Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 December 1874 — A Daring Theft. [ARTICLE]

A Daring Theft.

“I Bay, up there!* shouted * to some roofers who were at wort on the new addition to the Boston Public Library; but the men were working so far above where the noisy fellow was calling from that they did not hear him for some time. Finally one of the mechanics nearest to the gutter looked over the cornice into the street below, and caught the eye of the fellow who was calling so loud. “ I say, you roofer.” “ Halloo." “ Throw your hammer and chisel down here for a few minutes, will ye?” ’ “ What for?” “ Got to fix this plaguey lightning-rod.' “ Use your own tools, then.” “ Left ’em at the shop." “ I can’t help that.” “Say!” “Well?" “Just help me with your hammer for a few minutes." “ Can’t spare it.” Here another roofer crept to the cornice and looked over to See Who was making such a noise. He was instantly hailed by the man below. “ Say, can’t you lend us a hammer and chisel for a few minutes?” “ What for?" “ Got to fix this lightning rod.” “ Well, bring 'em back safe." “ All right." “ Will you come up and get ’em?" “ No. 'Drop them down." There was a plat of ground partly covered with grass under the windows, and so the accommodating roofer dropped over the spare hammer and chisel, which were duly picked up by the man belowFinally, after much hallooing, having thus got the tools, he stripped off his coat and went to work on the copper lightning rods which ran down both sides or the building. * He seemed to be a very good-natured fellow, and whistled about his work in a careless and pleasant way. Indeed, the lightning-rod man must have been quite a musician, for he whistled very loud, and he whistled very well, varying his notes by introducing snatches from all of. the popular operas, marches and waltzes of the day while he worked his way upward from window to window. At last, after more than an hour’s labor, he had got one of the long rods nearly off, all but a couple of fastenings, when, seeing a policeman standing below, , he called out: “Say, policeman?” “ What do you want?" “Just stop the people from coming too near the building for a few minutes until I let this rod down. It’s nearly ready to fall and might hurt somebody. ’ “Very well," said the policeman, taking his stand and ordering the passers-by to go on the other side of the street, Finally the lightning rod man got a rope, borrowed from some quarter of the building, and making it fast to the copper rod lowered it away to the ground, apparently well satisfied at the completion of the job. “All right, policeman. If you are coming this way by and by I snail soon have the other ready to lower." “Very well," said the officer, going off on his beat The lightning-rod man stopped to disjoint the long rod, and piled it together nicely before he commenced work upon the other. This was a much more difficult one to handle than the first, owing to the portion of the building upon which it was secured, but patience and perseverance accomplish all things, and in less than two hours the musical fellow had got the second one ready to lower. Before he cut away the last fastenings he looked round for the policeman to keep people from getting hurt if the rod should fall or go down by the run, but as no officer was in sight he hallooed vigorously to a mason at work on a portion of the building, and engaged him to keep all dear below. “ Can’t stop long." “Only for a minute," shouted the lightning-rod man. “ Why don’t you let it down?” “ Going to. Look out!” ’ And sure enough the second rod came down without the rope attachment and came within an ace of smashing in the skull of the accommodating bricklayer, who barely jumped one side in time to save his life! <■' “A miss is as good as a mile," said the mason, half joking and half seriously, “ but that is as near to being killed as I wish to be." “ I told you to look out,” said the light-ning-rod man, who had now descended to the ground. “Yes. I heard you!" said the other dryly, as he marched off to his work again. , The links in the long rod were carefully disjointed like the first and piled together close to the building; then the man remembered that he had borrowed tne roofers’ tools and so went away up to the Up of the building to return them. “ Thank ye. old fellow, for your hammer and chisel,” he said, as he returned them. “ Oh, you’re welcome,” was the answer. The lightning-rod man disappeared for a little while but soon returned, driving up to the Library with a wagon. He quietly proceeded to load his copper rods, and as they were heavy he took off his coat and was occupied some time in getting them all carefully into the vehicle. In his work altogether he wasemSloyed for some hours upon the building. io one for a moment suspected but that he was acting under orders of the proper authorities, but the truth was he was a thief! After coolly loading hi? wagon he resumed his ooat, cracked a joke or two with the mason who had so nearly lost his life, and quietly drove away. , The upshot of the whole matter is that the city of Boston will have to pay for new lightning rods for the Public Libra ry!—N. F. Weekly.