The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-28
THE RETIRED BURGLAR.
Another Astonishing Experience while
Trying 10 carry on . Safe.

Trying TO carry on . Safe.
bringing up one thing" said the retired
burglar. makes you think OF another.
My telling you the other day OF how we
lost a safe one night that we'd tumbled
out of a second-story window into ths
back yard Of a house. by its breaking
through the top Of and falling into cistern
there, makes me think OF q somewhat
similar but even more disastrous expert.
ence that had once when l was a young
man. and when was travelling with the
same man l was with when we lost thas
safe, namely. Big Bill
Bill had marked down safe there was u,
the Office Of a -four and feed store that stood
right on the water front In a town on tho
shore of the Sound They used to get
their baled hay and bags Of oats and all
that sort OF thing In from schooners that
came right alongside there by the end Of
the building. They'd hist the stuff out
Of the schooners' holds and hist It up to
the floor they wanted and swing 1t right
into the warehouse.
They had. projecting out from the
peak OF the building, stout beam put there
for the purpose. with block and tackle
hanging down from II, by which they
histed these things up till they got EN-
opposite the doorway of the right door,
and then they'd swing EN- in.
'Of course. Big Bills idea was that We
should use that fall to lower the safe into
a boat that Bill owned, and just carry the
whole business of bodily. Bill was SORT
Of stuck on carrying things OF like that.
instead Of opening EN- on the spot He
said 1t avoided unnecessary risk and delay.
I always thought that II sort Of pleased
him, somehow. to carry of the whole safe
Anyhow this one seemed plumb easy
a quiet. peaceful old town, with nobody
around at night in that quarter OF II, at
least. and it seered as though all We had to
do was TO go there ard hist that safe ont
and lower it into the boat and sail away
with IL.
This boat Of Bills was jb and main.
sail boat. ~ feet long and quite a boat.
Bill though so. anyway, ] believe he liked
that boat better than anything else he
owned; and il would carry the safe easily,
that weighing probably not more n half
a ron.
On very dark cloudy night we got that
boat moored along.ide the bulkhead by
that -four and iced store ana went up into
the bui ding for the box. The office where
this safe stood was on the second story Of
the building, in a corner, overlooking the
water, and right alongside the gangway
Leading to the doorway. through which
thew took in the stutf h'is'e to that floor.
1T seemed a. though everything was
arranged just for our convenience. All
We had to do was to roll the cafe out Of the
Office into that gangway, and get a sling
around 1t and overhaul the fall Of that
h'i-tirg tackle enough TO get tire hook into
the sling and then roll the safe to the door
and ease 1t ont. and lower away gently til
It was safely rcetii in the h al ard then
cat loose and sail away, II seemed al.
most mean to take the feed mans safe that
way, 1t was 40 easv.
And everything went along smooth and
slick as could be, and we'd got the safe out
In the air over the boat. and were just about
getting ready to lower away when r-r-r-rp-
r-r-,p-rip, came a littlo cracking eo,lnd,
the breaking of strands Of rope. and then
one good loud cra---ck' and the sling had
parted under the hook and the safe was
free
1T struck fair on the top Of the boats
centre-bo ard trunlo and fairly Grove thaA
and the whole bottom Of the h at plumb
out with It as It ent through VII. there
wasn't anything left OF the boat, YOU know,
but the sides; and the smashing of it hadn't
made such an everlasting noise. ei.te-
Striking just the way IL had the safe
had just pushed the " hole boat dow into
the ater enough to throw Little surge
out from either side, and then hen the
whole boat wouldn't go dow any further
the safe had kept going and just pushed tho
bottom through.
And the boat sunk, right as we looked
at IT. In minute all you could see Of her
was about three or four feet Of her top
mast sticking out Of II" water. We had
not only failed to get tnat safe, but Bill
had lost his boat.
We'll, didn't stay with Bill long after
that~ Bill vas careful man, used every
precaution. took all sorts Of pains, in fact,
but son,ehow III. luck seemed TO follow him;
half the things he undertook vent wrong:
and ! made up my mind that l couldnT
a. ord TO stay with a man that had con-
unued ill-luck. And that was the TIM.
when ] left Bill, when set up In busanssi
on nv own aOOOllnt.