The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-08-13

/ NES-lt Is very CuI1Oub CuCum-
stance that the robbers who make business OF
stealing silver plate in this city almost without
exception escape detection. We have heard
within few months past Of numbers of fami-
lies who have lost the whole of their silver, and
have failed to discover the first trace of it, II
the sufferers apply to the police they are told to
keep quiet, to say nothing, to wait, and quite 81
often are informed that there Ia no use in
making any attempts to recover il, for il is
already melted up and disposed Of We con
slider this most shameful state of things, aid
one which requires correction. In many re-
spects our police system is not only inefficient,
but excites very unpleasant suspicious of strsngs
complexities. Suppose the silver stolen is melted
up without delay-it must then be run into
bars or ingots, or irregularly shaped pieces.
and in this form disposed Of. But IL requires a
hot fire and strong crucibles to do this. Silver
to melt is subjected to q heat of 4,7l1 degrees
Fahrenheit, or 2s degrees Wedgewood's pyro-
meter. A common red heat visible In the dsy
time is but 1,077 degrees Fahrenheit, and o,
or zero, Of Wedgewood, and is not great
enough for the purpose. Ii is, therefore evil
dent that in an ordinary open fire, crate or
stove, without the addition Of stream of air
artifcially applied, this stolen silver cannot be
melted up; and this fact should open the eyes
of the police to certain places which are sup
posed to be used only for legitimate smelling
And even after being thus surrcptitiously
melted II must fall into the hands OF persons
well acquainted with the precious metals and
their appearance when coming out of the fire.
They can tell in a moment whether IL has been
COOLED hastily or not, by certain infallible
marks, not proper, perhaps TO be stated publicly,
and which would in nine cases out Of ten lead TO
q detection Of the offender.
II Is also understood that oil respectable re-
finers stamp their bars OF ingots with some pc
culiar marks Of their own, Of which they are
very chary, and which they protect from coun-
terfeiting with the greatest care. Now, the bur.
glar has no such means of designating his work,
and If be has any, his marks would not be known
nor received without scrutiny. What the police
ought to do, then, is TO keep their eyes on any
shop or house where the process Of melting is
carried on. and the places where the precious
metals are usually bought The honest reGners
could very easily unite on plan which would
enable them 10 detect any unusual appearances
or false marks, for the latter are not 80 hume.
rous a. 10 make cooperation impracticeble So
of the junk dealers AID pawnbrokers They are
already watched by the police, and might be
forbidden to purchase silver ualess IL bore the
regular marks Of the rofners, or purchase Il Of
all under certain price per ounce. They might
also be compelled to report every case where IL
was presented to them at less than its true OF
established value. The burglar would then zee
bis game blocked at once, in this city at least,
and through similar legal provisions In othe-
cities be would find bis opportunities to dispose
of his plumber very greatly diminished
The appearance of silver suddenly melted,
would always be just ground Of suspicion GA
the part of an honest purchaser. IL is greet
mistake 10 suppose that silence is the best
method for the recovery Of stolen property. II
has been tried over and over again. without e.
feet. On the contrary, the moment a loss Is
sustained, IL should be made as public a. possi.
BILE. The whole community is then aware OF
the circumstances, and becomes a body of de-
tectives. The process OF melting cannot be
carried on without some aid from accomplices
and every rogue has always some unfrienily
eye upon him, even among his own comrades.
These thefts Of silver are supposed always To be
made by persons familiar with the habits and
condition of the families they rob- In most
houses the female servants are allowed "to keep
company with strangers picked up casually,
with hosts OF cousins and acquaintance made az
junketings and even at the churches In this
class Of persons often pretending TO visit with
intention of marriage, we have the most dan
gerous Of our thieves
Another class enter our residences osteaably