The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-04-06
PANEL THIETES.
How They do Their Work. Peep Be
hind the Scenes.

hlnd Ihe scenes.
Two reporters of the New York
Tribune have been daring the deni
thievery IN New York after a pattern
set by the Amateur CasuaI'' in his
investigation Of the London work.
houses. Among other places they Wis
tied "panel house" and saw actual
robbery committed. The following Is
their account Of the affair:
Through the assistance of a private
detective, they discovered panel
house, the proprietor of which was
anxious 10 retire from the business
They soon secured an interview with
him, with the OstensibIe purpose of
taking the house Off his hands. and on
two occasions they passed some time
I in his private apartments, and actual
/ " succeeded in witnessing the
whole operation Of panel-thieving.
They carefully inspected all the ar
rangements and cOntrivances of the
house, with which they expressed
their entire satisfaction, and were as
much behind the scenes as a cODiur-
Or's assistant or q theatrical nachinist
{ at NtDlO's Garden. They soon came
to the conclusion that no possible pre-
caution on the part of men entering
suc.i houses can prevent their being
robbed At each visit they passed an
hour in the private room from which
the keeper of the house operates,
through the panel-doOr, on the pock-
cts of his victims. On the reporters
gaining admission to the house the
proprietor proceeded to show them
over it, criticising as he went along,
with professional pride, its various ar
rangements. perfect ~ They havn't
the least chance, Sir!D he would con-
stantly remark and then ehuckle and
rub his hands together with delight to
the thought of the ease with which he
robbed his victims. The man was
apparently about 50 years of age.
strongly built, good looking, and well
dressed. He certainly did not look
like panel thief. His assistant was
a thin, spare man, some five years
older. He moved about with a soft
tread and ever watchfuI glance ofa cat,
and with a nervous quickness which
at once proclaimed him a skillful op-
orator. He also seemed to enjoy show
ing the house.
The description of the ground-fioor
will suffice. The back room, in which
thepanel-wOrker waits his oppOrtun-
ity, IS almost unfurnished, containing
only lounge, two or three common
chairs and a small stove. The door of
this room opens on to a private stair
case, which leads down TO the back |
basement and into an underground |
passage which communicates with the |
street by a cellar door. The front |
room is very comfortably furnished |
apartment, about lSx2O, with a /
large fire burning in an oDen /
crate, and separated from the back |
room by folding doors. The room /
leading into the entrance is close to /
these doors, and can apparently be /
fastened by a large sliding bolt a
false one. The head of the bed, usual
ly high, is placed against the wall, to
face the windows, with a couch be-
hind it just clear of the entrance door.
Thus, the victim can neither see the /
door by which he entered nor the fold
ing doors. Against the folding 7
doors, covering the ordinary open.
ing, stands a heavy marble-tOppad
A large ponderous look
ing-glass hangs Immediately over it,
and two chairs are placed on either
side. Between the windows there is a
dressing-table; also with chair on
either side. TINS fOlding-doors ap-
parently cannot be opened because
Of the washstand and lOoking-glass
aud two big bolts. But this is not so.
The left door instead of being hung
On hinges from the ordinary casing,
has its hinges on the other door, i'm
the center of the room, and is kept I
closed by large, wooden button bolt
on the otherside, in the room in which
the panel-thief is concealed.
Having thoroughly inspected the
house the reporters returned to the
back room, and with we'll assumed
ease, and having been posted by the
tetectivein panel house slang, they
threw themselves on the lounge, lit
cigars, and opened n desultOry con-
with their hosts, ---------i
"Staked the CuptHtn?'
mo. We're on the breakup"
"Yes.u
"Heavy ~
give dollars a night"
sIFOr the information of the uniniti-
lted, we may explain the meaning of
his conversation; the thieves had
not bribed the Captain of the Precinct,
oreferring to run the risk of being
broken up, but they paid the patrol
men $ a night.
At this moment steps were heard in
he passage, the gas turned down, and
al kept breathless silence. An elder
" man entered the front door with a
woman, and Immediately all eyes
we're eagerly watching through the
little peep-hOles bored through the
walls and doors, and into which pegs
are inserted the moment the eve is
to prevent the light show
through. The sucker" however, as
he victim is termed, became alarmed
1t something, and began to parley with
MS companion. 81 have been into
,wo houses already, this eve hing, and
nave been trapped ont of EACH" he
aid, "fOr what reason l don't know.
But if I'm to be raped out again, I
won't stay"
"That sucker" whispered the pro-
Drietor to his assistant, "has been beat
)ut of his money, and hasn't found il
)ut yet. Don't let him sqUeal here.
Rap him out at Once.u
The elderly gentleman was accord
ngly raped out, and all again assum-
ID their seats and and cigars. At
his moment the assistant discovered
hat the panel creaked a little, and
more grease on the hinges.
"Oh," replied the head, "that
won't be noticed by the sucker if the
girl does her part we'll"
The assistant was about to say
more, when he was seized
vith'a fit of coughing. When it had
subsidized he laUghingly remarked; 'It
S very strange, but if there is a sucker
IN that front room / couldn't cough to
save my life. The conversation then
turned to the number and their lovers
who are connected with the house.
The rent and other matters were then
and the reporters were be-
ginning to wonder what they could say
next, when the negro servant, who
lad been out on an errand, came back
in a hurry, and whispered lat one of
the girls had just passed the house
with a sucker.
"She's that new girl who only came
said the proprietor to his
assistant "You had better hop out
md walk them in. She probably
iOn't know the house in the dark
The assistant kicked of his list slip
oers, drew on his boots, and was in
he act Of putting on his coat, when the
noise of the street door arrestde pre-
the gas was hurriedly turn
I'd down, smoking was forbidden, and
he peep-hOles again resOrted to. a
German, about 80 years of age, enter
I'd the room with dark-haired flash
ly-dressed woman who Immediately
requested him to bolt the door. This
be did, bat he might have saved him
self the trouble, for the door was no
more closed then than it was before.
These bolts are very ingenious. The
catch on the jamb of the door into
which the bolts slides has three false
screw heads in it. In reality it does
not attach to the decreasing at all
but is fastened to the body of the bolt
Dy an unseen plate. Consequently.
when the door is opened, the catch
goes forward with the remainder of I
The bolt. This, Of course was not no
iced by the man, as the gas was not
turned up by the woman till after the
iOOor was closed. While the man was .
Dolting the door the woman hurried
to the dressing table and hastily laid
her hat on one chair and her cloak on
1nu0nnIInn the 7