The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1899-11-17
HOMEMADE BURGLAR SCARES.
Some of Them Seem to De Successful
Devices and Some Are De-
cided Failures.


While Minneapolis is remarkably free
from burglars, there are thousands of
householders in the city who live in
mortal terror of those seldom seen but
often.heard-of persons, and many are
the devices resorted to BY the timid
to brighten away the marauders. This
is particularly true when applied to
those citizens who make practice OF
locking up their homes for a month or
SO every summer and going to the
lakes or to the watering places of the
east.
Probably the most unique burglar
checker in the city is owned by physi-
clan residing on the East side. He has
a fine home, we'll filled with costly brio
a-brac of all kinds, and as he is away
with his wife a large portion of the
time every summer, leaving his home
alone, he has procured nicely polished
skeleton, which reclines in an easy
chair in the parlor. The bones have
been treated to coat of phosphores-
cent paint, and any burglar who has
courage enough to approach the grin
ming skull on a dark night deserves to
be well rewarded for his bravery.
This doctor has brother, who ar
rived unexpectedly in the city a few
weeks ago, and, not knowing the doc
tor and his wife were away, went to
the residence and let himself in with
a 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 flesh
less jaws opened in a sneer and the busy
arms outstretched as If to clasp him.
The young man was unaware of the
doctors burglar checker habit, and. be-
ing badly frightened, drew a revolver
and began 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 win
dows or doors be opened by a person
not knowing the combination. On two
occasions burglars have made raid
upon the house and carried away near
ly everything except the tinware
which was not disturbed in the least.
1t 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 a crash and q clatter
that nearly scared him to death and
brought all the neighbors within a
block to the scene on run. A police
man, who happened to be new in that
locality, also came, and the unfor
tuhate householder had a most diff
cult 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 1t contained,
One of the most amusing burglar sto-
ries ever told was at the expense of a
society woman whose name is often
mentioned in connection with the do.
ings in high life. Her plan for keeping
burglars from the house worked in a
way she did not expect 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
open this door, as there is big rat
tlesnake loose in the house, and it will
be sure to bite you"
The woman reasoned that her hus-
band would be sure to turn the card
over, so she Transcribed on the back of
it this reassuring little note:
"There is no snake, Frank; it is sim
ply a burglar scare, you see. Pin the
card up again, so the house will 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 all
would have been well, but this he did
not do, but the burglar who visited
the house before him did, and the re-
suit was that the house was robbed
of several hundred dollars worth of
goods.-Minneapolis Record.