Smyrna times., 1895-11-13
TO SCARE BURGLARS.
A FEW DEVICES SOMEWHAT OUT OF
THE COMMON RUN.

Sun respecting domestic devices to serve
as burglar alarms.
''We believe in tin, " said one. "JOhn
cut little groove like half of an anger
hole across the tops Of the front and
back doors, q few inches back from the
outer edge, and before we go to bed we
poke into each one q stick supporting
some old tinWare on the extreme end.
A leaky watering pot, with some old
tin cups inside, hangs on one, and on
the other an old dishpan, with a couple
of baking tins tied to it. So long as the
door stays shut nothing happens, but if
it is pushed open the least mite Of "a
crack down comes the tinware with a
clatter fit TO wake up everybody in the
ward.
"That's all we'll enough for your
doors, but how about the windows? A
thief can open one Of these new tangled
catches by poking a table knife up be-
tween the sashes, as easy as you'd say
scat. -
''But that wouldn't open our Win
dows. John has bored holes slanting in
through the window casing into the
sashes and put long iron pins in them.
1t is just as if every window was nailed
fast, and a burglar, to get in, would
have to cut away the whole sash "
''Did any of you ever try newspa-
pers?' asked another. "No? Well, let
me assure you, from my own experience,
there is nothing better. Lay one or two
dry newspaper sheets i'll the lower hall
and pin a couple on the stairs. 1t is i'm
possible to step on them without MAX
ing noise that, in the stiffness Of
night, would surprise you if you never
tried it before And you can't pick them
up or fold them or slide them out of the
way or step over them without more
noise. As for the ones on the stairs,
they are simply the thief's despair My
husband laughed at me when l first put
them down, but within a week, as it
happened, their efficacy was proved. 1
was awakened one night by the rustling
of paper in the hall below and awoke
my husband. We lay quiet and listened.
Presently there was another rustic.
Then long silence. Then more rus
tling, and as the sound Of it died away
we could hear somebody swearing in
whisper. 1t was SO funny that my hus-
band burst into a roar of laughter, and
the fellow down stairs jerked the front
door open and fed. /"
Il don't think soaring burglar
away is enough punishment for him, {"
commented an elderly woman. "He
ought to be hurt somehow. Mr. B.
lv- so I, SC l.
for the uninvited' is something that, as
he says, just about fills the bill. The
bolts on our front door and the arc light
before it free us of all apprehensions of
attack from that direction, but twice
our house was entered by petty thieves
through the back door, which faces a
dark garden and is in the shadow Of a
vine covered porch. The second time
inspired Mr.. B. with an idea. At one
side of the door, about the height of
man face, he fastened to the wall
springy bamboo cane, with tin cup
wired to its free end. During the day
1t can be turned up ON the wall out of
the way, but at night, when he sets it
for business, it is sprung out about 1 .
feet and held there by short stick and
a figure 4 trigger so set that opening
the door will trip it. The tin cup, I
omitted to mention, holds a good ounce
of cayenne pepper.
For a month after Mr.. B. rigged
that contrivance up nothing happened,
and he was getting low spirited over
the neglect of the burglars to take note
OF his new invention. Then, one night,
the sharp 'spang' Of the cane against
the wall rang sharply all through the
house and woke US up. That was fol
lowed Immediately by language on the
back porch fit to make your blood run
cold. We got to the window in time to
see two men in the garden, one leading
the other, who was bowling and swear
ing terribly. We fancied that some Of
the pepper had got into his eyes. Before
Mr.. B. could get his pistol they had
disappeared in the shrubbery, and we
have not been troubled since'
"That trigger, set to go off when the
door was opened" remarked another
woman, reminds me of horrid thing
my husband brought home with him
from trip out west last year. 1t was
like pistol barrel, with a long screw
on one side for fixing it to the door
frame and long spring ON the other to
project over the edge of the door. A lit
tie touch would make the spring fall
hard on cap and fire the thing off.
The first night after Jack got home.
when Twas setting chair upside down
against the door, us l always did, he
stopped me and put ON his new contrap-
ton. When 1 got up first in the morn
ing, as usual, l had forgotten all about
that thing, which was down as low as
my knees, and did not notice it when
/ went to so out. Then it suddenly
seemed to me as if the world had ex-
ploded. The thing had worked all right.
and in addition to making a noise louder
than the sunset gun at the fort, had rid
died the vestibule wall with buckshot.
Jack said 'it would have filed bur
glars legs with lead, and I believed
him, but / never would allow him to
put 1t ON the door again. One such scare
is enough for lifetime. New York