of ropes, placing a flat
of thick board on the top of the spikes driven into the wall. We found
more difficulty in getting into the house:--we however at length
succeeded, by tearing away a part of the back wall, where we fitted in a
door so exactly, and so nicely painted it, that it could not be
distinguished from the wall itself. This door was so constructed, that
on touching a spring, it would fly open, and when unrestrained, would
shut to with violence. Finding the apartment so eligible for our
purpose, and fearing that at some future time we might be disturbed
either by the owner of the building or some tenant, we cut similar doors
into every room of the house, so that on an emergency we could traverse
every apartment without access to the known doors. Trap-doors on a
similar construction, communicated with the cellar:--the table, which
you saw us sitting around, stood on one of those, which, on your abrupt
appearance, as soon as the candles were extinguished, was with its
contents, precipitated below, and we made our escape by those secret
doors, judging, that although you had seen us, if we could get off, you
would be unable to find out any thing which might lead to our discovery.

"A circumstance soon occurred, which tended to embarrass our plans, and
at first seemed to menace their overthrow. Our assembling at the mansion
was irregular, as occasion and circumstances required; often not more
than once a week, but sometimes more frequent, and always in the
night.--Late one night, as we were proceeding to the mansion, and had
arrived near it, suddenly one of the chamber windows was opened and a
light issued from within. We entered the house with caution, and soon
discovered that some person was in the chamber from whence we had seen
the light. We remained until all was silent, and then entered the
chamber by one of our secret doors, and to our inexpressible surprise,
beheld a beautiful young lady asleep on the only bed in the room. We
cautiously retired, and reconnoitering all parts of the mansion, found
that she was the only inhabitant except ourselves. The singularity of
her being there alone, is a circumstance we have never been able to
discover, but it gave us fair hopes of easily procuring her ejectment.
We then immediately withdrew, and made preparations to dispossess the
fair tenant of the premises to which we considered ourselves more
properly entitled, as possessing a prior incumbency.

"We did not effe