Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1895-05-06
THE RETIRED BURGLAR.
One OF the Most Remarkable Incidents I'm
His Variegated Career.

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His variegated Career
"After / had gathered in what I
could find in the dining room, "said the
retired burglar, telling of his experience
in house in western Massachusetts,
ST started for the parlor. This parlor
was just in front of the dining room,
and there were heavy curtains between.
pushed these curtains one .side and
went in carefully, so as not to mar the
furniture by kicking 1t, feeling along
for the table which knew must be in
the center. came to it presently and
found it very solid feeling, with sort
Of molding or carving along the edge.
/ had struck it on q side apparently,
and so felt toward the dining room
until came to a corner of the table,
and then felt along the end for the
next corner to get the dimensions of it.
struck the other corner SO quick that it
made my hair raise right up. knew
there was only one thing they build of
such shape. and that's a coffin.
II turned my light on it, and it was
a big oak casket, one Of the kind they
make now days, square and solid, and
1t had three silver handles on each side.
/ didn't dare look in, but / felt as
though ought to have them handles.
The head was toward the front of the
house and the foot toward the dining
room. / set my lamp down and got my
screwdriyer out Of my bag and began
ON one Of the handles nearest the foot.
I suppose must have felt little easier
after I'd got that one of and into the
bag. know went around the end and
then up the other side pretty prompt,
getting 'em off smooth as could be, and
around the head and started down the
other side where I'd begun. / got the
handle off by the head ON that side, and
then went at the last handle, the one
In the middle. In turning the last
screw out of the handle dropped my
screwdriver.
more noise than an iron telegraph pole
dropping inside Of an empty iron oil
tank just lay down and waited.
didn't dare run. expected million
people would como pouring down the
stairs and from all around. and just
waited, lying on the floor, but there
didn't anybody come. You know, the
fact was that dropping that sorewdriver
hadnb made noise enough to wake up
mouse, but it seemed to me like the
greatest racket you ever heard, and it
scared me most to death. But when mo-
body came picked up the sorewdriver
and set it in the notch Of thescr again,
and I'd just got that handle off when !
heard somebody say:
Don't you think you're crowdin rs
here little, my friend, carrying away
them handles?' Ii was the dead man
sitting up and looking down at me. /
suppose he'd been in an epileptic trance
or something Of that sort. and dropping
that screwdriver had made just shock
enough to start him into life again.
81 was so scared l dropped the ham
die, but grabbed my bag--I suppose
instinct made me do that-and started
ont through the dining room again and
down cellar and out by the window /
came in by. / didn't wait to see If any
body was coming this time.
II got sir for those FIVE handles. It
seemed q pity to lose the other one. but
1t was always a great satisfaction to me
TO think that I'D woke the man up. -
New York Sum