Green’s Dictionary of Slang

leaving a house late at night; usu. to avoid paying rent; thus moonlight flitter.

1802		Campbell Journey ii I: He made what is termed a moon-light flitting [F&H].
1822		J. Galt Annals of the Parish 263: He was fain to make a moonlight flitting, leaving his wife for a time to manage his affairs.
1841		N.Y. Tribune 20 Oct. 3/2: Graham’s Ladies’ and Gentleman’s Magazine. Contents [...] ‘The Moonlight Flitting or the mistake‘ by Eliza Van Horn Ellis.
1830		Lytton Paul Clifford II 223: Suppose, now [...] that we take a moonlight flitting from Bath, will that tell well for you whom we leave behind?
1863		E. Gaskell Sylvia’s Lovers III 171: Who’d ha’ thought of yo’r husband [...] makin’ a moonlight flittin’ and leavin’ yo’ to be a widow-bewitched.
1869		Anderson Intelligencer (SC) 12 Aug. 1/3: She one night made a moonlight flitting with her devoted swain.
1880		Dundee Courier 25 May 2/3: Law should be on the side of the moonlight flitters [...] a house properietor who had [...] taken it upon him to interrupt a flitting which was proceeeding at his property [...] the Judge [...] forbidding his interferece in moonlight flitting and established the sole right of the constable of the watch to act.
1885		St Paul Dly Globe (MN) 27 July 5/1: She started out again for her accustomed moonlight flitting.
1906		Valentine Democrat (NE) 27 Dec. 2/3: Only the thought of the signorina prevented me making a moonlight flitting.
1922		N.Y. Tribune 29 Oct. 49/3: Here themes mostly were [...] saloons, hooch, brawls, police courts, moonliight flittings.
1939		P. Gallagher My Story 77: We therefore decided that our flitting should be a moonlight one.