The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1895-10-31
The RETIRED BURGLAR.
one Of the Most Remarkable Incidents IN
sl, Els Yariesated Career. ~

one Of the Most Remarkable Incidents IN
~, Els varieGated Career.
'tAfter I had gathered III what /
could find in the dining room, " said the
retired burglar, telling of his experience
in house in western Massachusetts,
II started for the parlor. This parlor
'wss just in front Of the dining room.
and there were heavy curtains between.
I pushed these curtains one side and
went in carefully, SO as not to mar the
furniture to kicking it, feeling along
for the table which / knew must be IN
the center. l came to it presently and
found it very solid feeling, with a sort
Of molding or carving along the edge.
I had struck it Oh, a side apparently,
and so felt toward thu dining room
until I came to 4 corner Of the table,.
and then felt along the end for the
..eXt conner . get the dimensions OF 1t.
struck the other corner SO quick that IL
made ny hair raise right up. | knew
there was cniy ope thing they build OF
such shape, aud that's i coffin.
Il turned my light On it, aud it was
a GIS, Ctt-h ttt>ASt, Jay VI WIZ hAAu tAOJ
make now days square and solid, and
it had tire, silver handles On each side.
I didn't dare look in, bn5 felt as
though! L ought to have them handles
Tho head was toward the front Of the
house and the foot toward the dining
room. I set my lamp down and got my
screWdrivar out Of my bag and began
on one CT the handles nearest the foot.
suppose l must have felt a little easier
after I'd got that one off aud into the
bag. IkEo% went around the end and
then up the other side pretty prompt,
getting :eM of smooth as could be, and
arounu the head a,lu started down the
other side where I'd begun. l got the
hands Off by tie head Oh that side, and
then I went at the last handle, the one
III the middle. In turning the last
screw out of the handle dropped my
screwd1iver.
sit ,emed to me as though it made
more noise than an iron telegraph pole
dropping inside of an empty iron oil
tank. 1 just lay down and waited. !
didn't dare run, I expected a million
people would come pouring down the
stairs and from all around, and just
waited, lying on the floor, but there
didn't any body come. You know, tbs
fact was that dropping that screwdrivel
hadn't 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 no.
body came picked up the sorewdriver
and set it in the notch Of thescrew again,
and I'd just got that handle of when /
heard somebody say: T.. .l..
Don't you think you're crowdin us
here little, my friend, carrying away
them handles?' 1t was IT, dead man
sitting up and looking down at me. l
suppose he'd been in an epilortic trance
or something Of that sort, and dropping
that screwdriver had made just shock
enough to start him into life again.
IT was so scared / dropped the han.
die, but grabbed spy bag-1 suppose
instinct made me do shat-and started
out through the dining room again and
down cellar and out by the window ]
came ii. BY. I{didn't wait to see if any
body was coming this time. 81
, i got $117 for those five handles. Il
seemed . pity to lose the other one, but
it was always great Batisfaction to me
to think that I'd woke the man up =
New York Sun. E.-a,