The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-26

asked
Making things safe for the future
have been wanting to do it for q year
past but haven't had the time 1t was
reading some criminal statistics this
forenoon that hurried me up Mrs
Bowser do you know that 646 houses
were burgIarized in this city in the last
year,"
I had no idea Of it,
And that only seventeen burglars
were sent to PRISON.
And that IT was the fault OF the
househ oIders themselves that there
was even one burglary
How do you mean y
II mean that if a house is left urde-
Tended like an old shed some one viii
be tempted to enter 1t IS our careless
ness that makes criminals We invite
honest men TO turn burglars We viz
tuaIIy invite them to rob Us and then
demand that they be sent TO prison II
we had been murdered in our beds at
any time the law should have held the
murderer almost bIameless-"
And you have done something have
you2'' asked Mrs Bowser as she looked
around
7 have. I have put in a burglar
alarm this afternoon It's a new thing
in alarms. and the inventor wanted me
TO try it and recommend it. may buy
share in the patent and go to manu-
featuring See that gong on the wall
of the hau2 Touch door or window az
sounds like a fire alarm The burglar
doesn't bUrgIe with that thing ringing
He takes a skate
We'll, it may prove to be a good
thing
1t uay7 Why. it can't help itself I
shall go TO sleep tonight feeling that
we are perfectly safe And even better
than that, we shan't be making burglars
Of honest men and sending them To
prison to end their days
II
some more statistics on burglars and
robberies He showed that 24-3z4
houses in the United States were rob-
bed last year in the daytime
He showed that 32-645 we're bursLar1z-
H showed that 750-7s4 others would
have been burgIariZed but for alarms
He showed that while 233 persons were
killed by burglars who got in SO mil
lions escaped death by keeping ourg-
lars out
He showed that burglar alarms had
moral influence on cats
He showed that they brought nus
bands home at an early hour
He showed that the cook ought 10
work fer 81 a month less in house so
defended
He showed that loss of sleep by wor-
wing over possible burglaries cut short
the lives of so thousand people every
wear in the United States alone
And there's another thing he SAID
after finishing on his SC4 IlSltC7- nav
heart trouble as you know
Good lands. but never neard OF
that" exclaimed Mrs Bowser-
Haven't I mentioned it 10 you
.-Of course not When did you ma II
out?''
Months and months ago II maven
aid anything It IS because d1dn
want to worry you suppose you
should dig your elbow into me at MD
night and wake me up 10 announce
mar there was burglar in the house-
.-Yes2" .
I should. OF course. spring out OF |
ba1 and grlppIe with him should |
choke him into iuSensibiitry and then |
hand him over to the police He
would be tried and sentenced but
when all was over I should doubtless /
collapse and go dead You See IN /
IN this alarm am preventing
that IamentabIe casually
Il was confidently expected that
Mrs. Bowser would make objections
and refer TO the hre-escapes MI I
Bowser had at times invested IN but 4
she had nothing Of the sort 20 say He i
purposeIy gave her several oppor- /
tunftfes and was surprised when she
refused to take advantage OF them
He finally decided that she realized ne
had struck a great thing q Z last. and
he went TO bed half an hour ahead
Of the usual time TO enjoy the safe and
comfortable feeling Of security He
had sleep for two hours when he got
that dig of the elbow. and Mrs Bow