The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1895-09-21
A RETIRED BURGLAR.
ais Dangerous Career with the
Jimmy and Dark Lantern.
BE Encountered Burglar Alarm system
of Astonishing Effectiveness IN Western
Thrilling Experience
of House Breaker

IN a village IN western Connecticut
entering by a cellar window, hs /
usually did when I was late, so as not
TO disturb the folks I 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 prv
the door open; and was going along
comfortably enough when Just as I
was stepping up at the turn 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
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 cellar bottom
that thing was lying across my chest
1t was the coal shovel, which had evil
IDENTIFY been stood up against the rope,
and which I had Jared loose, said the
retired burglar to New York sun
man.
But the worst thing of all was that
my lamp was broke. I lost nv Jimmy
on the way down, but I hung to nv
lamp; but now the light was out and
the glass was broke and the slide was
jammed around in front and could
not turn it. felt around til found
my jimmy, and then I waited to see if
I'd woke anybody up I didn't hear
anybody and so 1 started again. and
this time felt my way up the stairs
carefully to the door, [ found it I'M
locked and l had got it open about an |
inch, | should think, when | heard a
little bit Of scraping on the ether 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 I
door lFnob or key, and at the same time
what | imagine must have been the I
potato-nlasher-I don't know, because
I didn't look for it. dropped from the
top If the door upon my head.
This door to the cellar opened from
q little square hall or entry way that
had, as I learned By feeling, a door to
the lett to the kitchen, suppose. and
one to the right, | guessed, into The
front hall. I waited ag;liu but no
sound from upstairs, so I turned to the
right and opened that door and
stumbled the first thing over 8 chair
close BY il the hall and almost broke
MY shins- I felt along and found
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 triad gain and gotalong all right
this time and turned off TO the left and
into the parlor and back from that
into the dining-room, for wonder
without falling over anything, and.I
began to feel encouraged. But in the
5ining-room there was nothing but
plated spoons and forks, which, of
course, could tell by the touch just as
veil as though I'd had an electric
light If they had any silver they had
{ carried upstairs, as some people do
1t night
81 turned back into the hall and
;roped nay way through the rows OF
hairs to the foot of the stairs To
make sure of the first step in the dark
stepped high and stepped into pan
i water On the bottom step That I
made me mad, but it didn't make any 9
,Oise, and / stepped out of it and start Q
d on up. At about the third step my t
eg struck a string that was strung s
cross these stairs, and set z bell a a
inging that was hanging on it; and 4
licking that string started down on g
le from above, loosened 1 suppose by s.
mother string tied to the one I had Il
licked, shower Of tin pie plates, and Q
ad got my legs tangled up in some IS
ray in the string across the stairs, O
nd as [ struggled to get free the he'll Is
ept on ringing and the pic plates
lttling, and presently ! fell over
ash boiler that had been set on the
airs step or two up and brought n
lat down on me. *
"As 1 houndered around in this tin W
are and strings and bells and things OF
heard childreu's voices upstairs, and =
minute later I heard steps in the hall x
,ove, and I could see in the blacltness IA
} there The white OF a nightgown at De
e head OF the stairs. Then something "a
me slalnming against the bauisters, ac
ting me as it ratified down and n'
lally landed with a great bang on IN
e floor among the chairs in the hall sc
ie minute he threw it, whoever he ne
rs, be ran, and I began TO think il ma
rs about time for me to 90, too ] sol
d freed myself from the bellcord by
is time AID got down the stairs =
d into the hail again, and there H.
is time stepped on a baseball bat H.
hat was what had come banging ~,
wn at me from above--that rolled e.
t from under me and upset me once ~
500. .,,,,l,,,or. 4l,och abaipc