kicked, a shower Of tin pie plates, and l
. had got my legs tangled up in some
way in the string across the stairs,
and as struggled to get free the bell
kept on ringing and the pie plates
rafting, and presently fell over a
wash boiler that had been set on the
stairs step or two up and brought
that down on me.
GAS foundered around in this tin
ware and strings and bells and things
i heard children's voices upstairs, and
. minute later heard steps in the hall
above, and fessdai44d see in the Weakness
up there the white of a nightg0wn> a t
the head of the stairs Then something
came slamming against the banisters,
hitting me as it rattled down and
finally landed with a great bang on
/: the floor among the chairs in the hall.
The minute he threw it, whoever he