Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-12-29
EFFECTIVE ALARMS.
THE RETIRED BURGLAR TELLS OF
AN s<NNOYING EXPERIENCE.


He Encountered q Most Remarkable Sys-
tenn Of Burglar Alarms In House With
Unlocked Doors-Bclls, Tin Pans and .
Baseball Bat-The Explanation.
One night late," said the retired
burglar, 81 went into house in a vii
lage in western Connecticut, entering
by cellar window. US ! usually did
when Twas late. SO as not to disturb
the folks. l looked around the cellar
and located the stairs and started up.
About three-quarters Of the way up
rope that was stretched across caught
me under the chin and toppled mo over
down stairs. There was only the stone
wall of the cellar on one side and no
rail OH the other, SO there was nothing
to grab to. and just tumbled down.
As bumped along something scattered
along down with me, whang- banging
down the steps over me and under me
and around me, chasing me all the way
down, and when finally got to the Gel
lar bottom that thing was lying across
my chest. 1t was the coal shovel, which
had evidently been stood mp against the
rope and which / had Jared loose.
But the worst thing of all was that
my lamp was broke. lost my jimmy
on the way down, but hung ON to my
lamp, but now the light was ont and
the glass was broke, and the slide was
jammed around in front, and l could
not turn it. l felt around till l found
my jimmy, and then l waited to see if
I'd woke anybody up. l didn't hear
anybody, and SO l started again, and
this time ] felt my way up the stairs
carefully to the door found it unlock
ed, and had got it open about an inch,
should think, when heard little bit
| of n 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 doorknob or
the key. and at the same time what /
| imagine must have been the potato
masher-I don't know, because 1 didn t
look for it-dropped from the top of the
door upon my head
| This door to the cellar opened from
little square hall or entry way that
had, Is l learned by feeling, o door to
the left, to the kitchen, suppose, and
one to the right, l guessed, into the
front hall. waited again, but no sound
| from up stairs, 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 stand
ing 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, ard tried again, and
got along all right this time and turned
of to the left and into the parlor, ant
back from that into the dining room
for a wonder without falling over any
thing. and ] began to feel encouraged
But i'll the dining room there was moth
ing but plated spoons and forks, which
of course / could tell by the touch JUS
as well as though I'd had an electri,
light. If they had any silver, they hat
carried it up stairs, as some people d,
} at night.
Il turned back into the hall ant
CROPPED my way through that row O
chairs to the foot of the stairs. To maxi
sure of the first step in the dark step
ped high and stepped into pan of wa
ter on the bottom STEP That made m
mad, but didn't make any noise, an,
l stepped out of it and started on up
At about the third step my leg struck
string that was strung across these stair
} and set u bell bringing that was hang
ing on it, and kicking that string start
' ed down Oh me from above shower G
pie plates, and presently l fell over
wash boiler that had been set on tn
t stairs 4 step or two up and brought tina
I down OF me-
"As / was aoundering around in thi
t tinwarc aud string and bells and thing
4 ! heard children's voices up stairs, an
I {. minute later / heard steps in the ha
/ above, and could see in the b1acknes
: | up there the white of q nightSown 8
0 the head of the stairs. Then somethin
, came slamming against the banister.
e hitting me as it ratified down and fina
y 1y landing with q great bang ON til
r floor among the chairs in the hall. tt
t minute he threw it, whoever he wa
q he ran, and l began to think it W,
about time for me to go too. 1 had free
myself from the bellcord by this tim,
and got down the stairs and into IL
IS hall again, and there this time ste]
l. ped OH baseball bat-that was VIII,
o had come banging down at me fro
J. above-that rolled out from under II
/ and upset me once more among tho
t chairs.
o II got MP and opened the front do
It it wasn't locketl-and got out on Il
It piazza. Before had got to the top frol
q step heard horn blowing from 9
:. up stairs window Oh the side of Il
'e house, and an instant later shot fro
% q revolver and big bell ringing. The
d was late moon just rising and lit
x light now, and as I went away look,
20 back and saw three children all
n white, all leaning ont of one windo