A BURGLAR'S ADVICE.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 744, 3 December 1908, Page 4

A BURGLAR'S ADVICE.

WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN YOU GO AWAY. SHUTTJSIfS AND DOORMKTS. (From Our Special Correspondent.) London, October 23. The days, or rather the nights, when the burglar goeth forth aburgling are upon us. It is earnestly to be hoped that we have seen the last of such scenes as were witnessed last week, calling forth extra police from districts already not too well guarded. I am informed that in many suburban areas tlie man in blue was so rare a sight that the burgling fraternity lost" notable opportunities. With reference to this noble art a delicious little anecdote comes over from Paris via the Daily Telegraph. Nine years ago the house of M. Desraves was burgled. The other day ho received a- "most urgent" message from the police^ informing him that the bnrglur had just been discovered. He went to the Magistrate's office, and was there introduced to his burglar. The first thing that struck him was that Palm (that beu\<r the burglar's name) had a mar- 1 yollous memory. He had burgled innumerable houses since 1899, and ho remembers all the burglaries. In fact, he remembered more about the burglary at M. Descaves' house than M. Descaves himself. The conversation between burglar and burgled was perfectly courteous. "Of course," said M. Descaves, "I should not think of animadverting upon your having made use of my wardrolju, for the garments which you left behind in exchange for mine certainly did require replacing." "Exactly," answered Palm. "As a matter of ffactt t I rather think that of the two of us I came off worse. Just consider your trousers, for instance." M. Descaves looked hurt. Palm explained by a gesture the difference in girth between the novelist and himself. M. Descaves apologised for the wir'th of his trousers, and the burglar grve him a bit of advice. "V. hen you go away never shut yorr shutters. By doing' so you give tlio burglars the tip. On the cont.My, leave them open, and leave your mat in front of the <loor. This will delude my friends into thinking thtre is still somebody in the house." On leaving, M. Descaves shook hands with his burglar, but felt a delicacy about saying "An revior," as Palm had already sentences of a dozen years hard labour to undergo. "No, don't say au revior, because if we do ever meet again I am afraid that the pleasure will be for me only," said Palm, who finally showed his breeding by insisting that M. Doscaves should pass out of the door before him. Tt is not often that one meets with such polite burglars, or that burglars have the luck tovictimise humorists who take their misfortunes so pleasantly.