Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-06-17

tee - 4 nas ! ban vi:h :
The thief smtled ana Casey took al
vantage q the interruption to signal
the bartender to bring IN another round
Of drinks
Gets Down to walk.
! i got the window up all right. went
I on the porchclimber, sand stepped in.
shutting down the window SO there
wouldn't be any draft to wake some
BODY up or blow down q lot of pictures
and things. Velvet had line on the
place and told me there was nobody
there but this old guy he had taken
nome, a married daughter whose hus-
band was away, and the servants. The
old fellows room was on the second
hoor, right next to the room inside the
porch roof, and the servants slept down.
stairs. 1t looked like a walkaway.. He
had prop in his shirt front that weigh
ed about pound, Velvet said, and he
always had enough coin in his clothes
to pay for taking chance. Besides
that, there was a chance of finding
something laying around that wasn't
too heavy that could be carted away.
SO began counting the money before
had closed the window behind me.
had left my shoes in the buggy and
! walked right across the room without
making sound. 1t was a sort of sit
ting-room, guess, aud there wasn't
| anything there to hold me, SO walked
| over to the bedroom, took hold of the
! knob and started to turn it so soft that
1t wouldn't make noise. But [ hadn't
turned 1t more than a quarter Of an
inch when | stopped and my heart
jumped UP into my mouth. Somebody
| was holding it on the inside.
Trouble Thick and Fast.
First tried to make myself believe
that was mistaken, that the bolt had
| caught in something and would get
loose in a second or two, but when
started again could tell by the uneasy
motion-not solid, as il the knob was
looked, but pressing against my touch
that it was mans hand on the other
side OF the door that was holding it.
Just as L came to this conclusion
heard snap behind me and when I
turned my head / saw a man standing
in the darkness near the window. He
i had just locked the sash. | knew
| was in for it then. 1t was trap il
ever there was one, and L felt in a
minute that these fellows had been lay
ing for me all the time and had nailed
me. don't like to cut loose with gun
| when I'm in a house because the noise
wakes UP the whole block amt some
times even wakes up a copper, so l
thought I'd take a cnance on the guy
that was in the room with me. He
stayed in the dark, but l could just
make out his outlines, and i started
for him on the run. l guess he wasn't
ready for move like that, and caught
him around the waist. l wanted to get
hand on his throat and shut off his
wind and then bat him on the head
with my billy before he could yelp, but
he was big, husky fellow and he gave
me an awful tussle. Twice | got him
down and each time he rolled over be-
cause he was stronger than me. Neither
Of us said a word. We were breathing
so hard that we could be heard in the
street, though, and funny thing was
that he was in his stocking feet as well
as me, so we didn't make any noise on
the floor | finally managed to get my
hand on his throat, and lust as
thought had him the doorgof the bed
room opened and another fellow ran
out and pitched in.
II saw my finish then and tried to get
my gum but it had fallen out OF my pocket
while I was rolling on the floor and
couldn't reach it. The second fellow got
both his hands around my neck and
squeezed let go my man, but he was so
near out that he didn't get up, and l got
on my feet and clinched with the second
fellow. He wasn't strong enough to hold
me when I started to turn on him, but
he gave my neck an awful wrench. Re-
member, this was all in the dark and not
a word had been spoken. We stumbled
over against a table and my hand struck
something on 1t. 1 reached for 1t, and al
though didn't know what 1t was picked
it up and damned him good on the head
with It, 1t was one of those heavy water
bottles they have on the table in swell
restaurants and 1t did the trick for Mr..
Man. He went down like sack of coal,
right on top of the first fellow. who vas
Just struggling to his feet. 1t didn't take
me three seconds to open that window
catch, open the window and jump down to
the ground. Velvet was waiting and had
not heard a word of the scrap. ! gave him
the ONCE TO get a move on ltllH anu VIC
were in the buggy and down the street In
a second.
Did you get ft?' he says.
No., / says, but / nearly got IT.
Then l told him about it and We both
said it was lucky for. me that neither
of those fellows had guns. We drove
about a block before we heard anything,
and then there was a yelp for police
away back of us and we tore out OF there.
The next day we drove around there to
get another flash at the house. Velvet
was all broke UP about making a miscue
about the kind of bunch there was In 1t,
and he couldn't figure out where he had
made his mistake. We drove down the
boulevard until he pointed out with his
whip and said: There's the joint
NIX says that isn't it. Look at
that electric light right in front Of it,
' I tell you that's the house where this
old geezer lives, he says.
Well, 1t amt the house / was in last
night says 1 right back, and when we
drove around a little we found out he was
just a block out of the way. The houses
were almost ringers for one another and
he had steered me into a place full of men.
Probably they had been awake and sitting
up and saw US getting In and just laid for
me upstairs. l don't know why they