Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-04-23

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any careless oversight that should ex-
pose me 10 suspicion or detection-and
WAS confident that only chrelessness
or my part could arouse a doubt Of
my honesty in the sleepy town. Ia
the matter of clothing Halter myself
/ dressed the part 10 perfection Ny
burglars suit was Of sabdued gray, In
conspicuous alike in moonlight and IN
shadow. as were my soft hat, shirt,
tennis shoes and socks. In my pockets
there WAS not a bit of papersor per-
sonal belonging Of amy KIND that might
be lost and later picked up as cIeW
10 The iaentity9ee an intruder; nor was
There a loose button on my garments.
The costume did not differ materially
from my everyday lounging dress with
which the people of the town were Ia
miliar.
| had no elaborate kit of house
breaking tools; in fact, the entire
equipment. which ! found sufiiced for
all purposes, consisted of a small
Jimmy" for forcing windows or door
hasps; a delicate but powerful pair
Of tweezers for grapsing the tips of
keys left in locks, a thin-bIaded
pocketknife for throwing window
catches. and poeketful of matches.
TWO of the tools-the jimmy and the
tweezers-I Invariably concealed out
side house before | entered; my
theory being that if | were captured
inside the evidence as to my Wrons
intentions might be very strong, but
would not be absolutely conclusive
SO long as there WAS nothing in my
possession to prove me a housebreak-
err Many man has been found in
another,s habitation without being
suspected of entertaining designs on
the spoonsi 1.-THE worst came TO the
worst 1 could declare that in passing
had noticed an open window or
door, and, suspecting burglars, was in
tent on their capture.
For like reason | used matches
rather than a pocket hashlight with
which to find my way about. And /
Want 10 say that the brotherhood OF
thieves owes a tremendous debt of
gratitude to the man who invented
the safety match that lights silently
the old-fa shioned "parlor match was
simply impossible.
l.
was guilty of many foolish and child
ish slips when I first set out on my
career of adventure. 1t angers me
yet to recall my foolhardiness on one
occasion. as nearly as | can remember.
IN the very FIRST house ever robbed.
| had entered by kitchen window,
and, being perfectly familiar with the
premises. had no light as | made my
way umhesitatingly through swing
ing door into the dining room. In
the dining room was 4 s.ove, and as
| passed it my foot struck and over
turned n basket that sat on the floor
in front There tumbled out hair
dozen baby chickens that had been
wrapped in a shawl and placed in the
basket before the fire To keep warm
through the night. They set up a
dismal HeepnS that aroused lry SYM
pathy more than my fears, for | knew
the inhabitants Of the house were
sound asleep upstairs. The fire in the
dining room stove had gone oat. so
struck light, restored the discon-
ISOLATE infant poultry 10 their basket
and placed them in the oven of the
Kitchen range. which was stilf warm.
Then ! went ON about my business
of robbine the house. But that done.
and as | was leaving by the way l
came, il occurred TO me that the COOK.
in building a fire for breakfast. might
roast the chicks in the oven without
being aware of their presence there.
Would you believe it'll wasted 20
minutes searching for pencil and
paper that | might write a note to
L.. 80 al. ID,
warning the cook to remove the bas-
ket from the stove!
That was simply assinine. The
underwriting habit is one of the worst
a burglar can acquire. and has made
trouble for many a simpleton.
Women are the bane of burglars;
they largely are responsible for the
too great element of danger in the
business of housebreaking. woman
is as uncertain asleep as she is awake.
and can't be- depended on for two
minutes in Succession. You may
leave her sound asleep in one room,
seemingly settled Cor hours to come.
and you've no more than begun to
ransack the bureau in the next room
than she awakens, remembers that
she forgot to wind The clock set the
light bread dough to rise, or set a
drink OF water, and the next thing
yop know she is standing in the door
way behind YOU screaming Thieves"
Murder and Police" She doesn't
know enough to be afraid. and where
the average man. hearing a noise in
the house." would snuggle under the
cover and quake, woman will search
the place from cellar to garnet for an
intruder, and, if she finds him, chase