The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1912-12-27
The Lambertville Record.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1912
HIS
CONVERSION
And What Stood Between
Him and Relapse
BY f. A. mitchell

When | got tired of work conclud-
ed to tramp. But when man gifts
dissatisfied with hard job and takes
an easier one the chances are that he'll
soon want an easier one still. The fell
Ter that tackles the job he happens to
have for all it's worth is the one that Is
most likely to git an easier one in time,
and when he gifts 1t he'll be satisfied
with 1t till he gifts an easier one, and
he'll be goln' up hill all the time.
l hadn't been trampln' very long be-
fore 1t occurred to me that it would be
the easiest thing in the world, when
some fool woman was givin' me
somep'n to eat, with no man about the
house, to make her tell me where she
kept her valuables, take 'em and light
out. needn't try 1t on at houses near
together, but separate, 80 that there
wouldn't be any one to call on for help
and I'd have a better chance to git
away after I'd done the job. Another
thing / must keep clear Of was houses
where there was a telephone, or, If l
tackled one of 'em, must cut the wire
before i started in.
The first Job of the kind tried
found dead easy. The men were all
away, and the women was skeered to
death. They handed over all the money
they had in the house $50 and offered
me some jewelry besides. l declined
the jewery cause | didn't care to be
traced tryin' to convert 1t into cash.
/ got away with the money, and
don't believe the losers tried very hard
to find me. The amount involved
wasn't enough to pay EN- for dom so.
BY choosin' houses that were unpro-
tected and in thinly settled regions
and bein' content with small sums l
did very good business and took the
least risk possible. The people l rob
bed considered me their natural enemy
and would have taken any revenge on
me they could. This kept my con-
science, and on the whole / considered
my lot far better than that of persons
who slave all day at hard work. /
roamed at large and had what money
/ needed for an occasional good time.
If the persons | robbed had only kept
on hurting their maledictions Mt me per-
haps ia "a got enough by this time to
set up in some kind o. business, hiring
others to do the work. Strange to say,
my run OF prosperity was brought to a
standstlll by the opposite kind o. treat
ment.
One day after trampin' two or three
miles without meetin' person or a
team or comm to Il house ] overlook
gal on the road and played the usual
game of out o work, hungry, no home
nor nothin. | asked her IL she knew any
charitable party thereabouts who would
give me crust of bread. She was the
easiest fooled gal l ever tackled. Sh'
not only believed all said, bat almos
cried over my misfortunes She sale
she lived with her old mother AROUND
a bend in the road ahead and II II
go with her she'd give nue. all wanted
to eat and a little money to help me
on to a better condition
She took me TO a spick and span place
and set me down before bright fire
where l could warm myself, for 1
wasn't in the line o my business Il
wear seasonable clothes, and off she
goes to git me somep'n to eat. Firs
thing l knew l heered n squawkin' IL
the chicken house and lookin' on
through n winder, saw the gal chop
pin the head off'n fat hen. Fol
awhile | couldn't believe that she wa!
fool enough to kill n chicken for me
and didn't feel sure OF it till heeret
1t sizzlln' on the stove.
All this while was thinkin how
I'd commence the business ] was there
for. My usual game was to find GU
where the money was kept or at leas
In what part Of the house to look TO
It. Sometimes l did this by round
about questions. sometimes by obser
walton. If | could learn this before
hoistin' the pirate flag 1t made thu
Job much easier for me. In this cast
1t occurred to me that while the ga
was out In the kitchen cookin' chick
en- for me that she could sell for =
cents pound might so up the from
stairway and take look into the hn
reau drawers,
Coin softly. turned into bed
room on the second floor. | opene,
the top drawer of the burenu and find
tn nothin opened an inlaid box on tn
mantel. Among few trinkets an'
pther small articles nestled roll -
bills. took 'em out, stuffed 'em il
my pocket and was turnin TO ieaN
the room when l saw an old lad.
standln' there lookin at me. Sh
turned white rs a sheet, ran into
room, locked the door, and | heard br
raise n sash and call out 70 her daue
ter that there was n robber in 4.
house. ran downstairs. intendh'
light out, but met the gal in the hl'
She looked as IL she hadn't yet get
to the fact that ! was the robher m'
mother was talSin' about.
'Where is hep" she asked.
II reckon he went down the ln
stairs" ] said
II the old woman hadn't recOv't'
from her scare enough to unlock Il '
self and come downstairs ] would
said I'd look for him in the back "a.
and got away IN that direction