The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-01-08
The RETIRED BURGLAR.
ANOTHER ASTONISHING EI-
PERIENCE
While Trying TO Garry of
Safe

Safe
Bringing up one thing" said the re-
tired burglar, makes you think of an
other. My telling you the other day Of
how we lost a safe one night that we'd
tumbled cut of asecond- story window
into the back yard Of house. by its
breaking through the top of and fall
ing into cistern there, makes me
think of somewhat similar but even
more disastrous experience that l had
once when l was a young man, and
when 1 was travelling with the same
man I was with when we lost that
safe, namely, Big Bill
bill had marked down a safe there
was in the Office of flour and feed
store that stood right on the water
front in a town on the 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 it
right into the warehouse.
1ACy 4lddJ PiOJSGCIIS JUL II Jill SAAS
peak of the building, a stout beam put
there for the purpose, with block and
tackle hanging down from it, by which
they h'isted these things up till they
got 'em opposite the doorway of the
right floor, and then they'd swing 'em
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 off bod
fly. Bill was sort of stuck on carrying
things off like that, instead Of opening
'em on the spot. He said it avoided I'M
necessary risk and delay. l always
thought that it sort of pleased him.
somehow, to carry off the whole sate.
Anyhow this one seemd plumb easy
"a quiet, peaceful old town, with no.
body around at night in that quarter OF
it, at least, and it seemed as though
all we had to do was to go there ana
hist that safe out and lower 1t into
theb oat and sail away with it.
This boat of Bills was jib and
mainsail boat, "a feet long and quite
a boat. Bill thought so, anyway De-
lieve he liked that boat better than
anything else he owned; and 1t would
carry the safe easily. that Weighing
probably not more n half ton.
"Ona very dark cloudy night we go'
that boat moored alongside the bulK-
head by that flour and feed store ano
went up into the building for the box
The office where this safe stood was or
the second story of the building, IN
corner. overlooking the water, ano
right alongside the gangway leading tt
the doorway, through which they tooR
in the stuff b'isted to that -four.
.sIt seemed as though everything was
arranged just for our convenience Al
we had to do was to roll the safe ou'
of the office into that gangway, anc
get a. sling around it and overhaul the
fan of that h'isting tackle enough te
get the hook into the sling ana ther
roll the safe to the door and ease II
out. and lower away gently till 1t was
safely resting in the boat and ther
cast loose and sail away. 1t seemed al
most mean to take. the feed mans SAT-
that way, it was u easy.
"And everything went along smooth
and slick as could be, and wed got TN
safe out in the air over the boat, ant
were lust about getting ready to lowe
awav when r-r-r-rip-- r-r-1p-rlp' cam
q little cracking sound, the breaking
of strands of rope, and then one goo'
1oud cra-ck and the sling had part
cd under the hook and the safe wa
free.
'Tt struck fair on the top OF IN
boats centre board trunlo ana ralrl'
drove that and the whole bottom OF tn
boat plumb out with it as it Wen
through. Why there wasn't anythin
left of the boat, you know, but tn
sides; and the smashing of it hadn'
made such an everlasting noise, eltnel
Striking just the way it had tn
safe had just pushed the whole boa
down into the water enough to throw
little surge surge out from either side
end then when the whole boat Wouldn
80 down any further the safe ha
kent going and just pushed the bottor
through.
And the boat sunk, right as we look
ed at it; in minute all you couia Sc
of her was about three or four rect
her tonmast sticking out of the waite
We had not only failed to get that SAT-
but Bill had lost his boat.
"Well, 1 didn't stay with Bill lon
after that. Bill was cerful man, use
every precaution, tok all sorts OF pain
in fact, but somehow ill-luck SCENE
to follow him; half the things he ur
dertook went wrong; and I made u
mind that I couldn't afford to sta