Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 November 1883 — A Thirteenth Century Burglary Prcventive. [ARTICLE]

A Thirteenth Century Burglary Prcventive.

“By the way,” said a New York man of a collector of the curious, “he had a weapon__which I believe to be-unique; it consists of a round shield of hammered iron about, eighteen inches in diameter, containing a very powerful brass spring, which the owner -grinds up before marching hut to meet his antagonist. His aim is to rush to close qna ters, and, as soon , as the shield touches his opponent, to let thee spring go. Upon doin'* this four curved knives, brosul fly out and revolve with great force and rapidity. This is the machine for which the collector had the greatest affection; he used to keep it by his bedside to disembowel burglars wish. But, as he used to say, ‘ they would never drop in.’. Did you ever hear of a ‘ devil’s hat ? ’ Well, he bad one of them, and a visitor of his nearly lost his ears by putting it on one night while waiting for him. It was a com-mon-looking stiff beaver hat externally, but after you had it well settled on your head, razors and similar instruments projected inward from the sides, and you couldn’t get it off without tremendous sacrifices. This last blooUcurdler was constructed by a Russian hatter for an enemy; but the tradition goes that the intended victim got wind of it, and as the hatter was about to put it on him, the fellow seized it and dapped it on the maker’s head.— New York Sun. Sad, indeed, is the spectacle of the youth idling away the springtime of his existence, and, not only “losing the sweet benefit of time,” but wasting, in the formation of evil habits, those hours in -which he might “clothe himself with angel-like .perfection. "—Landon. King Humbert has responded to Mr. John W. Garrett’s gift of a $300,000 horse by sending him a lot of camels and other useful “critters. ” The camels are to form a part of the atiructions of Druid Hill-park. Amasa Swallow, of Delaware, has offered a reward of $15,000 for the’eapture and conviction of the slayer of bis son.