TBW Daily Diary

Linda Ries from the Pa. Archives popped in for some cards today. We still have autographed copies of her Harrisburg book. $19.95 . . . Ken Frew's book on Harrisburg architecture is due out soon. Will try to get a better citation for you . . . Placed our fabric order for place mats, tea towels, throws, etc. Shipment comes from Seattle, so it will be a week or so before they arrive . . . A flock of birds fluttered and swooped above the store this afternoon. "Looks just like fireworks," JJ declared . . .

Our History – Part Three

The man had already been in twice that day to look at jewelry and he reappeared at closing. He chose two pairs of earrings. Something in his manner made me suspicious and put me on my guard. I took longer than necessary to package his order, hoping someone else would come in. No luck. When I asked for his money he brandished a knife and emptied the till. He headed for the door and I for the phone . . . No one had come in because he had locked the door, but Tom Leonard was waiting and simply thought I had slipped off to the loo for a moment. Tom heard me calling the police and immediately gave chase . . . fortunately for us, there had been several purse-snatchings recently at that hour and there were plain-clothes officers scattered throughout the area; the fellow was caught just a few moments later with the jewelry still on him. Tom was an acclaimed hero . . . at the trial the man claimed he had never been on Green Street and the prosecution could not mention that he had been caught in the act of raping a woman in the parking lot just across from the store. It would have been once and done had not a pregnant juror decided her time had come (it hadn’t) just as deliberations were beginning. So a mistrial was called and we had to do it over again. He got five years . . . And would you believe that several years later he returned with a girlfriend claiming he had earrings on layaway for her and had come to pick them up . . . I dashed for the phone, but the dispatcher refused to send an officer because she didn’t have a “back-up” for him and there hadn’t been an “incident” YET! Luckily, the fellow and his girl left on their own without further confrontation . . . we have been shop-lifted a lot over the years (and have known some culprits but unable to catch them in the act) but nothing as dramatic as this . . . well, there were a few other events worth mentioning . . .