Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1899-03-10
TRUTH I AND FICTION.
OseRE's " STORY TttAT,s NOT ONLY
s., STRANGE, BUT TRUE. +

o,eRE,s a STORY TRAPS NOT ONLY
.s5, STRANGE, BUT TRUE.
Ana. II vvlthsl. II Has Tkis Beautys
rAat the Teller Did His Duty 80
Adhered TO Facts Exactly. ~ Good
4, Authors Ought to DO. .s i. IL
!, In all the 20 years Of his married life
Mr. Greenup had never forgotten to look
after the valuable portable property OF the
I'm. lily before retiring to rest at night.
It was his inyariable custom to lock mp
the jewelry, gold and silver ware, and
other tempting articles OF like nature In
8 cunningly devised closet Of his own In
vention let into the wall Of the dining
SOON 60 skillfully that the most expert
snced burglar would never suspect IT.
presence.
Then, having concealed In somewhat
similar way whatever money he happened
10 have about him, Mr.. Greenup's unvary
fiag habit was to examine the fastenings Of
the doors and windows, place sheet Of
sinc or tin under the rug at the foot OF
the stairway leading up to the sleeping
apartments-the mission Of this sheet Of
metal being to emit loud noise when
stepped on-after which he always went
TO bed. ,.... ... 'ss- ,-..
For the proper understanding Of this
narrative 1t is necessary to emphasize the
fact that these precautions had never been
emitted, no matter how late the hour. To
observe them had become second nature
with MIR. Greenup. ...a.@. o..
One night last week, however, when on
the point of making his usual rounds, he
was disturbed by the loud ringing of the
doorbell &-%.
On going in person to answer 1t he
found boy with q telegram.
The telegram was to the effect that an
elderly aunt of his wife's was on her way
70 visit the family and would be at tho
station at 8 o'clock the next morning
Would he please meet her there!
To comply with this request it was
necessary for him to set the alarm clock
for s a. IN. ..r
When on tho point of telling asleep, he
remembered with sensation like sud-
den jolt that he had forgotten to secure
the family valuables and examine the
doors and windows.
First time in 90 years." he said to
himself as he prepared to get up again.
Then he lay back and reflected. -
"Twenty years! And in all that time
there has never been any attempt to break
into this house. have spent-let me see
at least ten minutes every night locking
things up Twenty times 86b-that's easy
lis 1900 Ten times that figure Is %, 900.
Great Scottl have spent 78, 900 minutes
that's over l,2OO hours, or 100 working
days of ten hours each-in doing some
thing that has proved to be absolutely use.
Less And haven't allowed anything for
leap years. Perhaps I've been away from
home enough nights to make up for that.
never burglarl II ono wanted to get in
he'd do it anyhow. Does 1t seem likely
that the one night in 1900 when miss
locking things up 10 to be the one night
that some burglar 10 going to select for
chances Of It, anyway" 81"
And he went to sleep.
The night sped away. l.~ :. /.
No sound disturbed tho peaceful alum.
hers Of MIR. Greenup. i, vi.
& Until 5 O'Clock q. m.
Then the alarm clock aroused him.
Intent only on dressing In . hurry, At
vending to the furnace and rousing the
kitchen girl to the necessity of having a
cup of hot coffee for Aunt Penelope OF
$50, and forgetting all about his reflec-
lions and computations Of q few hours
before, he fastened down stairs -
Then the recollection Of his willful neg.
hgenco. his indolent calculation of chances,
came upon him with rush.
The air, of the rooms seemed somehow
different. Hastily no lighted the gas and
looked about him. He saw-nothing tin'
usual The house had not been entered.
All, moi
With u feeling akin to sorrow, the mar
Sator admits it. Fact Is stranger than TO
ton, and when REINFORCED by an over
whclming array Of figures it would be
madness to fly In the face of it with the
trumpcd up story Of a burglary that had
only one chance in 1900 of taking place.
Chicago Tribune.