The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-02
THE RETIRED BURGLAR.
Singular and Most Unfortunate
Mishap With an Unexpected End
From the Men York Sun.

ing.
From the Men York Sun.
''In house that was looking over in
a town up the state one night" said the
retired burglar. II came across something
that never struck but that once in all my
experience. strange as il may seem; and
that was a lot of wedding presents, all
just as they were arranged for display.
When 1 turned my lamp into the room 1
wished I had brought q horse and wagon;
there was good deal OF II that Wouldn
have been of any earthly use TO me, but It
seemed a pity to leave any Of it behind.
But If couldn't carry il all of l could
have the fun of picking, and / started to
look the things over. They were arrang-
ed on tables and chairs and on the floor
around on three sides OF the room; on the
side opposite to the side that i had come
in at, and on the sides to the right and left;
running around those three sides in a sort
OF irregular order. On the side where l
was there were few chairs. thought I'd
start in on the left and work around to
the right, and l started from the door and
had gone about three steps when l went
down through the floor, as it seemed to
me, but what l had really done was to
step down through an open register. sup
pose somebody must have dropped some
thing down through it and have taken II
out to get it and forgot TO put il back.
There was wire screen under the reg
lister over the pipe opening to keep things
from dropping down the pipe, but ii was
very fine lighf wire and it didn't stop me
a t all; just slid down into the pipe, push
ing that along under my feet. When L
dropped into the pipe l had been racing
to the left; in some way as | went down
got skewed around so that when l got
down as far as l did go ! was facing to
| the front; that is, toward the center or
| the room. The pipe didn't go straight
down, but with a curve. had thrown up
| my hands as l went down, and l suppose
I might have gone plumb to the furnace
/ if hadn't clutched at the edge of the reg
| lister opening and hung on. A minute be-
| fore l was going to take my pick OF a
/ roomful; now where was /?
| Il had started across the room carry
/ ing my tool bag in one hand and my lamp
| in the other. The shock when / went down
| had shaken the bag out of my hand, but l
| had held on to my lamp. though II was ~
/ ing on its side now with my fingers clutch
| ing through the handle. The falling OF the
/ tool bag and the striking of the lamp on
| the floor and the scraping OF the wire
| gauze down through the tin pipe must
| have made all together a good deal of
| noise. and | expected every minute 70 near
| somebody moving about up stairs and COM
/ ing down to haul me out but nobody did
| come. and / set my lamp up straight, ana
| after I'd waited a minute or two more
| started to see If 1 could haul myself out.
| LAS I lay in the pipe my head was be
| low the level of the floor; by a great EFFORT
| I could raise myself so that the upper nall
| of my head was above the opening, but no
| higher; there was no room for play; when
1 got that high found myself with my Ell,
| bows close to my body and fairly Wedgeo
! into the pipe. L COulunL get any HABH0ts
| Il let myself down again, and after q
while 1 pulled myself up again, and held
on by one hand and held up the lamp
and swung it round on the things. Then
| let myself down again, and wondered
| what 1 was going to do. 1t wasn't only
| uncomfortable there in the position | was
| In: ii was mighty hot and unpleasant
| every way. If i let go I didn't know but
what I should slide down against the fur,
| mace and OF course l couldn't stand II
for an indefinite length of time, and wher
I'd been in the pipe, l should imagine
about two hours / made up my mind thai
l wouldn't try to stand 1t any longer; Ia
got to come out some time, and might
Just as well come out then; in fact, better
for while the chances of my getting away
at all were mighty small, they would be
better at night than they would be in the
day time
$50 l made up my my mind to kick or
the pipe and wake up the hous and have
the thing settled. So / kicked; once
twice, and then l kicked again; and by
snakes! / kicked the pipe open at my feet
there was a joint there and l kicked i
apart; and the sections | was in saggeC
down with my weight, and slid out on th'
cellar floor. The sagging down of tina
above and It fell on the cellar floor alons
side of me. That made noise enough t
wake everybody up; there couldn't be an!
doubt about that.
| Il went out by the same cellar window
that l came in by. 1t was the first an(
only such lot of stuff that 1 ever struck
and l never got a thing out of it; in fact
| l added something to it mySelf-a set o
! tools and a dark lantern"