The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-30
THE RETIRED BURGLAR.
His harvellously Developed Senses of Hear
ing and Touch.

1T Is not always possible" said the retired
burglar, TO avoid making a noise in a house;
which doesn't seem remarkable when you take
into account the fact that is all the time in
strange houses and more or less OF the time in the
dark; the wonder is that man doesn't fall over
something seventeen times in a night and rouse
the whole neghborhood. mans got his lamp
with him, to be sure, but he cant be always fool
ing around with that in his ordinary goings
about he relies upon his sense of touch. which
comes to be very sensitive.
"A great help TO man in getting about is the
fact that there's more or less sameness TO houses
In the arrangement Of the stairs and halls and
things in general; he isn't an architect but he has
at least inspected good many houses, and
glance at the start as general thing, will tell
him how things lie. And so. while he's got his
lamp he relies q good deal on his senses OF touch
and hearing. don't know. but it seems to ME
that could feel door. or a WALL or a partition
before touched IT, by the compression Of the air
between it and my shoe as put my foot forward;
and one is in state Of constant readiness 70 stop
And no matter how hard mans hands might
be. they are velvet-tipped far the sense OF
touch is concerned. and yielding willow.
II he touches ything movable he rarely upsets
Il though he may sometimes but the only wonder
TO me is as said that he doesn't fall over things
right and left
But while he is quiet himself any noise. how
ever slight made by anybody in the house. he
can hear with certainty; he comes TO be very sensi
tive about that too. II man in room over
head gets out Of bed and stands up the floor
you can feel him II you don't hear him. You
know how boards that have been trodden down
upon the beams that support them swell up ag ain
n they are not walked upon for time the fibres
OF the wood spring back TO their original form.
han oil ON, TOW ha ArSt lima
when they settle down. you hear EN- creak; the
way stairs do, the first time anybody goes down
'cm in the morning. You might hear q sound
like this when man, however quiet he might be
himself got up and stood on the floor. But if il
was perfectly firm and solid and settled floor
that made no sound whatever, you could still feel
him by the vibration OF the house caused by the
shifting OF his weight communicated TO you from
the beams OF the floor upon which he stood through
the walls, and thence through the beams Of the
floor upon which you were standing. The yibra-
ton might be so slight that il could scarcely be
measured by any known means, but in your con-
diton of constituencies you could feel IT,
Il really believe that in frame house ltould
feel mouse walking on floor overhead ! don't
mean a rat Sometimes you hear a rat running
across floor and that, under such circumstances,
makes practically as much sound and shake as a
horse would galloping over wooden bridge; but
] mean that think could feel mouse walking
slowly across a floor overhead; and you can easily
imagine that il u man should knock down any
thing in house anything whatever, why, II
made more noise than an earthquake.
Il still have that sensiuveness Of touch, Just
the same; and, though don't visit other peoples
houses at a late hour. AS formerly did find
myself in my own house Just susceptible as
ever TO the fantest sound or Jar"