Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-05-19
TROUBLES OF BURGLER
The Profession is About the
Most Nerve hacking That
One Can Pursue


That wrote 1t said that of all nerve
wearing trades and professions jour
nalism was out and away the worst.
That just shows that the chap as
wrote it didn't know what he was
talking about. dare say n newspaper
man gets jump or SO occasionally
but what about my game? Why. it's
all jumps!
People are ready enough to pull us
to pieces to call us lazy vagabonds,
and anything hut gentlemen (contin-
ues the "Cracksman' correspondent
of Answers; but they never think
OF our sufferings or what we must
feel like, when. after couple of
hours carefully saving out the lock
OF front door, We open 1t softly to
find the master of the place standing
OH the door mat with Il club IN one
hand and Il barker in the ether. This
happened to an old friend OF mine
once, and he dropped in Il dead faint
and did not come to till he'd been
locked up couple of hours.
think one of the worst rights
ever had was over job which | had
not readied {? prepnred) myself It
was really poor old Velvet Mods lay:
hut OH the night of the job he Just
told me where the house was and
where i should find tho plate ana
sparks diamonds. believe-ED, and
to oblige him | agreed to do the job
and divide the swag.
Getting in was like Smelling peas.
AMI ] went careful up the dancers
(stairs) to the room where Velvet
had explained | should find the stuff
found the plate right enough in an
old wooden chest, but Just rs ! was
lifting it out quiet and tender into
my bag ! heard a noise like some ono
coming downstairs. Like flash
shut down the lid of the chest and
nippcd into Il cupboard and waited,
with heart going "a to the dozen.
But 1t seemed | was mistaken, for
the house soon got quiet, and | was
just thinking 1t would be safe to get
on with the job when 1t struck me
that | might rs well have squirt
around the cupboard to see II there
was anything worth taking switch
ed on the little electric glim always
carry and what do you think | saw?
Why. horrid, grinning, CHASTITY skel-
eton.
had sense enough not to yell. but
how / got out of that cupboard never
knew. You can bet | was down the
stairs and out of the houl, in a jiff-
didn't even wait to put on my boots
hut just ran all the way home as
hard as | could
When | told Ned about it thought
he'd never leave off swearing, for, OF
course, I didn't give so much as n
thought to the swag. 1t turned out
that 1t was Doctors house, but. of
course. didn't know that or 1t would
have struck me that most sawbones
keep skeleton to lie spltcful to when
they haven't got anything alive to
practice on.
Most of You, ! expect have trod on
n cat on the stairs in the dark. par
ticularly If YOU happen to he mar.
ried man, and given to coming homo
late; and you'll agree with me in
thinking it anything but pleasant
sensation. But just think what It
means to do this when you're In a
house where you've no business to be,
and doing your best to get away quiet
and peaceful, with silver clock in
one hand and cash box in the other.
I've done it twice, and l tell you the
sensation, when you feel that terri
bic soft. furry thing under your feet,
and hear the earsplitting "R-r-r.aow!"
break the stiffness of the silent night
is something awful.
The first time it fell TO my lot to
tread on a pussy ! rolled clean down
the stairs, sprained my ankle, and.
of course got took as easy rs kiss my
hand. And the worst of it was that
everybody laughed when the case
came on--excepe me. l hadn't any
cause to--it meant three stretch
years. for me.
But the second, and, hope, last
time was a regular eye.opener. !
trod on the blessed pussy, who kicked
up row like suffraglst meeting. /
was SO startled dropped n crllet aud
jewel case down two flights OF
stairs. and generally mad, r.w
enough to wake church yard, and
nothing happened! Absolutely rot n
soul in the place-and 1t was full Of
people-stirred. was so paralyzei
with fright that ! couldn't move tc
save my life, and it wouldn't have
been much good if had, f,r not half
minute before I'd heard ecrIer
pas. and ho'd have napbah me- for
sure If any one had given the alarm,
and I'd given myself up for lost.
buL IlOt Il Soul came W see WHAT WIS
mp, and got clean away w.ta the
strff.
"Of course in n game like mine n
man has to take his luck as lls finds
it, md no one can grumh'a ut being
took now and again. don't mind
lrGeting n man or evan a woman.
;hoLgh they're much worse than the
opposite sex. being artful, and given
to, ,;Y,fy II .fO I ,,.l
CT. and don't believe in them. a tap
with n Jenny dies just rs well and
i;nt falf so dangerous; all il It
or meg to fiStS--Well LIN go I'd pIinl; Q Ii