The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1895-03-29
A RETIRED BURGLAR.
His Dangerous Career with the
Jimmy and Dark Lantern
He Encountered burglar Alarm System
of Astonishing Effectiveness in Western
CnnnecIicut-TbriIIinE Experience
OF "A House Breaker.

of Astonishing EnectiVeness in Western
C"nneetieut-TbriIIinE Experience
of House Breaker
lone night late / went into a house
in village in western Connecticut.
entering by a cellar window. ~
usually did when | was late. 80 a. not
to disturb the folks | 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, - a. to
be all ready. expecting TO set my lamp
down on the top step and gently pry
the door open: and ! was going along
comfortably enough when Just a. /
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. 50 there was nothing To grab To.
and just tumbled down. As ! bumped
along something scattered along down
with me. whang- changing down the
steps over me and under me and around
me chasing me all the way down. and
when | finally got to tho 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 had Jared loose. said the
retired burglar to a New York sun
man
But the worst thing of all was that
my lamp was broke ! lost nv Jimmy
on the way down. but l hung to my
lamp: but now the light was out and
the glass was broke and the slide was
jammed around in front and / could
not turn 1t. / felt around till / found
my jimmy, and then l waited To- see If
I'd woke anybody up. l didn't hear
anybody and 80 l started again. and
this time felt my way up the stairs
carefully to the door. | found il un-
locked and had got it open about an
inch. | should think. when | heard a
little bit Of Il >craping 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
potato-masher-I don't know. because
l didn't look for it-dropped from th,.
top Of the door upon my head.
Tins door To- the cellar opened from
"A little square hall or entry way that
had. a. | learned lay feeling. a door To-
the left. To the kitchen. | suppose. and
one To the right. | guessed. into the
front hall l waited again. but no
sound from upstairs. 50 | turned To- the
right and opened that door and
stumbled the first thing over chair
close 10y in the hall and almost broke
my shinS felt along and found a
-..E E..1...
from that door clean To- the front door.
| sat down III one OF them and nurSed
NV shin and waited Still no sound.
and ! tried again and got along all right
this time and turned off To the left and
into the parlor and back from that
into the dining-room. for a wonder
without falling over anything and |
began to feel encouraged. But in the
dining-room there was nothing but
plated spoons and forks. which. of
course. / could tell 10y the touch Just as
well as though I'd had an electric
light If they had any silver they had
IT carried upstairs, as some people do
at night.
i 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 first step in the dark
| stepped high and stepped into a pan
of water on the bottom step. That
made me mad. but it didn't make any
noise. and stepped out of il and start
ed ON up At about the third step my
leg struck a string that was strung
across these stairs. and set bell a
ringing that was hanging on it: and
kicking that string started down on
me from above. lOOsened / suppose by
another string tied to the one had
kicked a shower of tin pie plates. and l
had got my legs tangled up in some
way in the string acr,sS the stairs.
and as struggled To get free the bell
kept on ringing and the pie plates
rattling. and presently | fell over a
wash boiler that had been set on the
stairs step or two up and brought
that down on me.
AS | tloundered around in this tin
ware and strings and bells and things
l heard childrcn's yoices upstairs. and
a minute later heard steps in the hall
above. and l could see in the blaclkneSs
up there the white of nirhtroxn at
the head Of the stairs Then something
came slamming against the banisters,
hitting me it ratified down and
finally landed with a great bang ON
the floor among the chairs in the hall.
The minute he threw it. whoever he
was. he ran, and | began to think IL
was about time for me to go too. /
had freed myself from the bellcord by
this time and l got down the stairs
and into the hail again. and there
this time stepped on baseball bat
that was what had come banging
down at me from above-that rolled
ont from under me and upset me once
more among those chairs.
Il got up and opened the front door
it wasn't loclzed-and got out on the
piazza Before l had got To the top
front step heard a horn blowing from
an upstairs window on the side of
the house, and an instant later a
shot from a revolver and a big bell
ringing. There was a late moon lust |
rising and little light now. and as l |
went away L looked back and saw |
three children all in white, all leaning |
out of one window on the second story. |
Il didn't wait to inquire about it. |
but 1t was just as simple as rolling off |
a log The childIen's parents had had |
to go away somewhere over night, |
sickness or something. and had left the |
children alone. The young folks had |
forgot to lock the doors, hut there |
really wasn't any necessity of locking |
EN-. with such burglar alarm system |
as that
Her Choice Won't you come for a
row. auntie?' No, thank you, dear;
- II ,,,,ra l. very GOOD for Young