Antedatings of "burglarize," "burgle," and "burglar" (as a verb)

[Bonnie Taylor-Blake]

I've spotted in American periodicals a few uses of "burglarize," "burgle,"
and the less familiar "burglar" (as a verb) that precede those early-usage
examples appearing in the OED.  (The OED shares sightings from 1871, 1872,
and 1890, respectively.)

-- Bonnie

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BURGLARIZE (1840, etc.)


In this dilemma there were but two resources open to the infuriated
stewards, one to carry the key *vi et armis*; the other, to burglarize the
cellar.

(From Shamrock's "Steeple-Chasing in Ireland," *Spirit of the Times; A
Chronicle of the Turf, Agriculture, Field Sports, Literature and the Stage*
[New York], 20 June 1840; 10; 16; APS Online, Pg. 184.)

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CLEVELAND, OCT. 31.  The Dudley Brothers and Dodge, wholesale dry goods
store was burglarized last night. -- $3,000 worth of silks were taken. -- No
arrest.

(From *The Daily Ohio Statesman* [Columbus], 1 November 1856, Pg. 2; via
America's Historical Newspapers [Archives of Americana].)

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The burglary case was resumed again and the court room was crowded almost to
suffocation with spectators.  People were evidently anxious to see how the
smart boys from Chicago came out in their attemts [sic] to burglarize and
bedupe the honest Madisonians.

(From "The Burglary Case; Conclusion of the Evidence; The Parties Bound Over
for Trial," *The Daily Argus and Democrat* [Madison, Wisconsin], 25 February
1857, Pg. 2; via newspaperarchive.com.)

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W.A. Sanborn, Sterling, Ill, commenced an action against Herring & Co. safe
manufacturers to recover $26,000 which was burglarized from a warranted
burglar proof safe of Herrings.

(From "From New York," *The Dubuque [Iowa] Daily Herald*, 15 December 1866,
Pg. 1; via newspaperarchive.com.)

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The house of James Newcomb, on Granite street, New London, was burglarized
of $150 worth of jewelry on Saturday night.

(From "New England News," *The Hartford Daily Courant*, 29 May 1867, Pg. 8;
via ProQuest.)

----------------

A Norfolk, Virginia, negro was pitched out of the third story window of a
house he was burglarizing the other night.  It did'nt [sic] hurt him any.

(From "News and Other Items," *The Pittsfield [Massachusetts] Sun*, 8 July
1869, Pg. 2; via America's Historical Newspapers [Archives of Americana].)


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BURGLE (1867, etc.)


The store of Elihu Potter of Noauk was burgled, Friday night, of articles of
small value.

[From "New England News," *The Hartford Daily Courant*, 15 October 1867; Pg.
8; via ProQuest.]

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Three villains burgled the house of Asher Briggs, at Canterbury, on the 6th,
while the family was absent, with the exception of one son, who was knocked
senseless by the robbers.

[From "New England News," *The Hartford Daily Courant*, 18 October 1867, Pg.
8; via ProQuest.]

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The unknown adventurer who burgled Plymouth Church had his labor for his
pains.

(From "Plymouth Church; America; Madrid," *The Daily Columbus [Georgia]
Enquirer*, 24 July 1869, Pg. 1; via America's Historical Newspapers
[Archives of Americana].)

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(Jane W. Stedman's "American English in Punch, 1841-1900" [*American Speech*
28(3): 171-180, 1953] reports that the following *Punch* piece can be found
in the 5 February 1870 issue [p. 44].)


[From *The Chicago Tribune*, 20 March 1870, Pg. 5; via ProQuest.]

AMERICAN SLANGOGRAPHY

*From the London Punch,*

People who have any reverence for "the pure well of English undefiled," must
wish that the Americans would have left that well alone, and not defile it
with such hideous corruptions as the following:

One of the papers lately, instead of recording that the President had gone
on an excursion, simply announced that he had "excurted."

The other day we read the Erie was "injuncted."

A paragraph in an evening paper was headed thus:  "A Woman Burgled Nine
Times in Ten Years."

Fancy the dismay of dear old Dr. Johnson at reading such uncouth phraseology
as this!  Imagine him devouring Yankee newspapers for breakfast!  With how
many a cup of tea could he gulp down, without choking, their grammarless
contents!  And when afterward discussing them in cold blood, with what
rotundity of phrase would he give vent to his just wrath.  Conceive the
Great Lexicographer admitting to his dictionary such exercises as this:
"Burgle, verb active, 'To break into a house,'" or "Excurt, verb neuter, To
go upon a journey.  "What groans, and grunts, and snorts of furious
indignation he would forcibly emit on meeting with a sample of new English
such as this:

"We have interviewed the cuss who quilled our yesterday's editorial, and in
this connection we may big-type our assurance that the news which had been
wired to us was regular reliable, as our  reporters are injuncted from
letting slide their reputation by telegramming fibs."

Assuredly, if speech be silver, men who coin such phrases which indeed
should never become current, out to be indicted for uttering false money.
As a set-off to their claim for Alabama compensation, our Yankee friends
should pay us for the injuries inflicted on the English language by
word-inventing writers for the trans-Atlantic press.


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BURGLAR (verb and gerund) (1869, etc.)


The residence of B. L. Ludington, No. 859 Lexington avenue, was burglared
and robbed of jewelry, clothing, and valuables -- a large amount -- last
night.

(From "New York; Burglary," *The Hartford Daily Courant*; 25 December 1869;
Pg. 5; via ProQuest.)

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A MISSOURI paper says "that nothing annoys a man more than to have his house
burglared three or four times a week for a straight month."

(From "Miscellaneous Items," *The Paxton [Illinois] Weekly Record*, 30 April
1874, Pg. 1; via newspaperarchive.com.)

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[On the crime rate in America compared to that in England.]

The Liverpool *Albion* of August 15th contains the following record of
crimes which had happened in the city and vicinity for the week ending on
the above date:  "Riot, 3; [...] burglaring, 1; abduction, 1; [...] "

(From *The Indiana [Pennsylvania] Messenger*, 16 September 1874, Pg. 2; via
newspaperarchive.com.)

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CHEVALIERS D'INDUSTRIE; The Stores of H. Susskind and Harper, Reynolds & Co.
Burglared.

(Headline appearing in *The Los Angeles Times*, 28 October 1882, Pg. 4.)

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