The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-09
UNIQUE BURGLAR ALARMS.
Some Homemade Snares and Scares
for Thieves.
From The Minneapolis Tribun,


While Minneapolis is remarkably free
from burglars, there are thousands of
householders in the city who live in NOR
tai terror of those seldom seen but often
heard of persons. and many are the de-
vices resorted to by the timid to frighten
true when applied to those citizens who
make practice of locking up their homes
for month or so every summer and going
to the lakes or to the watering places of
the East.
Probably the most unique burglar check
er in the city is owned by physician re
siding on the East Side. He has a fine
home, well filed with costly bric-a -brac of
all kinds, and as he is away with his wife
a large portion of the time every sum
mer, leaving his home alone. he has pro-
cured a nicely polished skeleton. which re-
clnes in an easy chair in the parlor. The
bones have been treated to a coat of phos-
phorescent paint. and any burglar who
has courage enough TO approach the grin
ming skull on a dark night deserves to be
well awarded for his bravery,
This doctor has a brother who arrived
Unexpectedly in the city few weeks ago.
and, not knowing The doctor and his wife
were away went to the residence and let
himself in with the pass key he carried.
The house was not lighted no one being
at home, and almost the first thing the
brother ran across was the skeleton. the
fieshless Jaws opened in a sneer and the
bony arms outstretched as If to clasp him.
The young man was unaware of the doc
fs-fe ,1,o
badly frightened, drew a revolver and be
gan firing at The skeleton.
Another resident of the city pins his
faith to huge quantities of tinware placed
upon the window lodges and over the
doors. from which places they will be
thrown should any of the windows or
doors be opened by a person moi knowing
the combination. On two occasions burg
lars have made a raid upon the house
and carried away nearly everything except
the tinWare. which was not disturbed in
the least. Ii proved effective in but one
case, and this was when the owner of the
house returned from the lake one evening
and failed TO remember the trap he had
set.
AS he pushed open the door of his home
there was crash and a clatter that nearly
scared him TO death, and brought all the
ueighbors within a block to the scene on a
run. A policeman. who happened to be
new in that locality, also came, and the
unfortunate householder lad a most diff
ficult task convincing him that he had a
perfect right TO throw tinware and kettles
around the house if he wanted TO- as he
had paid for it, and likewise owned the
house and all il contained
One of the most amusing burglar stories
ever told was at the expense of a society
woman whose name is often mentioned in
connection with the doings in high life.
Her plan for keeping burglars away from
the house worked in a way she did not ex-
pect and caused all kinds of trouble.
Dear John" read the note which she
left attached to the front door when she
departed for the lake leaving the husband
to run the house alone. when you come
home from the Office do not omen this
door, as there is a big rattlesnake loose in
the house. and it wi be sure to bite you. I"
The woman reasoned that her husband
would be sure TO Turn the card over, so she
Transcribed on the back of it this reas-
sur.ng little note:
'There is no snake Frank; it is simply
a burglar scare, you see. Pin the card up
again, so the house viii be safe when you
leave it. The silver is hidden in the little
china closet in the buffers pantry"
If Frank had turned the card over ali
would have been well, but this he did not
do. but the burglar who visited the house
before him did, and the result was that
the house was robbed of several hundred
dollars worth of goods of all kinds.
A little woman, who lives near Take,
has a novel protector in the shape of a
hedgehog. While in Europe year ago
she stepped upon one of the little animals,
which was kept as mouse destroyer IN
the home she was visiting She remem-
bered her experience, and when she re-
turnd to Minneapolis brought with her
hedgehog.
you see said she when asked about
the matter, che little animal always
makes for outdoors, seeking fresh air and
freedom. Now, burglars, l am told, wear
soft slippers while al work. When burg
lar tries to get into my house he will nat
urally step upon the hedgehog, Whlch VIII
be crouching as near the front door as
possible, and. if l remember correctly, a
hedgehog is not a pleasant thing TO step
upon"
There are hundreds of women whose
husbands are not at home in the evenings,
who habitually keep a revolver wlthln
EASY reach in case a burglar should at
tempt to break in. Many of these women
are expert markswonnen and real burg
lar would receive from them a very warm
welcome
Residing in this city is a man who was
at one time fairly well known to the
police of an Eastern city as burglar OF
some note. He was not cheap worker"
20 use slang expression. He was at the
head of his business-lf burglary can be
called a business-and has had many
thrilling experiences while engaged in
robbing the houses of his fellow men.
There is only one good burglar alarm,
said he when asked how a house can
hest be protected from the raids of the
men who live by appropriating other per-
sons belongings. There is only one good
burglar alarm" he continued, 'and that
is small dog kept in the house at night.
/ know from experience. and tell you
the genuine burglar hates dog worse
than anything else.
1.-THE moment one of these nasty, scrap
by little terriers begins to bark and race
about the house all the inmates are awak-
ened and away goes the burglars
chance of making a haul II was little
dog that forced me to retire from the
business and since then I've lived an
honest life"