The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-03-22
A RETIRED BURGLAR,
Ills Dangerous Career with the
4 Jimmy and Dark Lantern.
He Encountered "a burglar Alarm System
OF Astonishing Effectiveness In Western
Conncctlcut-Thriiling Expcricma
OF II House Drcaikcr.

OF astonishing Effectiveness In Western
Conncctlcut-ThriilinS Expcricm.s
OF Il House Drcahcr
Conc night late went into n house
in village in western Connecticut,
entering by Il cellar window, us l
usually did when l was late, SO as not
to disturb the folks. l looked around
the cellar and located the stairs and
started up. About threc-quartcrs 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 PRIV
the door open; and 1 was going along
comfortably enough when just as
was stepping up at the turn rope
stretched across caught me under the
chin and toppled me over downstairs
cellar on ono side and no rail on the
other, SO there was nothing to grab to,
nnd just tunblcd down. AS bumped
along something scattered along down
with me, whang-banging down the
steps over me and under mo and around
me, chasing me oil 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 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 TO nv
lamp; but now the light was out and
the glass was broke and the slide was
damned around in front and could
not turn it. l felt around till found
my jimmy, and then 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. 1 found 1t un-
locked and had got it open about an
inch, should think, when I heard a
little bit of q scraping on the other side,
and the next instant the drcadfulest
racket that anybody ever heard, the
falling of 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 the
top OF the door upon my head.
This door to the cellar opened from
little square hall or entry way that
had, as learned by feeling, 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, so turned to the
right and opened that door and
stumbled the first thing over u chair
close by in the hall and almost broke
my shins. felt along and found n
row of chairs standing close together
from that door clean TO the front door.
l sat down III one of them and nursed
my 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 wonder
without falling over anything, and I
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 MS
we'll as though I'd had an electric
light. ii they had any silver they had
it carried upstairs, as some people do
at night.
Il 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
L stepped high and stepped into pan
of water on the bottom step. That
made me mad, but it didn't mako any
noise, and stepped out of it and start
cd on up. at about the third step my
leg struck Il string that was strunO
across these stairs, and set a bell q
ringing that was hanging on it; and
kicking that string started down on
me from above, loosencd suppose by
another string tied to the one had
kicked, shower of tin pie plates, and 1
had got my legs tangled up in some
way in the string across the stairs,
and as l struggled to get free the bell
kept on ringing and tho pie plates
rafting, and presently l fell over a
wash boiler that had been set on the
stairs step or two up and brought
that down on me-
'As | floundcred around in this tin
ware and strings and bells and things
l heard childrcn's voices upstairs, and
minute later heard steps in the hall
above. and l could see In the blaclSncss
up there the white of nightgown at
the head of the stairs. Then something
came slamming against the banisters.
hitting me as it ratified down and
finally landed with 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 it
was about time for me to go, too. l