The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-09-21
Qualifying TRAPEZE
THE RETIRED BURGLAR TELLS OF AN
INCIDENT IN HIS CAREER.

sr Again Attempted.
"Once in the course Of my experience
and only once" said the retired burglar.
II tried to get into house by a flying
trapeze. That was when was young in
the business and young in years. There
was big, comfortable looking house in a
town l had made few visits to that
summer that had window that sort Of
fascinated me. 1t was always open, the
lower sash thrown up back of the upper,
| but this window was in the gable end of
the house, where there was no veranda
| roof to reach 1t by, where it seemed in
| fact perfectly safe to leave it broad open
| as they did, day and night, because no.
body could reach it without ladder. But
never looked at that window without
thinking of what an easy way into the
/ house it would be IL one was only ON the
level with it.
Standing in the lawn about 20 feet
from the end of this house there was a
big tree, with stout, big branches. One
of these branches that grew out toward
the house had curious sort of turn or
elbow in 1t that grew in such way that
1t had nearly horizontal section running
about ten feet from the houA and about
ten feet higher up in the air than the top
Of that window. That ten feet was prac-
tically as good as ten miles, as far as
keeping people out was concerned, but
one day it struck me that man could
swing into that window from the tree by
trapeze made fast to that straight
stretch of limb. I'd just been seeing some
circus stunts done on swinging bar,
and didn't see why couldn't swing on
one well enough to land on that window
sill anyway.
II climbed the tree one night, with
piece of Irvine and a nail for a weight, to
make some little experiments and see
just how long the trapeze would have to
be to strike the window sill. l tied the
string with the nail weight OH the hori-
zontal limb and swung it from another
limb back Of it, further away from the
house, the limb that intended to swing
from myself when l had the trapeze
ready. l swung it to get a length that
would bring the trapeze just SO that
when l swung forward l could put my
feet and legs through the window and
bend EN- down and hold on by 'em there
inside and slip off the bar on to the win
dow sill. Then l was going to tie the
tTdpeLe " Que VI tuc WluuOW piluuS u
, keep it there while | was exploring the
house, and when came back to the win
dow, loaded up, l was going to get on
the trapeze and cast loose and swing
back to the tree and go my way.
"Well, | got the exact length that the
trapeze wanted to be to reach from the
under side of that limb to the window
sill. and then l made at home a trapeze
to carry me over. had rope ends plenty
long enough to wind around the limb,
and | had the hanging part measured ex-
actly SO l could make the trapeze fast
with just the right length below the limb.
When the night came that | was to try
it, Skinned up the tree and made it fast
! had Irvine tied to the trapeze bar, and
then l climbed the other limb that l was
to swing from and pulled the bar up to
me there and got on it. grasped the ropes
in either hand and when l was all ready
swung off.
at seemed like tremendous drop 60
ing down, but l did not have long to
think. ! made just one swish down
through the air and was going up the
other side before | knew it. But l didn't
forget myself. I'd practiced this, and
kept my feet and legs straight out in
front of me and ready to curve 'em
through the open window when | came
to it, and then drop EN- and clinch 'em
there. But somehow had made mis-
calculation in trying the ropes or else at
the very last instant went wrong with
my feet, for instead of thrusting my feet
through the open space of the lower win
dow l jabbed them both plumb through
the double sash above up to my knees.
l let go of the trapeze in the excitement,
which | don't think was surprising, and
the next instant / was hanging head
downward outside, with my bag that l
had my tools in that had carried by n
strap over my shoulder dangling down
below me with the strap around my arm
pit.
"When l smashed through those two
windows, l made as much noise as you'd
hear in blowing up crockery factory,
and | knew of course that 1t would only
be mighty short time before there was
somebody around, and made great eff
fort to get free. knew l would 60
smashing down on the ground, but
wanted to take the chances on that rath-
er than be caught, and didn't hesitate
at all about trying to pull my legs out
llOIil tuoSc "lluoNs, luouSu hHeN
should fall the minute | got 'em out.
But though I'd lost the trapeze in that
one moments excitement when | struck
the windows l was cool enough now, and
l was figuring on how to get the window
sill, which couldn't quite touch now,
and so break my fall somewhat when |
did get free and, above all things, turn
myself over so that when l did go down |
I'd strike the ground on my feet and not |
on my head.
81 yanked one leg partly clear and then |
the other. the glass rafting and the sash
es smashing as pulled on EN-, and set
tied down until could touch the sill be-
low with my fingers. Then heard the
bed in that room jouncing under some
body sprnging up out of it--you see, all
this that it takes me some time to tell
you about really happened in next to no
time at all-and knew If l was going to
go at all I'd got to go then, and just
yankcd and smashed both legs clear of
the frames, settling down more as did
so until got hold enough on that win
dow sill to turn myself over as dropped
and push myself clear of the building.
When the man looked out of the window,
! was describing n beautiful curve
through the air preparatory to landing
safely on my feet.
"The man disappeared from the win
dow and was back again in an instant,
and then there was flash from shot
gun, but it didn't do any damage. 1t was
dark, and by that time l was little too
for off to he hit by n man whose aim was
likely under such circumstances to be
more or less uncertain anyway. But
there had been danger enough in hanging
head down On the side Of the house from
n second story window and taking the
chance on getting righted up before you
struck the ground. and l made up my
mind that one try with the trapeze was
all wanted. | was satisfied after that
with cnllnr Minlnw; and TINT sort nf |