The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1913-10-30
TRICKS OF BURGLARS.
Many Schemes Used by Robbers to
Prevent Pursuits and Capture.

venture, and nothing is left tochance,
says Pearson's Weekly.
When he is at work in a room ne
usually locks the door on the INSIDE,
or if there is no lock he simply props
chair with it's back hard under the
door handle, thus making 1t quite
impossible for any one to come in
upon him unexpectedly.
Sometimes his ordinary precau-
tions fail, and he is driven to take
others on the spur of the moment.
These are often of the most eEtraor-
dinary character, and may end in do
ing serious damage to life and proper
ty.
An instance in point occurred not
long ago at Hopwood, near Redditch.
A tradesman's wife was alone in the
house at night when she was aroused
by creaking sound. Opening her
eyes she saw rough-looking man
in the room. Evidently he knew his
way about, for he tip-toed to chest
of drawers and took out small cash
box which held sum of about S75.
With great presence of mind the lady
refrained from screaming. She walt
ed until the man was out of the
room, then sprang up and hastily
put on dressing gown.
Then she ran out, but on gaining
the top of the stairs was met by a
blaze of fame. The thief, who had
evidently heard her get out of bed,
had snatched up a pile of newspapers
in the passage below, and, heaping
them on the stairs, set fire to them.
1t was impossible to pass the bar
rier Of fire, though fortunately help
came in time to put the flames out,
the burglar got clean away.
Even more cunning was the ruse
of a thief who raided house on
Woburn street, w. G. The tenant,
hearing a noise outside his bed room
door, jumped up and discovered that
his watch and chain were missing.
Without waiting to put on slippers,
he bolted downstairs, and was just
in time to see the thief rush out Of
the front door. He gave chase. The
thief glanced around, saw that his
pursuer was barefooted, and, taking
a bottle from his pocket flung it
forcibly down upon the pavement in
front of the other.
The householder naturally pulled
up short, just in time to save his
feet, while the burglar, turning sharp
ly down SIDE alley, disappeared
from view.
The latter case calls to mind one
which happened in Davenport, or
rather in Stoke, which is the residen-
tial suburb of that town. A naval
officer was aroused at about a. m.
on a winter morning by hearing a
slight clatter downstairs. He pick
ed up a sword and went down, and
located the sound as having come
from the dining room.
There was a good deal of silver
there, and he at once made up his
mind that burglars were after it. He
tried the door, but found it fastened
from the inside, so went out of the
front door and rushed around to the
window.
But the thieves had foreseen this
manoeuvre. AS he reached it one of
them flung handful of pepper into
his face and as he reeled back, chok-
ed and half blinded, they both jump
ed out and took to their heels.
One of the smartest tricks ever
played by a burglar was in a house
in the suburbs of Worcester. The
man broke in at night, and, after
packing up some silver below, ven
tured upstairs to see what he could
lind. The master of the house spot
ted him, and called his son.
They located Mr.. Sykes in a first
floor front room. His shadow was
plainly visible on the blind, outlined
apparently by a candle or lantern.
The father kept watch outside for a
policeman. When he returned with
the officer the shadow was still plain
ly visible. But when they went up
and entered the room, behold there
was nothtngs but an ethgy made with
pillows and suit of clothes
The Intruder, seeing that he had
been discovered, had rapidly con-
strncted this to personate himself,
ssand had then cleared of by means
sof a rope hanging from "a back bed
room window.
ATE CHICKEN AND THEN DIED.