Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1895-03-31
A RETIRED BURGLAR.
His Dangerous Career with the
Jimmy and Dark Lantern.
He Encountered . burglar Alarm systen
OF AstonishinE Effectiveness In Western
Observation-Disclosures Experience
of . House breaker.

Zone night late I went into q house
in q village in western Connecticut,
entering by a cellar window, rs
usually did when / was late, so n not
to disturb the folks 1 looked around
the cellar and located the stairs and
started up. About thrce-quarters OF
the way up they made n sharp turf to
the left 1 had my jimmy in my right
hand and my lamp in my left, so as tc
be all ready, expecting to set my lamp
down on the top step and gently pry
the door open; and l was going along
comfortably enough when just rs
was stepping up at the turn u 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 l just tumbled down. AS l 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 1 finally got to the cellar bottom
h n 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 n New York Sun
man.
But the worst thing of all was that
my lamp was broke. / lost my jimmy
on the way down, but 1 hung 10 my
lamp; but now the light was out and
the glass was broke and the slide was
iammcd around in front and l could
not turn it. 1 felt around till / found
my jimmy, and then l waited TO see il
I'D woke anybody up. I didn't hear
anybody and so ! started again, and
this time l felt my way up the stairs
carefully to the door. l found il IN
locked and | had got it open about an
inch, l should think, when l heard q
little bit of n scraping on the other side,
and the next instant the dreadfulest
racket that anybody ever heard, the
falling of q dishpan that must have
been hanging on the other side on the
door knob or key, and ut the same time
what l Imagine must have been the
potato-masher-I don't know, because
l didn't look for it dropped from the
top of the door upon my head.
This door to the cellar opened from
a little square hall or entry way that
had. as learned by feeling, II door to
the left, to the kitchen, l suppose, and
II to the right, I guessed, into the
front hall. l waited again, but no
sound from upstairs, SO / turned to the
right and opened that door and
stumbled the first thing over Il chair
close by in the hall and almost broke
my shins. l felt along and found n
row of chairs standing close together
from that door clean To- the front door.
] sat down in n of them and nurscd
my shin and waited. Still no sourd.
and | triedagain and got along MI right
this time and turned off to the left and
into the parlor and back from that
into the dining-room, for n wonder
without falling over anything, md |
began TO feel encouraged. But in the
dining-room there was nothing but
plated spoons and forks, which, of
course, could tell by the touch Just rs
well rs though I'd had an electric
light. II they had any silver they Ind
it carried upstairs, as some people do
Mt night.
"a 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 n pan
OF water on the bottom step. That
made me mad, but it didn't make IL
noise, and | stepped out of it and start
ed on up. AT about the third step my
leg struck n string that was strung
across these stairs, and set n bell n
ringing that was hanging on 1t; and
kicking that string started down on
me from above, looscned l suppose by
another string tied to the one l had
kicked, u slho wer of tin pie plates, and 1
had got my legs tangled up in some
way in the string across the stairs,
and rs l struggled to get free the bell
kept on ringing and the pic plates
rafting, and presently l fell over n
wash boiler that had been set on the
stairs n step or two up and brought
hat down ON me.
"As 1 fourdcred around in this tin.
ware and strings and bells and things
/ heard children's voices upstairs, and
n minute later heard steps in the hall
above, and / could sec in the blackncss
up there the white of n nightgown nj
the head of the stairs. Then something
came slamming against the banistcrs,
hitting me rs II ratified down and
finally landed with n great bang or
the loor among the chairs in the hall
The minute he threw It, whoever hc
was, he ran, and 1 began to think II
was about time for me to 20. too.
had freed myself from the bcllcord 10y
this time and / got down the Stair
and into the hall again, and Their,
this time l stepped on n baseball ba'
that was what had come BANGING
down ut me from ~above-that rolled
out from under me and upset me once
more among those chairs.
III got up and opened the front doc,
1T wasn't locked-nnd got out on tn,
piazza. Before I had got to the to,
front step 1 heard n horn blowing from
en- upstairs window on the side O
the house, and an instant later ,
shot from n revolver and a big bel
ringing. There was n late moon jus
rising and q little light now, and as
went away / looked back and saw
three children all in white, all leaning
out OF II window on the second story
II didn't wait 10 inquire about Il
but IT wa just ms simple ms rolling of
q log. The childrcn's parents had hat
to go away somewhere over night
sickness or something. and had left tn,
childrch alone. The young folks HAD
forgot TO lock the doors, but thcr,
;cnlly wnsn't any necessity OF locking
EN-, With such n burglar alarm systeu
MS that"