Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-12-23
TRICKY BURGLARS
Quick of Wit and Full of Resource
In Time of Danger.

The wise burglar considers not only
how he may enter, bat also how he
may escape. He has the whole thing
planned out before embarking on his
venture. and nothing is left to chance.
When he is at work in a room he
usually locks the door on the inside, or
if there is no lock he simply props n
chair with its back hard under the.
door handle thus making it quite i'm,
possible for any one to come in upon
him unexpectedly.
Sometimes his ordinary precautions
fail. and he is driven to take others on
the spur of the moment. These are Of
ten of the most extraordinary charac-
ter and may end in doing serious dam
age to life and property.
An instance in point occurred not
long ago at Hopwood, near Redditch-
A bridesmaids wife was alone in the
house at night when she was aroused
by a creaking sound. Opening her
eyes, she saw a rough looking man in |
the room. Evidently he knew his way /
about, for he tiptOed to a chest of
drawers and took out n small cash box
which held a sum OF about $75. With
=
Trained from screaming. She waited
until the man was out of the room,
then sprang up and hastily put on q
dressing gown.
Then she ran out, but on gaining the
top of the stairs was met by blaze
of flame. The thief, who had evident
" heard her get out of bed, had snatch
ed up a pile of newspapers in the pas
sage below and. heaping them on the
stairs, set fire to them.
1t was impossible to pass the barrier
of fire, and, though fortunately help
came in time TO put the flames out, the
burglar got clean away.
Even more cunning was the ruse of
n thief who raided a house on Woburn
street, London. The tenant, hearing n
noise outside his bedroom door, jump
ed up and discovered that his watch
and chain were missing. Without walt
ing to put on slippers, he bolted down
stairs 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 n bottle from his pocket,
flung it forcibly down upon the pave
ment in front of the other.
The householder naturally pulled up
short, just in time to save his feet,
while the burglar, turning sharply.
down a side alley, disappeared from
view.
The latter case calls to mind one
which happened in Davenport or, rath-
er, in Stoke, which is the residential
suburb of that town. A naval officer
was aroused about a. III. on n winter
morning by hearing n slight chatter
He picked up a sword
and went down and located the sound
as having come from the dining room.
There was n good deal of silver
there. and he at once made up his
mind that burglars were after II. 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
AS he reached it one OF
them flung handful Of pepper into his
face, and as he reelcd back. choked
md half blinded, they both jumped out
and took to their heels.
One Of the srnartest tricks ever play
suburbs Of Worcester The man broke
n at night and, after packing up some
silver below, ventured upstairs to see
what he could find. The master OF tile
louse spotted him and called his son.
They located Mr.. Sykes in a first
iOor front room. His shadow was
plainly visible on the blind, outlined
apparently by a candle or lantern.
rhe father kept watch outside I'm the
ront, while the son went for police.
nan. When he returned with the of
Icer the shadow was still plainly visit
lie. But when they went mp and en-
cred the room. behold there was noth{
NJ but an efigy made with plilows
nd a suit Of clothes r.
The intruder, seeing that he had been
discovered. had rapidly constructed
his to personate himself and had then
learcd of by means Of n rope hanging
rom u back bedroom windcw.-Pear-
on's Weekly.