Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-04-25
TOLD BY A RETIRED BURGLAR.

Disturbing Experience with a Restless
and Nervous Blind Man.
81 have told you," said the retired
burglar, "of one little experience with
4 blind man-this is another. / had
gone into a not very big but comfort
able-looking farmhouse and looked
around below without finding any
thing, and got upstairs. hadn't mOre'n
struck the upper floor before l realized
that there wasn't many people in the
house. In the back room on that side,
a big room, with a big bed, 1 found a
small boy, fast asleep. l didn't dare
put the bull's-eye on him. but l could
see well enough by dim light that
was burning on a table in little alcove
in one side of this room to guess that
he was, maybe, or 10 years old, and
Of course l could see that he was sleep
ing in his mothers bed.
Nothing in that room, and l went
out and across the hall into a room on
the other side opposite the room the
boy was in. The first step / took into
that room made the floor creak, just the
least little bit in the world, but I halt
ed, right where l stood; and the next
instant heard a bed in this room snap
a little, and l knew there was some
body sitting up in it and listening. 1t
was still for half minute, and then
heard whoever it was in the bed. and
it was a mans voice, saying:
"'Willie.
"Of course there wasn't any answer
to this, because Willie was fast asleep;
I'd Just seen him in bed a minute be-
fore myself; but the man that was sit
ting up in bed and listening called
again:
".Williev
"When he got no answer this time.
I've started to get up, as l expected he
would, and when he made the bed
creak in getting out Of it stepped back
a step and around the door jamb and
hugged the wall in the hall, and in a
minute the man came through the door
way. He was as blind as bat.
couldn't see that, in that light in his
eyes, but l could see it in his manner
and way of moving, in the way he car
ried his head and his hands; but Ae
made straight for Willie's room, just
as well as though he could see perfect
ly; the blind man was going to look
after Willie.
"And he got in there all right and
found the boy all right don't know
how he told it. The door to his own
room was almost directly opposite the
door Of the room where the boy was.
~ ho
from his own door was the head Of the
stairs leading to the floor below. When
he came out Of the boys room he didn't
make straight across to his own door,
but he took a diagonal course toward the
head of the stairs, and l thought he'd
lost his way, but the distance was
short, and he was there before l could
realize it.
1T made my heart go down to think
of being found there in the house with
blind man with a broken neck, or
broken leg, or something Of that sort.
but he didn't go over. He went plumb
to the verge Of the stairs and halted
there as though it had been broad day
light and he could see, and stood there
for a minute and listened. 1t wasn't
Willie-what could it have been2 He
didn't hear anything; and he turned
and went back into his own room and
got into bed and sat up in it again fof
minute as he had done before he got
up, and then lay down.
"And 1 waited for him, and when
he'd got to sleep again skipped, very
gently; going down the stairs SO as not
to make 'em creak under my weight,
and got out and glad to get away. l
don't want any run-in with a blind
man"