The Washington herald., 1915-09-12

A morning paper having stated that a
| certain Mr.. Blank. after a long career as
! burglar. had reformed and opened a
| real estate office. the P. D. Q. Man call
which began with:
Mr.. Blank. have you seen the morning
papers,"
Il have" he replied. Il suppose you
have come in connection with the re-
| formed burglar article?''
Il have. How much of it Is true? ..
Every line of it, sir. Take this chair.
And you have been a burglar and
, have reformed?' queried the interviewer
Just as stated was the reply, "but
shall be pleased to tell to you by word
| when I burglarized my 1rst house. i
had looked around for some profession
| that would pay fair wages, but having
found none outside of burglary l adopted
that
Then you are not driven to crime?"
asked the P. D. Q. Man.
oh, no, no. l took it up deliberately
and after figuring that 1t was full OF
way. For sixteen long years l did make
it fairly honorable. All my burglaries
were neatly done. and there was no yio-
lenee that I could possibly help: Now
aroused and got out of bed and attacked
me l had to choke him into state of
nonresistance. Some citizens will act
very foolish, you know. at finding
Did you get to love the profession:
Il think did as long as there was
money in it," was replied. For the first
six years the profits came in hand over
hand Then there was a change-you
might say three or four changes all at
once. The householders armed them
selves with automatic revolvers: every
house seemed TO have a baby TO wake
up and squawl: all the tenements were
replaced with limitations. The banks got
through supplying safety deposits as low
as s. a year. and the family money and
jewels went there, and burglar might
hunt through all the rooms of house
and not get SO worth of plunder for his
I entered was occupied by a millionaire,
VIII kept seven servants. / entered all
the sleeping rooms and 1t is the truth
that got more from the servants than
I did from the family"
Were you ever shot or captured:
asked the interviewer.
Never, sir. I don't lay it to my cute
ness, for 1 took many risks. but it was
had an eye on me at various times, but
they never got me with the goods on
AS for shooting, / could almost laugn
at il. . Not one time in a hundred can
man who is aroused from sleep by the
squawling of his baby, the barking of
his dog or the screams of his wife, snoot
to hit a barn door. He grabs his auto
matte from under his pillow and let's her
go, and there is a stream of bullets hit
ting the ceiling. the floor, the bureau
and the paintings on the wall The burg
lar stands there and smiles. Oh. no. my
friend, / was never shot.
Then you did not go out of the busi-
ness because of the risks?'
Not at all. sir. 1t was for purely
financial reasons Nobody asked me to
reform. ! did not become conscience
stricken I did not want to go to heaven
when / died. Briefly, my friend, it had
got so that I could hardly make my
board at burglary. You see, when you
have plundered a house of anything be
sides money. you have got to sell that
plunder to realize the cash. The fences |
cut the figures way down, and the high |
est price could get for a $500 gold watch |
was SIS, and it didn't pay to work at
those figures"
Then it wasn't a sudden decision with
you to REFORM" was asked.
No, sir. I was thinking of it for three |
or four years before the event actually
But how did it happen that you took
up real estate instead of something
TT was rather curious" smiled the re-
formed. In one of the last houses l
visited I awoke the proprietor. who was
sleeping there alone. He was calm.
cool man Instead OF shooting or Yelling
murder. he began to talk with me s ne
hour he convinced me that there was
more clear money in that business by
800 per cent than there was IN burglary
He had begun with SO IN his pocket. ana
risks whatever. 1t was good enough for
me. and hence the r,form-"
And have you been in the business
long enough to prove that the man was
right asked the p. d. 2. Man.
Il have, sir was the smiling answer.
II have been in it a year. but the papers
have just got hold of it. ! had capital
to start with. | went out INTO the sub
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