The suburban citizen., 1902-12-06
n NOTICE that the Star from
lime to time has advocated the
lnfiction OF the death penalty

lime to time has advocated the
infiiction OF the death penalty
upon conviction Of the crime Of
housebreaking, holding that the burglar
is at heart at all times a murderer"
said a headquarters detective, "and
none more heartily concur in this rec
ommendatlon than the police Of Wash
ington and Of the other large cities.
"The recent cold-blooded murder by
a burglar of citizen Of Brooklyn in
the presence Of his wife calls the point
to mind. 1t brings up a suggestion or
two regarding these distressing cas-
ualties which recommend to the clti-
zens Of Washington as what to do
when you find n burglar in the house.
"First, the best burglar alarm in the
world is small dog, kept in the house
at night. Whether mongrel or thor
oughbred, he soon becomes accustomed
to the ordinary noises about the prem
ises and in the neighborhood and ia
mlliar with the footsteps of the occU-
pants Of the house. | lodge where
there is a pug, breed Of dog not con-
sldered over bright but | will give any
man Of peaceful intent or otherwise,
a new suit of clothes If he can enter
my house and, entering it, move aboIt
that Pups will not detect his presence
at once. Though she is little coward,
she will bark the steeple Off a church,
and raise enough fuss to float n full
rugged ship at the slightest untoWard
noise, however faint, though / may
enter the house at any time OF the
night or morning and be greeted with
affectiOnate shifts and grunts. The
house is not the place for big dogs,
which, If kept ON the outside, are as
likely to bark at cats as at burglars,
and their usefulness neutraliZed, Nev-
ertheless, a large, well-trained dog in
the house is better than no dog at all.
ALWAYS SHOOT TO KILL.
Second, if you see stranger in
your room and your revolver is close
at hand, always shoot at him to kill;
take good aim at his body and not at
his head, as a larger target is pre-
nNhNNhs anu JOhl buAlCl - l2AblN AAhNlg
to reach home. You are in all proba-
bility not u good shot, or, if you are,
you will more likely mss his head
than his body Always fire twice and
thrice If necessary. before you stop.
Ask questions as to his presence in
your room at that hour afterward.
Have no more compunction about kill
ing n burglar than you would a mad
dog in fact, favor the dog. Always re-
member that he is in your house un-
lawfully for two purposes-to rob you
and to kill you, If necessary; therefore
whether expert or novice with a gun,
never shoot to wound plant your bull
let's thick and fast into his body.
"Third, Il you have a revolver, do
not keep 1t in the bureau drawer, but
under your pillow, or within easy
reach by the side of your bed 50 that
you can get your fingers around the
trigger with the least possible move
ment, and without getting up. If a
man ever needs a revolver under these
circumstances he needs 1t right away,
and he should not have to go and hunt
1t. Lie still in bed and shoot your
would-be murderer full Of holes; X you
get up he may make sieve of you,
never forgetting that he is about the
vilest carrion on earth, and is never
willing to give you even a fighting
chance for your life. 1t is always
dead men tell no tales with the
burglar, and you should apply the
axiom obligingly to him.
BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT LIGHTS.
Fourth, If you hear noise in the